Mark BruzonskyMark@Bruzonsky.com  -  202 686-2372  -  202 320-6275


Saint Mary's College
Talk on International Terrorism and Q&A With Students  - 26 March 2009

Introduction by Professor Hisham Ahmed - Ph.D., Political Science, University of California Santa Barbara

We are very honored to have Mark Bruzonsky speak to us in this Dynamics of Terorism course via skype from Washington DC.  Before I say a few words about Mark, let me thank Karmel Crane for taking the time to work this connection out technically.   With us also today is Nancy Clark from the Faculty Development office at Saint Mary's College who is interested in this link.

Now Mark is quite gracious to take some of his invaluable time to talk to us about his experience in the Middle East and about his reflections on terrorism. If there is anybody who is so knowledgeable about and so experienced in the Middle East, it is certainly Mark. Mark has been involved in the Middle East for quite many years. He knows and has come to deal with most of the key players in the region for many years. Mark is very candid, very devoted and a person of superb intellect and reasoning. It is indeed my pleasure and my honor to present to you my long-time friend, Mark Bruzonsky.


Thank you so much Mark for being with us. It'll be great if you would tell us something about yourself and about your involvement in the Middle East. I know you will speak for twenty minutes or so and then students will ask questions or make comments. The floor is all yours.

 










STUDENT COMMENTS

Student #1 - I felt that Professor Bruzonsky's talk last class was excellent.  On the topic of terrorism, we haven't had more than one person's (Professor's Ahmed's) opinion and it was very interesting to hear from another accomplished expert in the field.

Student #2 - The presentation was fairly consistent with the pro-Palestinian theme of the class in regards to the Middle East.  It would be nice to hear/see a presentation in regards to the other side.

Student #3 - The speaker upended many common misconceptions about terrorism because of his empirical experience of the matter.  In particular, I enjoyed the way he descended between conventional terrorism and what he considered as "terrorist".

Student #4 - I thought the talk was really great.  It was interesting to hear a lot of new facts of information that I had previously been unaware of beforehand.  Mark's own personal history was very interesting to hear about how he got involved as well as his contacts with such high profile key players.  I would love the opportunity to have another such talk.

Student #5 - I think Mark Bruzonsky's talk was really helpful in getting another person with hands on experience to talk about the issues of terrorism and the conflicts in the Middle East.  I really liked his candid approach and I think Mark had really good points when he responded to our questions.

Student #6 - The talk that Mark Bruzonsky gave was very informative.  I think that it was interesting because of the experience he has in Middle Eastern Politics.  Some of his statements show that he knows what he is talking about.

Student #7 - The inclusion of technology in the classroom is always fun and exciting.  The Skype tele-meeting was especially captivating because of the professional speaker and his expertise.  I personally enjoyed what he had to say and the entire experience.

Student #8 - I think that it was a very interesting talk.   I learned a lot of things that I didn't know or wasn't sure about.  It was very informational and the questions were answered very well.  I enjoyed this lecture.

Student #9 - The Posanski talk was, overall, informative.   His definition of a terrorist is flawed and extremely general. He had some points which contradicted each other.  Despite these things, he was a great view point and was extremely candid.

Student #10 - Mark Bruzonsky was very candid, I appreciated that.  It was difficult to follow some of his answers they were long-winded.   But I was grateful to have him in out class, and to hear his perspective.

Student #11 - I felt like it was a great talk with Matt.  I felt that it was a very helpful discussion in the fact that it was very informative & gave us a different perspective than is typically given in the American press.  I felt like he was very passionate about his views but did a great job respecting that others might not necessarily agree. Defiantly worth having he talks to another class next year.

Student #12 - I thought that talk was excellent.  Mark was candid and straightforward and happily answered any questions we had. The opportunity to speak directly to an expert on the issue was unparalleled.  The only thing I wish was that we had more time for questioning, as I did not get a chance to talk.

Student #13 - I thought the talk was very informative.  I really enjoyed Mark's lecture and the answers he provided the students with.  I also found the fact Mark is a Jew and he is preaching Pro-Arab relations in the world.  One thing Mark said that stood out to me was that at some point in the future there will be a "dirty bomb" attack was his exact words.  That statement drilled the importance of studying terrorism for me.

Student #14 - It was sometimes hard to tell if Mark was being sincere in everything that he said or was just making certain statements to be especially controversial and spark discussion. The fact that he spent majority of the time interacting with the class and taking questions was much appreciated. He did not shy away from questions, though he did not always necessarily answer them directly either. Overall, the experience was inflammatory but beneficial.

Student #15 - 5 stars!  I really enjoyed Mark's presentation.  His personal and educational accounts of the conflict were very informative and very intriguing to listen to.  I would like to see or participate in another Skype lecture again.  He was very kind to answer any questions the students had.