ECU professors named academic fellows in terrorism studies

Two East Carolina University professors were selected as academic fellows for 2012-13 by the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a non-partisan policy institute headquartered in Washington, D.C.

William Bloss

William Bloss, a criminal justice professor in College of Human Ecology and Robert Thompson, political science professor in the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences, will travel to Israel at the end of May for an intensive course in terrorism studies and in particular, how democracies can defeat the worldwide terrorist threat.

“Terrorism is the greatest threat today to the world’s democracies, including the United States and our allies around the globe,” said Clifford May, FDD president.  “To win the war against terrorism, we must win the war of ideas by promoting democracy and defeating the totalitarian ideologies that drive and justify terrorism,” he said.

The FDD Academic Fellows program provides a 10-day learning experience to U.S.–based teaching and research professionals to provide them with cutting edge information about defeating terrorist groups.

The 2012 program, which will be conducted at Tel Aviv University from May 27th to June 6th, includes lectures by academics, military and intelligence officials and diplomats from Israel, Jordan, India, and the United States. It also includes hands on experience through visits to police, customs, immigration facilities, military bases and border zones to learn the practical side of deterring and defeating terrorists.

Robert Thompson

For more information on the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies or the Academic Fellowship program, contact Dana Murphy, campus programs coordinator, at 202-207-0190.

Bloss can be reached at 252-328-1447 and Thompson can be reached at 252-328-5686.

###