Workshop on War & Terrorism (New York, 9 November 2006)



INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL FOR MENTAL HEALTH PRACTITIONERS 

Presents 
A Workshop with Richard A. Koenigsberg, PhD 

SOMETHING TO KILL AND DIE FOR: 
The Psychology of War and Terrorism 

Date: Thursday, November 9, 2006 Time: 10 am - 2 pm (recess: 12 - 1 pm)

Location: Church Center for the United Nations 
777 United Nations Plaza 
(44th St. & First Avenue-across the street from the United Nations) 
12th Floor 
New York, NY 10017 

Cost: $70 CE Credits: 3.0 Contact: Orion Anderson: 718-393-1104 

Sponsored by: INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL FOR MENTAL HEALTH PRACTITIONERS.
ISMHP is approved by the American Psychological Association to offer
continuing education for psychologists. ISMHP maintains
responsibility for the program: His Excellency, Ambassador Anthony
DeLuca, Ph.D., Dean ISMHP. Under the auspices of Syrian Orthodox
Church in America, associated with the Department of Public
Information of the United Nations. 

Please visit https://www.ideologiesofwar.com/register/workshop for
further information and to register for the Presentation and Workshop
"Something to Kill and Die For" with Richard A. Koenigsberg, PhD 

_____ 

Workshop Description: 

What are the causes of collective political violence? What events or
motivations bring religious and political leaders-and the people they
represent-to give over lives and resources to armed conflict? What
justifies the sacrifices made in war and terrorism? 

In 1994, Dick Cheney appeared on "Meet the Press" and stated that
Haiti was "not worth American lives." Senator Glenn suggested that
the case for intervention could not pass the "Dover Test"-the
televised return of body bags. In the twenty years since Viet Nam,
only about 400 U. S. soldiers had been killed in action. For a time,
it seemed that the grand narrative of warfare had lost its appeal. 

Then, the events of September 11th, 2001 changed everything. The
United States responded-not only to the actions of the terrorists,
but to the taunting words of Bin Laden, who addressed Americans
declaring: 

"Your most disgraceful case was in Somalia. When tens of your
soldiers were killed in minor battles and one American pilot was
dragged through in the streets of Mogadishu you left the area
carrying disappointment, humiliation, defeat and your dead with you.
The extent of your impotence and weaknesses became very clear." 

The subsequent American response to Bin Laden's provocation served to
demonstrate-in no uncertain terms-that the United States was not
weak; that Americans too possessed ideals and strength of conviction
for which they were willing to kill and die. We now find
ourselves-again-in the midst of a world of political violence-a world
that we seemed to be on the verge of leaving behind. 

Were the events of September 11, 2001 responsible for the world-wide
struggle in which we now find ourselves? Or is a deeper psychology at
work, driving people on all sides of the conflict to seek out
"something to kill and die for?" 

John Lennon asked people to imagine a world with "nothing to kill or
die for." Post-modernism proposed the "death of grand narratives,"
while multiculturalism and globalization articulated the desire to
abandon rigid boundaries. Now we seem to have returned to the
bipolar, cold-war narrative of a global clash between antagonistic
ideologies. 

Using case studies from history-as well as contemporary examples-this
workshop will explore the dynamics of collective forms of violence
such as terrorism and war; the motives that generate killing and
dying in the name of religious and national ideals. 

Please visit https://www.ideologiesofwar.com/register/workshop for
further information and to register for the Presentation and Workshop
"Something to Kill and Die For" with Richard A. Koenigsberg, PhD 

_____ 

Who Should Attend: 

Teachers, students and practitioners from the disciplines of
psychology, psychiatry, psychoanalysis, anthropology, sociology,
political science, international relations and diplomacy. Scholars
and students focusing on the topics of conflict resolution, peace and
war studies, militarism, nationalism, ethnic conflict, political
psychology, and terrorism; journalists wishing to explore the deeper
roots of today's conflicts; and the educated layperson seeking to
comprehend the sources of collective forms of violence in the
Twntieth and Twenty-First Centuries. 

_____ 

Learning Objectives: Through presentation and discussion,
participants will explore: 

* The nature of attachment to "sacred objects" that transforms
violence into a form of virtue 

* The human tendency to bifurcate the world into categories of "good"
and "evil." 

* The need for and symbolic meaning of enemies. 

* The relationship between martyrdom and sacrifice 

* Why wars are difficult to end. 

_____ 

About the Presenter: 

Richard A. Koenigsberg received his PhD in Social Psychology from the
Graduate Faculty of the New School for Social Research in New York
City. His highly acclaimed books-Hitler's Ideology, The
Psychoanalysis of Racism, Revolution and Nationalism, Symbiosis and
Separation: Towards a Psychology of Culture, and Dying for One's
Country: War as Sacrifice-established a method and theory for the
psychological analysis of political ideology. 

_____ 

The Church Center for the United Nations is located across the street
from United Nations headquarters. Tours are available at the
Visitors' Lobby of the General Assembly seven days a week from 9am to
5pm. 

Orion Anderson 
(718) 393-1104 





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