Her interest in international terrorism was sparked in 1972, during the terrorist attack against Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympic Games. Her 1988 book, International Terrorism, was the first textbook on terrorism designed for classroom use.
What follows is an edited transcript of a recent e-mail interview with Schlagheck.
Q: You have long been an advisor to Wright State University’s Model U.N. team, which consistently pulls in top honors at the National Model United Nations Conference in New York City. What’s the secret to the team’s sustained success? What separates WSU’s team from other teams?
“The ‘secret’ to this success is no secret, just hard-working students, professors who set high standards and terrific support from our college and president. (WSU President) David and Mrs. Hopkins joined us in New York this past March to observe the team, which was representing Canada on 12 different committees, with agenda topics that ranged from human trafficking to the links between economic development and the environment to preventing terrorism and arms racing.
“We start recruiting in September, when returning delegates interview candidates for the team. We train from December until the conference, late March or early April every year. We team up with Sinclair Community College to host a regional Model U.N. in February to help train our new team members. And we meet every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 1:30 to 6 p.m. …
“We meet just around the corner from Carnegie Hall, which also shares our secret of hard work and practice, practice, practice.”
Q: What do you make of ISIS in Iraq? Is this an especially virulent iteration of al-Qaida?
“This group, the ‘Islamic State in Iraq and Syria’ or the ‘Islamic State in the Levant’ (depending on how you translate the Arabic) is indeed the offspring of the al-Qaida branch in Iraq, formerly headed by abu Musab al Zarkawi until he was killed by a U.S. bomb strike in 2006.
“Al Qaida in Iraq was established to wage war on Shi’a Arabs in Iraq, and this group is now an example of a terrorist group that has transformed itself into a more conventional fighting force that can take and hold territory.
“After heading to Syria to join the civil war against the government of Bashar al Assad (an Alawite, a minority Shi’a sect), many ISIS/ISIL fighters are now returning to fight against the Shi’a majority government in Iraq. They are well financed (by crime and fundamentalist supporters across the Gulf region), and they acquired arms and fighting experience in Syria before they turned their sights on Iraq.
“This presents a huge challenge to the United States’ policy of supporting a unified, nominally ‘democratic’ government in Iraq, which has excluded non-Shi’a Arabs and the Kurds …”
Q: Read any good books lately?
“Ah, my first love, reading. I read for two hours every morning if I can.
"By far and away the most interesting non-political book I've recently read was Susan Cain's Quiet. It offers one of the very best reads on personality types, and looks at how introverts (30-40 percent of the population) operate in a world run by extroverts. …
And for global politics junkies, I am halfway through John Mearshimer's updated version of The Tragedy of Great Power Politics. It's a brilliant, broad look at the mechanisms of world politics, including cooperation and conflict.
"Finally, I confess to a Game of Thrones five-book marathon last summer when my vacation was abruptly cancelled. Not quite as gripping as Tom Clancy, but most enjoyable."
Know someone who can handle Three Questions? We're looking for behind-the-scenes-but-still fascinating Miami Valley residents with something to say. Send your suggestions to tom.gnau@coxinc.com.
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