West is the author of 鈥淭he Wrong War,鈥� an account of his time spent embedded with Marines fighting in Afghanistan. His presentation, which was organized by the 麻豆原创 Global Perspectives Office, centered mostly on the real stories of Marines fighting on the frontlines of the war in that country.

West spoke candidly about the soldiers he was embedded with, including Dakota Meyer, a recent recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor. He also discussed the U.S. goals of destroying al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan after the attacks of September 11, 2011, and rebuilding a nation after the organizations were gone.

Nation-building was a near-impossible goal for the U.S. military, he said, because Afghanistan is a country with multiple tribes and a high illiteracy rate. He advised that the only way to rebuild Afghanistan is to help the Afghans do it for themselves.

The biggest problem the U.S. military will face in the future, West said, is fighting those who will never wear a uniform. Instead, the U.S. has to fight against bands of guerilla fighters who blend into the civilian population for protection and are increasingly using indirect attacks, such as improvised explosive devices, to wage war.

That kind of fighting, he explained, can take a toll on soldiers鈥� morale. Adapting to fighting guerillas is the most difficult challenge the United States faces, he said, and it is made more complicated by the fact that insurgents can run over the Pakistani border and escape American attacks.

When asked what he thought about the increasing reliance on unmanned aircraft in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, West replied that these aircraft, which now include blimps, are key in the fight against the Taliban and al-Qaeda. These aircraft, he said, are incredibly accurate and help prevent the enemy from gathering in large numbers.

In addition to the Global Perspectives Office, sponsors and partners of West鈥檚 presentation included the 麻豆原创 Global Peace and Security Studies Program, the Sibille H. Pritchard Global Peace Fellowship Program, Lawrence J. Chastang and the Chastang Foundation, the Orlando Area Committee on Foreign Relations, LarsonAllen LLP, the 麻豆原创 Nicholson School of Communication, the 麻豆原创 Diplomacy Program, the 麻豆原创 Middle Eastern Studies Program, the 麻豆原创 Book Festival 2012 in association with the Morgridge International Reading Center, the 麻豆原创 Political Science Department, the 麻豆原创 International Services Center, 麻豆原创 LIFE and the Global Connections Foundation.

鈥淟essons From Iraq: Flawed Execution or is America Unwilling to Fight?鈥� will begin at 3 p.m. in the Cape Florida Ballroom of the Student Union. The event, organized by the 麻豆原创 Global Perspectives Office, is part of the 2011-2012 themes of 鈥淧eople Power, Politics and Global Change鈥� and 鈥淐overing Crises from the Frontlines.鈥� It is free and open to the public.

West is an expert on the Vietnam War, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and other defense, national security and geopolitical issues.聽 He served as assistant secretary of defense for International Affairs during the Reagan administration.

West also is the author of six books on national security and the military, including his Vietnam classic, 鈥淭he Village,鈥� which has been on the Commandant of the Marine Corps Reading List for 20 years. For his most recent book, 鈥淭he Wrong War: Grit, Strategy and the Way out of Afghanistan,鈥� West was embedded with troops on the frontlines there.

West was cited by the Los Angeles Times as one of the top 10 journalists covering Iraq, which he has traveled to 11 times over the past four years and where he was embedded with more than 30 U.S. battalions. His articles appear regularly in The Atlantic Monthly, The Wall St. Journal, The New York Times and Slate.

In addition to the Global Perspectives Office, sponsors and partners of West鈥檚 presentation include the 麻豆原创 Global Peace and Security Studies Program, The Sibille H. Pritchard Global Peace Fellowship Program, Lawrence J. Chastang and the Chastang Foundation, the Orlando Area Committee on Foreign Relations, LarsonAllen LLP, the 麻豆原创 Nicholson School of Communication, the 麻豆原创 Diplomacy Program, the 麻豆原创 Middle Eastern Studies Program, the 麻豆原创 Political Science Department, the 麻豆原创 International Services Center, 麻豆原创 LIFE, the 麻豆原创 Book Festival 2012 in association with the Morgridge International Reading Center and the Global Connections Foundation.

