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SIPA Roundtable Examines Sept. 11 Attacks and Aftermath in Russia, Europe, East Asia, Africa and Latin America
Columbia University's "SIPA Responds" hosted a roundtable, "With Us or Against Us? The Attacks and the Aftermath in Russia, Europe, East Asia, Africa and Latin America," on the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The panel comprised faculty from the University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA): John Micgiel (Europe), Xiaobo Lu (East Asia), Susan Burgerman (Latin America), Catharine Nepomnyashchy (Russia) and Kiki Edozie (Africa).
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| Catharine Nepomnyashchy |
Russian President Vladimir Putin has realigned himself with the West following the attacks of Sept. 11, says Catherine Nepomnyashchy, director of the Harriman Institute. In fact, the event was a defining moment for him as leader of Russia. In describing the response of the Russian people, she said that although there has been a tremendous outpouring of sympathy, there is a constituency in Russia that believes the U.S. has "earned the retaliation" through the exercise of its foreign policy.
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| John Micgiel |
People across Europe have expressed a "community of values and great sadness" and individual European states have expressed solidarity in joining the anti-terrorist military effort, according to John Micgiel, executive director of the Institute for Eastern and Central Europe and adjunct associate professor at SIPA. However, given the Muslim populations living in Europe, it remains to be seen how the willingness and ability of European governments to pursue more interventionist policies will be affected.
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Kiki Edozie
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Africa is a fertile ground for terrorist cells, given the weak societies and poverty. Among the examples that SIPA lecturer Kiki Edozie cited was how Bin Laden had made a home in the Sudan in 1991. She added that African societies will react differently depending on the Muslim/Christian makeup of the country.
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Susan Burgerman
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How has Sept. 11 affected Latin America? According to Susan Burgerman, associate director of the Institute for Latin American/ Iberian Studies and adjunct associate professor at SIPA, the effects have included a general critical economic downturn (caused by already depressed imports and investments, a virtual halt in tourism in many countries and the tightening of immigration), varying responses to the United States' request to crack down on underground banking systems that sponsor terrorism and the opportunity to reassert military control and control civil liberties.
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Xiaobo Lu
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The attacks of Sept. 11 fundamentally changed the direction of U.S.Ѓhinese relations, giving China the opportunity to improve relations with the United States said Xiaobo Lu, director of the East Asain Institute. According to Lu, there was a geopolitical re-mapping of East Asia and the world that took place after 9/11.
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Published: Dec 11, 2001
Last modified:Sep 18, 2002
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