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| Fifth Column |
| Lawfare against WoT researchers, pundits and reporters |
| 2007-10-13 |
| By Matthew Levitt, New Republic Online, October 12, 2007 Scholars beware: A wave of libel lawsuits threatens to stifle open and honest discussion of issues related to the financing of terrorism. Instead of competing on the battlefield of ideas, where facts speak louder than rhetoric, several individuals and organizations have sued scholars researching the financing of terrorist groups. I know firsthand. I was sued, stood my ground, defended my research, and won. To their immense credit, my campaign to defend my free speech and academic rigor enjoyed the full and unconditional support of both my employer, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and my publisher, Yale University Press. These cases are part of a disturbing trend of lawsuits targeting scholars that appear to be an effort to intimidate authors and suppress free speech. Such suits threaten to have a chilling effect on scholars conducting serious, careful, and peer-reviewed research into critical and sometimes contentious policy debates. |
| Posted by:3dc |
| #1 Which calls for a counter-wave of lawfare against the saudis, persians and their apologists and fellow travellers including a variety of academics, journalists and celebrities. |
| Posted by: Excalibur 2007-10-13 16:23 |