For a full list of upcoming events or to learn more about the Global Perspectives Office, visit or follow the office on Twitter at .

Students, faculty, administrators, journalists and others attended 鈥淧eople Power, Politics and Global Change,鈥� hosted by the 麻豆原创 Global Perspectives Office in cooperation with the National Conference of Editorial Writers and the Global Connections Foundation.

Helle C. Dale, senior fellow for Public Diplomacy at The Heritage Foundation, opened the conference with a discussion about how cell phones and social media have become powerful tools for activism.

She said approximately 30 percent of the world鈥檚 population is on the Internet and that more than 70 percent of the population has cell phone access. Dale pointed out that these new sources of connectivity have influenced revolutions in Iran in 2009, the widely discussed 鈥淎rab Spring,鈥� which began in December 2010, and many others.

Dale also highlighted issues that arise when oppressive regimes seek to censor and block the Internet to prevent activism. She said that governments are playing catch-up, but are expanding their abilities to fight back online.

Stephen McDowell, the director of Florida State University鈥檚 School of Communication, spoke next, with an emphasis on South Asia. Mass media such as print and television are still necessary to complement social media and keep international attention focused during crises, McDowell said. He also discussed some examples of how social media have been used to start political movements outside of 鈥渘ormal鈥� channels in India and Pakistan.

Ted Reynolds, the Global Connections Fellow of Terrorism Studies at 麻豆原创, as well as a University of St. Andrews doctoral candidate, spoke about how the Internet and social media are being used by extremist groups to mobilize, spread hatred and radicalize followers.

By sharing real-world data about online activity by groups in the United Kingdom, Reynolds illustrated how leaders of those organizations 鈥� ranging from right-wing white supremacist movements to radical Islamist groups 鈥� create a narrative that they use to attract followers to their cause.

Figuring out how to collect information on extremist groups without infringing on civil rights is a major challenge for law enforcement and intelligence services in the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe, Reynolds said.

The conference鈥檚 luncheon keynote speaker was Sam Graham-Felsen, an emerging-media expert and former chief blogger for Barack Obama鈥檚 presidential campaign in 2008. Graham-Felsen concluded the conference by discussing the social media strategies that he and his colleagues developed and implemented for the campaign, as well as why they worked.

He emphasized technology鈥檚 ability to empower people and turn ordinary citizens into grassroots organizers. Using online engagement, Graham-Felsen said, he and his team strived to treat supporters like important members of the campaign, encouraging energetic people to add their own content, organize community action and help fight back against smear tactics.

Those strategies were key to the campaign鈥檚 success, and provide lessons for anyone looking to use social media to create political change in the future, he said.

In addition to the Global Perspectives Office, the National Conference of Editorial Writers, and the Global Connections Foundation, sponsors and partners of the conference included the Florida Network for Global Studies, The Anil and Chitra Deshpande India Program Endowed Fund, Lawrence J. Chastang and the Chastang Foundation, C.T. Hsu and Associates, Sibille H. Pritchard Global Peace Fellowship program, LarsonAllen L.L.P., 麻豆原创 Student Government Association, 麻豆原创 Nicholson School of Communication, 麻豆原创 Global Peace and Security Studies Program, The India Program at 麻豆原创, 麻豆原创 Diplomacy Program, 麻豆原创 Middle Eastern Studies Program, 麻豆原创 Terrorism Studies Program, 麻豆原创 Kurdish Political Studies Initiative, 麻豆原创 Political Science Department, 麻豆原创 International Services Center, 麻豆原创 Book Festival 2012 in association with the Morgridge International Reading Center and 麻豆原创 LIFE.

For a full list of upcoming events, or to learn more about the Global Perspectives Office, visit .

