Craig Cohen: Terrorism and study abroad

In the 1988 presidential debates, moderator Bernard Shaw posed a hypothetical question to Democratic hopeful Michael Dukakis: If his wife were raped and murdered, would he favor the death penalty for the killer? Dukakis, an ardent opponent of capital punishment, responded, "No, I don't, Bernard. And I think you know that I've opposed the death penalty during all of my life." CNN explains that the question was meant to give Dukakis an opportunity to show the emotional side of a man dubbed "the Ice Man" by political pundits. He failed this test and allowed the first George Bush an easy victory.

In this case, Dukakis would have been better served to let his instant emotions be his guide instead of sticking to rigid dogmatic principles. Yet obviously, such knee-jerk reactions are not always appropriate. Sometimes, the bigger picture needs to be considered.

In light of the horrific terrorist bombing in Madrid that left over 200 innocent people dead and hundreds more injured, the instant reaction for some Penn students might have been to stay at home and not explore the other countries of the world through study abroad programs. This should not be the case. Penn students should not let the Madrid attacks influence whether or not they study abroad.

This past January, the University changed its study abroad policy, allowing students the option of pursuing academic endeavors in countries designated as high risk by the State Department or Centers for Disease Control. Students now need to complete a waiver and petition process absolving Penn of liability. While the University still discourages such ventures, it will not forbid a student from studying wherever he or she pleases. The University recognized that although there are potential risks associated with studying in these countries, these risks are manageable.

But it's not the abroad programs to these high-risk countries that are likely to be affected by the bombings. It's the ones to places that we never thought would fall prey to terrorists -- countries like Spain. Students may look at this attack and dismiss an abroad program on the risk of terrorism. This should not happen. News flash: Terrorism can happen anywhere on the globe. It can happen in Israel, it can happen in Iraq. It has occurred on our soil, and it has devastated Spain. It is a global problem, one that must be dealt with wherever we pursue our academic endeavors.

The Office of International Programs explains that the goal of study abroad programs is to "help [students] prepare for the challenges of international citizenship in the 21st century [while] enabling [them] to gain a deep understanding of at least one other culture and its language and to incorporate a global, comparative dimension in [their] chosen field of study." Terrorism is a global problem and dealing with it anywhere on the planet is one of those challenges -- one which we all must face regardless of where we study.

But how can we really deal with terrorism? In reality, what can the average Penn student do to prevent al Qaeda from carrying out its next terrorist attack, wherever it may be?

Besides being careful (whatever that means) and being on the lookout for suspicious activity, there is not a whole lot we can do. That's the sad truth. Furthermore, what students must understand is that the reason the attacks in Madrid outrage us so much is because such heinous events are the exception rather than the norm. It does nothing to base your decisions on an event that has a low probability of occurring. I may be hit by a bus tomorrow, but this does not mean I should never leave my room. I consider the risk in the grand scheme of things, and students considering going abroad should do the same.

A Wharton sophomore remarked in Tuesday's The Daily Pennsylvanian that she would not be deterred from studying abroad in light of these attacks. She kept things in perspective, realizing that "there's always going to be that possible danger." No matter what you do, that danger is not going to go away -- at least until we eliminate all terrorist threats, which certainly will not happen tomorrow or any time in the near future.

Terrorism is a terrible and heinous crime against humanity. It is a challenge that we all must confront regardless of where we study. So when dealing with the issue of going abroad, students should not let their knee-jerk reaction to the Madrid attacks be their ultimate decision-maker. It is important to keep things in perspective. There may be a risk, but the greater risk is not taking one.

Craig Cohen is a Wharton sophomore from Woodbury, N.Y. He Hate Me appears on Fridays.

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