Study abroad students meet world-renowned counterterrorism expert

Getting to meet one of the world's leading experts in counterterrorism was not on the syllabus, but a group of students spending the semester in London had the opportunity to do just that.

Dr. Michael Clarke, director general of the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, spent an hour with the students Oct. 30, telling them about terrorism and counterterrorism in Great Britain since the IRA bombings in the 1970’s and also about the role of radical Islam since 2001."Being with him was like gaining an advanced degree in international relations and intelligence analysis." — Dr. Lee Ward

"Being with him was like gaining an advanced degree in international relations and intelligence analysis," said Dr. Lee Ward, an assistant professor of integrated science and technology who is serving as faculty member in residence for the semester in London. "When governments all over the world want to better understand counterterrorism, he is often the first person they consult."

Ward set up the meeting for the students who are taking ISAT 477, complex systems and how they fail. The meeting took place around a rather historic piece of furniture too, the table that served as the surrender table of German naval forces in World War I.

"This was a rare and wonderful opportunity for our students, the kind that they may only get when they study abroad," said Ward, who is also director of the JMU Health Center.

Clarke specializes in U.K. defense policy, NATO and EU defense issues, terrorism and counterterrorism in Britain, and contemporary U.K. military operations. He has also served as a specialist advisor to the House of Commons Defense Committee since 1997.