The event, organized by the 麻豆原创 Global Perspectives Office, was a feature of two 2011-2012 programming themes, 鈥淧eople Power, Politics and Global Change鈥� and 鈥淐overing Crises from the Frontlines.鈥�

Hakakian began the conversation by drawing from her new book, 鈥淎ssassins of the Turquoise Palace,鈥� which chronicles an event she describes as state-sponsored terrorism.

She recounted the details of a 1992 killing of several exiled Iranian opposition leaders at a meeting in a Berlin restaurant. These individuals, she explained, were targets of a fatwa issued by the Iranian clergy as a punishment for speaking out against the regime.

Thanks to a prominent trial and confirmation that Iran was in fact behind the plot, all members of the European Union pulled their ambassadors from Iran for six months in 1997, she said. Hakakian explained that this was a show of solidarity against the Iranian government鈥檚 assassinations, which eventually led to a promise by Iran that it would refrain from such behavior.

Hakakian read several excerpts from her book to help convey the story, and explained that she wrote the book not only because the real-life characters are so powerful, but also because the story resonates with America鈥檚 struggle to fight terrorism.

She argued that by prosecuting the assassinators fully and taking a stand against the government that sponsored them, Germany and the European Union brought about a peaceful result they never would have achieved with violence. This is something we can all learn from today, she said.

When asked about her opinions on American-sponsored assassinations, such as the killing of American-born cleric Anwar Al-Awlaki in Yemen last week, Hakakian explained that the cases are different because the exiled Iranians were committed to non-violence. Some of them, she said, were even apolitical; one was a comedian and another a musician, whereas Al-Awlaki was a known terrorist.

Hakakian also noted that America鈥檚 actions are less important in deciding Iran鈥檚 fate than those of Iranians. Iranians, she said, need to figure out how to condemn their religious and political leaders without abandoning their religion or political system. Overcoming the country鈥檚 theocracy, she said, is the next major step toward Iranian democracy.

In addition to the Global Perspectives Office, sponsors and partners of Hakakian鈥檚 presentation included the 麻豆原创 Global Peace and Security Studies Program, the Sibille H. Pritchard Global Peace Fellowship Program, Lawrence J. Chastang and the Chastang Foundation, the Orlando Area Committee on Foreign Relations, LarsonAllen LLP, the 麻豆原创 Al Ghazali Islamic Studies Program, the 麻豆原创 Terrorism Studies Program, the 麻豆原创 Human Trafficking Awareness Program, the 麻豆原创 Diplomacy Program, the 麻豆原创 Middle Eastern Studies Program, the 麻豆原创 Political Science Department, the 麻豆原创 International Services Center, the 麻豆原创 Book Festival 2012 in association with the Morgridge International Reading Center, 麻豆原创 LIFE and the Global Connections Foundation.

For a full list of upcoming events or to learn more about the Global Perspectives Office, visit .

鈥淎fter Osama bin Laden: Terrorism鈥檚 Future Prospects鈥� will begin at 3 p.m. in the Cape Florida Ballroom of the Student Union. The event, organized by the 麻豆原创 Global Perspectives Office, is free and open to the public. The forum is part of the 2011-2012 themes 鈥淧eople Power, Politics and Global Change鈥� and 鈥淐overing Crises from the Frontlines.鈥�

Bergen, a prominent commentator on emerging terrorist threats, is one of a few Westerners who interviewed Osama bin Laden face-to-face. He鈥檚 the author of 鈥淗oly War, Inc.鈥� and the recently released 鈥淭he Longest War: The Enduring Conflict Between America and Al-Qaeda.鈥�

As CNN鈥檚 national security analyst, Bergen in 2006 produced the CNN special 鈥淚n the Footsteps of bin Laden,鈥� largely based on his book about the former Al-Qaeda leader. Bergen also has reported on terrorism for publications such as The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The New Republic and TIME magazine.

Bergen serves as director of the national security studies program at the New America Foundation in Washington, D.C. He also is a research fellow at New York University鈥檚 Center on Law and Security.

