It has been seven years from the Benghazi attack. In episode seven, examine the state of American interest in the attack and foreign policy in Libya today. The state of Libya today is a fragile government administration currently under attack by “military strongman Khalifa Haftar,” and the United States is in the third year of […]
Reflection
I decided to take Intro to World Politics because it is a requirement as an International Relations major at Agnes Scott. Although I knew I would introduced to unfamiliar ideas, as I had taken only AP U.S. Government & Politics in high school, I did not know that it would take me to Afghanistan and […]
Global Terrorism
In the sixth episode of ‘Benghazi Unraveled,’ the events from the 2011 revolution and 2012 attack are linked to the state of Libya and rebel groups today. Post-Gaddafi regime in Libya, there was a lack of state structure or control (“Ansar al-Sharia”). Various militias, military group and rebel groups continued to thrive without an overarching […]
Politics and Foreign Policy
The fifth episode of ‘Benghazi Unraveled’ focuses on the investigation into Benghazi, Hillary Clinton’s role as Secretary of State and the effects of Benghazi on Foreign Policy. After the events of Benghazi, the investigations by the American government focused on the presence, or lack of security during the attack, as well whether then Secretary of […]
The Benghazi Attack
In the fourth episode, the attack on Benghazi is detailed, from the immediate event coverage and later House Select Committee investigation. On the evening of September 11, armed militants broke into the main compound of the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, where there were seven Americans personnel that evening (“Final Report,” 2016). Two were Ambassador […]
Diplomatic Missions
The third episode of ‘Benghazi Unravelled’ investigates the link between U.S. diplomatic missions geographies and their intentions while overseas. Location is everything. A diplomatic organization’s geographical placement affects its security, representation and efficacy (Mamadouh, 2015). Locating missions at significant geography is a part of the tradition of diplomatic missions; it signals the importance or relevance […]
Libya’s Past
In the second episode of ‘Unraveling Benghazi’, explore Libya under Muammar Gaddafi, religious radicalism in Libya, and the history of American-Libyan relations. Libya is a state that has experienced several regime changes, under colonization, dictatorship and monarchy. The country, located in North Africa, between Tunisia, Algeria, Niger, Chad, Sudan, and Egypt, has been historically an […]
America in 2012
In this episode, the American presence abroad and the engagements of the U.S. are examined around 2012 by hearing from a variety of foreign policy experts’ opinions. In the decades before 2012, and the Benghazi attack during September 11th and 12th of that year, America was engaged significantly around the world with various anti-terrorist programs […]
Serial 2 Hindsight, Part 1 and 2 Response
In the Hindsight episodes, Sarah Koenig explores the idea that Bowe was unfit for military service. In Part 1, Bowe’s prior military history, his entering the U.S. Coast Guard and being discharged on a psychological diagnosis after a breakdown, is told. In Part 2, Bowe’s admittance to the U.S. Army after his previous medical and mental health based discharge is scrutinized, as well as the diagnosis of Bowe having Schizotypal personality disorder. By the end of Hindsight, Parts 1 and 2, all of this history is applied to Bowe walking off of OP Mest, and how his irrational and potentially dangerous behavior could be explained.
Serial 2 5 O’Clock Shadow Response
In episode 6 of Serial 2, narrator Sarah Koenig digs more deeply into primary source accounts from people who were involved in the same missions Bowe was, and with Bowe himself to probe how he arrived at the decision to walk off of OP Mest to FOB Sharana.
