Elliott, Michael and Sofaer, Abraham D., "The Terrorists"

"Who is Osama bin Laden? What is the Al-Qaeda network, and how and why did it form? How do we know who was responsible? What is terrorism? Were the September 11 attacks an act of terrorism or war, both from the perspective of the terrorists and from the perspective of the U.S. government? How does defining the 9-11 attacks as an ""act of war"" affect how America can and/or should respond?

Discussion: What was the motivation behind the attacks? Does the U.S. have the political, ethical and legal right to kill bin Laden? How has the media affected how we understand the terrorist ""network"" and bin Laden's role in it, and how can we evaluate such portrayal? Was 9-11 an act of terrorism or of war?"