In addition to the Global Perspectives Office, sponsors and partners of Bergen鈥檚 presentation include the 麻豆原创 Terrorism Studies Program, the 麻豆原创 Global Peace and Security Studies Program, The Sibille H. Pritchard Global Peace Fellowship Program, Lawrence J. Chastang and the Chastang Foundation, LarsonAllen LLP, the 麻豆原创 Nicholson School of Communication, the 麻豆原创 Diplomacy Program, the 麻豆原创 Middle Eastern Studies Program, the 麻豆原创 Political Science Department, the 麻豆原创 International Services Center, the 麻豆原创 Book Festival 2012 in association with the Morgridge International Reading Center, 麻豆原创 LIFE and the Global Connections Foundation.

For a full list of upcoming events or to learn more about the Global Perspectives Office, visit .

鈥淧eople Power, Politics and Global Change鈥� will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13, in the Pegasus Ballroom of the Student Union. The conference, hosted by the 麻豆原创 Global Perspectives Office in partnership with the National Conference of Editorial Writers, is part of a yearlong series of presentations on the power people have through formal and informal means to effect political change.

Speakers will include Sam Graham-Felsen, a global emerging media strategist and former chief blogger for Barack Obama鈥檚 2008 presidential campaign. He will explain how social media can contribute to social and political movements.

Fiona Hill, director of the Center on the United States and Europe at The Brookings Institution, will discuss the role social media played in the Russian presidential elections.

Other presenters include Stephen McDowell, director of the School of Communication at Florida State University, who will focus on telecommunications and social media in South Asia, and Ted Reynolds, of the University of St. Andrews and 麻豆原创, who will examine political radicalism and the Internet.

The public is invited to attend the conference, and attendees must register by Thursday, Oct. 6. Registration is $50 per person. The fee, which can be paid at the conference, includes breakfast, lunch, refreshments and conference materials.

The conference is free for 麻豆原创 students, but they also must register in advance.

To register, contact the 麻豆原创 Global Perspectives Office at 407-823-0688 or global@mail.ucf.edu.

In addition to the Global Perspectives Office and the National Conference of Editorial Writers, sponsors and partners of the conference include 麻豆原创鈥檚 Student Government Association, Nicholson School of Communication, Global Peace and Security Studies Program, Diplomacy Program, Terrorism Studies Program, Middle Eastern Studies Program, Political Science Department, International Services Center and China-Taiwan Cross-Strait Program, The India Program at 麻豆原创, 麻豆原创 LIFE, the Sibille H. Pritchard Global Peace Fellowship program, the Orlando Area Committee on Foreign Relations, C.T. Hsu International (Group) Co., Lawrence J. Chastang and The Chastang Foundation, The Anil and Chitra Deshpande India Program Endowed Fund, LarsonAllen L.L.P., the 麻豆原创 Book Festival in association with the Morgridge International Reading Center, and the Global Connections Foundation.

For a full list of upcoming events or to learn more about the Global Perspectives Office, visit .

Hakakian will give a presentation titled 鈥淎n Insider’s Guide to Iran’s Turmoil鈥� at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4, in the Cape Florida Ballroom of the Student Union. The event, organized by the 麻豆原创 Global Perspectives Office, is part of two 2011-2012 themes, 鈥淧eople Power, Politics and Global Change鈥� and 鈥淐overing Crises from the Frontlines.鈥� It is free and open to the public.

Hakakian recently authored the book 鈥淭he Assassins of the Turquoise Palace鈥� about Tehran鈥檚 terror campaign against exiled Iranians, which earned her a Guggenheim Fellowship in nonfiction. She also has authored two collections of Persian poetry.

Her memoir, 鈥淛ourney from the Land of No: A Girlhood Caught in Revolutionary Iran,鈥� was named one of Publishers Weekly鈥檚 Best Books of 2004 and Elle magazine’s Best Nonfiction Book.

