Near and Middle Eastern Studies Commons^™

Trends. Why Humanitarian Workers Should Be Killed: A Perspective From Nietzschean Slave Morality, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses different views of the murders of United Nations humanitarian workers in Iraq – first, from a modern Western perspective, and, second, from the perspective of Friedrich Nietzsche as he considered the transvaluation of what is Good on the part of the powerless.

Trends. Uday, Qusay, Victory, And Defeat, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses the political psychological impact of the deaths of Saddam Hussein’s two oldest sons at the hands of United States military forces.

The Life And Death Of Saddam Redux, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article updates a previous IBPP analysis on the significance of whether Saddam Hussein is alive or dead.

“Bin Laden’S Brain”: The Abrasively Negativistic Personality Of Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahiri, Aubrey Immelman, Kathryn Kuhlmann

Psychology Faculty Publications

This paper presents the results of an indirect assessment of the personality of Ayman al-Zawahiri, deputy leader of the al-Qaida terrorist network at the time of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the United States and allegedly chief strategist for al-Qaida operations and personal physician to Osama bin Laden.

Al-Zawahiri’s primary personality patterns were found to be Contentious/oppositional and Dominant/controlling, with secondary features of the Dauntless/dissenting and Ambitious/self-serving patterns.

The amalgam of Contentious (negativistic, or passive-aggressive) and Dominant (aggressive, or sadistic) patterns in al-Zawahiri’s profile suggests the presence of the “abrasive negativist” syndrome. For these personalities, minor frictions easily …

Lying And Logic On Iraqi Weapons Of Mass Destruction And Linkages To Al Qaeda, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The author examines the following question in this article: Did the Bush administration lie in asserting that Iraq had operational weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and linkages to al Qaeda?

An Apocryphal Discourse: Iraqi Weapons Of Mass Destruction, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article contests a global, public discourse wherein the United States Government’s (USG) foreign policy credibility will be severely damaged without the discovery of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) developed by the Saddam Hussein government.

Trends. Intelligence, Iraqi Weapons Of Mass Destruction, And Anchoring Effects, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The anchoring effect involves the biasing of estimates based on previous beliefs. The author discusses the presence or absence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction (WMD) given this anchoring effect.

The Life And Death Of Saddam And Osama, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

A version of this article appears in the May 5, 2003 issue of the United States publication, Newsday.

The author compares the impacts and legacies of Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden.

Exploding Causalities: An Example From Iraq, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article provides explanations for a seemingly paradoxical social psychological response to the April 26, 2003 explosions within an ammunition dump in Baghdad.

Special Article. A Statement On The Iraq War From Psychologists For Social Responsibility: Sense And Nonsense, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article identifies problematic attributions in a statement by Psychologists for Social Responsibility on the United States-led military intervention in Iraq.

Trends. Is Saddam Hussein Dead?, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses how we might know whether Saddam Hussein is dead, as well as his significance in the ongoing political narrative in Iraq.

Trends. After The Deluge: Psychology And Post-Totalitarianism, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses the psychological impacts – both positive and negative - of the transition from totalitarian rule in Iraq following the US-led military intervention against Saddam Hussein’s regime.

Trends. Why Iraq Is Winning, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses the contrast between military performance and war narrative in the context of the United States-led military intervention in Iraq in the era of Saddam Hussein.

A Grenade Attack And The Fog Of War, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes the social psychological and political psychological contexts within which attributions of causality may have been constructed concerning a grenade attack within Camp Pennsylvania, Kuwait, on the very early Sunday morning of March 23, 2003.

Trends. Iraq And The Implosion Of The Terrorism Construct, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses assorted definitions of terrorism to determine which definitions could practically be applied to military action as a way of reducing violence against United States military personnel in Iraq.

Trends. Time And Time For War, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses the concept of time perception pertaining to the diplomatic events leading to a United States-led military intervention against the Iraqi regime.

Trends. A Casualty Of War: Suicide As A Response To An American-Led Invasion Of Iraq, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses the political psychology of suicide as protest.

