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Remembering 9/11…As the first anniversary of the event that struck at the heart of America approaches, the US is considering striking at the heart of Iraq. In Canada, a Senate committee is advising the federal government to be quick and serious about upgrading coastal defense. If it doesn’t, warns the committee, Canada will become even more of a haven for terrorists like the ones who brought down the US World Trade centre last September. Lenard Cohen, an SFU expert on international politics, shares the committee’s concerns. "Terrorist networks have already taken advantage of Canada’s openness and civility to advance their interests and use Canada as a channel of communication and transportation," says Cohen. He predicts, "In view of 9/11, Canada’s and the US's military will build on their already close relationship as a result of the cold war, on a de facto basis if necessary." Regarding US President George Bush’s relentless pursuit of domestic and international consent to attack Iraq, Cohen says Bush’s bellicose attitude isn’t just symptomatic of a "cowboy syndrome. It is born of a long history of American willingness to intervene strongly when American interests are at stake." Other SFU experts on Trans Atlantic and Middle East politics are available to comment on events coinciding with the 9/11 anniversary. Andre Gerolymatos, SFU’s chair of Hellenic studies, says, "The impending attack against Iraq is almost irreversible. Bush has painted himself into a corner. If he does not invade he loses credibility. If he does, it may be a messier campaign than the US anticipated." SFU historian Bill Cleveland can look at the impact of post 9/11 events on political tensions in the Middle East.

Lenard Cohen, 604.291.4518, lenard_cohen@sfu.ca
Andre Gerolymatos, 604.291.5597, agerolym@sfu.ca
Bill Cleveland, 604.291.5815, william_cleveland@sfu.ca


Reliving the trauma…The images of the World Trade Centre towers being struck and then crumbling to the ground are being replayed over and over in light of the event’s first anniversary. Still overwhelming in scope, they are ingrained on our collective memories, notes SFU communication PhD student Debra Pentecost. But do people become desensitized? Is there such a thing as compassion fatigue? Pentecost has studied the impact of war images on society from the inception of the camera to present day and can look at how people are reacting to reliving the events of 9/11 through the media. Her fascination with how people normalize abnormal experiences has led her to examine reactions to various conflicts, including those in Bosnia and Northern Ireland.

Debra Pentecost, 604.736.3156; debra_pentecost@sfu.ca


Internet cholesterol…That’s what SFU management information systems expert Michael Parent has dubbed spam—the electronic junk mail that Internet users now weed through daily. Parent (who also speaks French) is not surprised by the results of a new study indicating spam accounts for 36 percent of all email. The study predicts unsolicited messages will comprise the majority of emails by the end of 2002. Market research also indicates spam costs employers millions of dollars annually. "Like cholesterol it slowly creeps in, builds up, and before you know it, clogs the heart of your information system—the web and mail servers," says Parent. He can explain why current efforts to control spam aren’t any more effective than trying to "sip from a fire-hose."

Michael Parent, 604.291.5564, mparent@sfu.ca