A fellow at Yale University鈥檚 Whitney Humanities Center, Hakakian serves on the board of Refugees International and is a founding member of the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center.

Her reporting has been featured on television programs such as CBS鈥檚 鈥�60 Minutes鈥� and on ABC documentary specials with the late Peter Jennings. Hakakian鈥檚 opinions and essays have appeared in Time magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and NPR, among others. She is a blogger for World Affairs, for which she also serves as a member of the editorial board.

In addition to the Global Perspectives Office, sponsors and partners of Hakakian鈥檚 presentation include the 麻豆原创 Global Peace and Security Studies Program, The Sibille H. Pritchard Global Peace Fellowship Program, Lawrence J. Chastang and the Chastang Foundation, the Orlando Area Committee on Foreign Relations, LarsonAllen LLP, the 麻豆原创 Al Ghazali Islamic Studies Program, the 麻豆原创 Dipomacy Program, the 麻豆原创 Terrorism Studies Program, the 麻豆原创 Human Trafficking Awareness Program, the 麻豆原创 Diplomacy Program, the 麻豆原创 Middle Eastern Studies Program, the 麻豆原创 Political Science Department, the 麻豆原创 International Services Center, the 麻豆原创 Book Festival 2012 in association with the Morgridge International Reading Center, 麻豆原创 LIFE and the Global Connections Foundation.

For a full list of upcoming events or to learn more about the Global Perspectives Office, visit or follow the office on Twitter at .

The event was organized by 麻豆原创鈥檚 Global Perspectives Office. It it was a feature of the newly created Al Ghazali Islamic Studies Program at 麻豆原创, a partnership among Global Perspectives and 麻豆原创鈥檚 College of Arts & Humanities.

Younis began his presentation by explaining that Gallup surveys public opinion to 鈥済et a temperature reading of Muslim-Americans and how they compare to other religious groups鈥� within the contexts of politics, society and spirituality in the years following the 9/11 attacks.

Younis said the studies are particularly significant considering 鈥渢he exciting, interesting and scary events that have happened in the Middle East this year.鈥�

By measuring a special index known as 鈥渓ife evaluation,鈥� the Gallup Center categorizes groups as thriving, struggling or suffering based on their perceived level of well-being.

An interesting finding of the study, Younis said, is that Muslim-Americans feel better off and more hopeful now than they did in 2008.

He noted that Muslim-Americans are just as likely as any other faith to be classified as thriving. In fact, he said, the life evaluations for Muslim-Americans improved more than any other religious group since 2008.

Younis said this is in direct contrast to the life evaluations of Muslims in Middle Eastern countries such as Egypt, Tunisia, Syria and Bahrain, where 鈥渢he number of people categorized in the suffering group is skyrocketing.鈥�

Muslim-Americans are also the most likely to reject violent military acts on civilians, which means they believe that it is never morally justifiable to target and kill civilians, he said. Similarly, the majority of Muslim-Americans, as well as Jewish-Americans and atheists, are not sympathetic to al Qaeda, and most believe that the Muslim community is doing enough to speak out against terrorism.

The data suggests, too, that the general Muslim-American population does not exhibit anti-American sentiments, Younis said. On the contrary, Younis noted, many Muslim-Americans strongly identify as American, and they express loyalty to the United States.

Yet despite this high level of loyalty, Muslim-Americans still face distrust from a significant number of fellow citizens, Younis explained. They are also more likely to have experienced racial and/or religious discrimination than any other religious group in the past year, he said.

Near the end of the forum, Younis was asked if it is easier for Muslims to integrate into American society than into Western European society.

He said that is not necessarily true because the level of assimilation is depends on factors that groups have to navigate in a new country, such as immigration rates, history and economic conditions.

Younis concluded by saying the dynamic of the community, the country and even the individual will dictate the local reality and experience for integration.

