Holy Cross Professor Selected as Academic Fellow by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a non-partisan policy institute headquartered in Washington, D.C., announced that Dustin Gish, visiting assistant professor of political science at the College of the Holy Cross, has been named an “Academic Fellow” for 2010-11. Gish will travel to Israel at the end of the month for an intensive course in terrorism studies, and in particular, how democracies can defeat the worldwide terrorist threat. “To win the war against terrorism, we must win the war of ideas by promoting democracy and defeating the totalitarian ideologies that drive and justify terrorism,” says Clifford May, President of FDD.

The FDD Academic Fellows program provides an intensive learning experience to professors who teach and research issues related to terrorism and its threat to democracy. The program offers up-to-date information about strategies for defeating terrorist groups. The 2010 summer program, held at Tel Aviv University from May 29 - June 9, includes lectures by academic professionals, military and intelligence officials, and diplomats from Israel, Jordan, India, Turkey and the United States, as well as visits to police, customs, and immigration facilities, military bases, and border zones to gain first-hand experience of the practical means of deterring and defeating terrorists.

“For me, this is an opportunity to learn much more about the serious practical problems and ethical dilemmas raised by the necessity for democratic governments to combat terrorism, while remaining firmly committed to their democratic principles,” explains Gish.

Gish, who received his Ph.D. at the Institute of Philosophic Studies at the University of Dallas, teaches courses on political philosophy and American government.