A Psychologist’S View On And From Iraq, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The author discusses her personal experiences in Iraq in early 2003. Opposed to what she considered "a groundless war and to destructive and largely ineffective sanctions," she saw her trip as an opportunity to observe the social psychological impact of the aforementioned actions on the Iraqi people.

Finding The Feathers In “Birds Of A Feather”: An Antiterrorist And Counterterrorist Dilemma In Profiling, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes a significant challenge for intelligence analysts attempting to identify individuals, groups, and organizations that have joined, are joining, or will join forces in terrorist enterprises.

Trends. Personalities, Motivations, And Capabilities: The Iraq-North Korea Distinction, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses and evaluates the handling of public affairs and justifications for military intervention in Iraq by the United States Secretary of State.

Trends. Double Standards On Double Standards: War With Iraq And The Middle East Peace Process, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses the nature of public statements from two national governments – the United States and the United Kingdom – in reference to a potential war with Iraq. Of special interest is the possible double standard pertaining to the differences in the international treatment of Iraq vs. the role of Israel in the Middle East Peace Process.

Trends. When Governments Want Government To Change, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses regime change in Germany and Iraq in a political psychological context.

Trends. If You're So Right, Why Are We Sure You're So Wrong? Iraq, Free Riders, And Social Loafing, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses and evaluates public discourse surrounding the acceptability of militarily invading Iraq through a social psychological perspective. In social psychology, the research tradition for constructs such as free-riding and social loafing suggests that, wittingly or unwittingly, many political actors assume that the United States will act to address actual political threats in a certain way, and that they (the other political actors) can adopt contrarian ideological stances because they don’t have to address those same threats.

Trends. The Psychology Of Self-Preemptive Language And Action: Iraq And Weapons Of Mass Destruction, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses the difficulties the Bush Administration encountered when attempting to sell the invasion of Iraq to the rest of the world. Language, action, and global perceptions are discussed.

Iraqi Intelligence And Antiterrorism/Counterterrorism: A News Conference By Tahir Jalil Habbush Concerning Abu Nidal, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article explores difficulties in preventing and resolving terrorist operations that are planned by one’s adversaries for implementation against one’s political entity.

Threat And Threatening Language: Public Discourse On Iraq, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article explores the relationship of language, the construction of threat, and the constructor’s response to that which is constructed.

The Personality Profile Of Al-Qaida Leader Osama Bin Laden, Aubrey Immelman

Psychology Faculty Publications

This paper presents the results of an indirect assessment of the personality of Osama bin Laden, founder and leader of the al-Qaida terrorist network responsible for the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the United States.

Bin Laden’s primary personality patterns were found to be Ambitious/exploitative and Dauntless/dissenting, with a secondary Distrusting/suspicious orientation, and subsidiary Dominant/controlling and Conscientious/dutiful features.

Ambitious individuals are bold, competitive, and self-assured; they easily assume leadership roles, expect others to recognize their special qualities, and often act as though entitled. Dauntless individuals are bold, courageous, and tough; minimally constrained by the norms of society; routinely engage …

The Personality Profile Of September 11 Hijack Ringleader Mohamed Atta, Aubrey Immelman

Psychology Faculty Publications

This paper presents the results of a posthumous, indirect assessment of the personality of Mohamed Atta, apparent ringleader in the September 11, 2001 terror attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, from the conceptual perspective of Theodore Millon.

Information concerning Mohamed Atta was collected from media reports in the one-month period following the attack and synthesized into a personality profile using the second edition of the Millon Inventory of Diagnostic Criteria (MIDC), which yields 34 normal and maladaptive personality classifications congruent with Axis II of DSM-IV.

The personality profile yielded by the MIDC was analyzed on the …

Trends. Facts And Conclusions In The Mideast, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discusses relations between Israelis and Palestinians, and a United Nations report involving the Jenin refugee camp.

Trends. The Error Of The Fundamental Attribution Error: The Character Assassinations Of Sharon And Arafat, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discusses the propagandistic language surrounding Ariel Sharon and Yasir Arafat in the context of Middle Eastern politics of Israel and Palestine.