In addition to the Global Perspectives Office and the Al Ghazali Islamic Studies Program, sponsors and partners of Younis鈥� presentation included the 麻豆原创 Middle Eastern Studies Program, the 麻豆原创 Political Science Department, the 麻豆原创 Diplomacy Program, the 麻豆原创 Nicholson School of Communication, the 麻豆原创 Book Festival 2012 in association with the Morgridge International Reading Center, the 麻豆原创 International Services Center, 麻豆原创 LIFE and the Global Connections Foundation.

For a full list of upcoming events or to learn more about the Global Perspectives Office, visit or follow the office on Twitter at .

Suri spoke to an audience of more than 100 people on Tuesday. His presentation, 鈥淐apturing India,鈥� was organized by the 麻豆原创 Global Perspectives Office as a part of the 2010-2011 鈥淚ndia Speaker Series.鈥�

Writing novels is a hobby for Suri, who was named by Time magazine as a 鈥淧erson to Watch鈥� in 2000. Fiction is as useful as non-fiction, he said, noting they both have the power to provide a 鈥渒aleidoscope of different feelings, characters and events that might emerge from a culture or country.鈥�

Suri told the audience that while growing up in Mumbai, formerly Bombay, he noticed a constant mingling of new and old traditions. He intends for his novels to be a snapshot of India and Indian life.

His first novel, 鈥淭he Death of Vishnu,鈥� recounts the fight over space in an apartment building in Mumbai. His second novel, 鈥淭he Age of Shiva,鈥� focuses on India鈥檚 historical development and is largely based on Suri鈥檚 parents鈥� experience in post-independence India.

鈥淭he Age of Shiva鈥� is about women asserting themselves in a male-dominated society and India鈥檚 鈥済rowing up鈥� and coming out in the international sphere, he said.

Suri said he had no intention of writing a trilogy from the outset, but found through research that his first novel鈥檚 main character roughly embodied one of the gods of the Hindu trinity. The theme lent itself to a second book, and a third that will focus on India鈥檚 future is in the works.

His forthcoming novel will be set in the future, and will include Suri’s ideas of what India’s future might look like.

Suri also spoke to the audience about the ongoing clash in India between tradition and modernity. In India, Suri said, it is hard to tell where religion starts and culture ends.

In addition to the Global Perspectives Office, sponsors and partners of this event included The India Program at 麻豆原创, The Anil and Chitra Deshpande India Program Endowed Fund, Lawrence J. Chastang and the Chastang Foundation, LarsonAllen LLP, the 麻豆原创 Global Peace and Security Studies Program, the 麻豆原创 Political Science Department, the 麻豆原创 International Services Center, 麻豆原创 LIFE and the Global Connections Foundation.

Manil Suri will speak about the challenge of capturing the essence of his homeland in his novels.

鈥淐apturing India鈥� will begin at 3 p.m. in the Key West Ballroom of the Student Union. The event, organized by the 麻豆原创 Global Perspectives Office, is part of the 2010-2011 鈥淚ndia Speaker Series.鈥� It is free and open to the public.

For Suri, a native of Mumbai, his novels represent an opportunity to showcase India鈥檚 complex and multilayered society.

His first novel, 鈥淭he Death of Vishnu,鈥� won the 2002 Barnes and Noble Discover Prize and was a finalist for the 2002 Pen-Faulkner Award. His second novel, 鈥淭he Age of Shiva,鈥� was released in 2008 in the United States, the U.K. and India.

He was named by Time magazine as a 鈥淧erson to Watch鈥� in 2000 and received a Guggenheim Fellowship for fiction in 2004. Suri鈥檚 fiction has been translated into 24 languages.

In addition to the Global Perspectives Office, sponsors and partners include The India Program at 麻豆原创, The Anil and Chitra Deshpande India Program Endowed Fund, Lawrence J. Chastang and the Chastang Foundation, LarsonAllen LLP, the 麻豆原创 Global Peace and Security Studies Program, the 麻豆原创 Political Science Department, the 麻豆原创 International Services Center, 麻豆原创 LIFE and the Global Connections Foundation.