David Capitanchik

David Capitanchik

David Bernard Capitanchik is a former academic and e-learning development officer. He appears to have been primarily interested in Jewish and Israeli politics until the mid-1990s when he emerged as a media terrorism expert. His role as a 'terror expert' has largely occurred after he ceased to be an academic.

Education and Career

• 1967-1993 Aberdeen University, Senior Lecturer in Politics
• 1994/5 Redio host, A Lloyd's Lists New Release in 1995 reveals that Capitanchik hosted an ad hoc radio station Offshore Europe Radio, which was set up specifically for the Offshore Europe '95 exhibition and conference in Aberdeen in September 1995. At the Robert Gordon University Capitanchik was involved in providing long distance training to the oil industry. He is quoted in a RGU publication as saying “The Virtual Campus has already proved itself as an ideal platform to deliver lifelong training to the oil industry in acost-effective way, especially for offshore workers"
• Aberdeen College, Strategic Development Executive (c.1995-1999)
• The Robert Gordon University, Project Development Officer with the Department of eLearning (2000- December 2004, at which point he retired)

Capitanchik's career is unusual in that he left an academic post in a University in 1993 and in around 1995 took up a an apparently administrative post in a Further Education college. From there he moved to Aberdeen's other University to another administrative post. In other words, he ceased to be in an academic post in 1993 and seems never to have published any academic journal articles on the issue of terrorism, the subject of his 'expertise' in the media.

Since he left Aberdeen University in 1993 Capitanchik has often been described as being affiliated with his former employer. Some examples:

• David Capitanchik, of the University of Aberdeen
• David Capitanchik, a terrorism expert at Aberdeen University
• Professor David Capitanchik of Aberdeen University

A blogger called [ Gerry Smith] wrote to Aberdeen University to enquire about his links with the establishment. According to his blog the University replied that:

Capitanchik was employed by the University of Aberdeen some 12 years ago, and recently retired from The Robert Gordon University.

In 2006 Capitanchik was reportedly an "honorary lecturer" at the University of Aberdeen, and is often misreported as being still at the University.

A lexis nexis search for 'David Capitanchik' and 'Aberdeen University' or 'University of Aberdeen' (minus any references to 'Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen') returns 123 articles. A total of eight of these are from the period until the end of 1993, the year he departed from Aberdeen. A further eight mention his 'honorary' status at Aberdeen (one from 1996 reporting his publication with the Institute for Jewish Policy Research and seven from 2006). Four further articles refer to him as a 'former' employee as in 'formerly with Aberdeen University's centre for defence studies'.

Academic Writings

Capitanchik was most active as an academic during the '80s and '90s. The academic database ISI Web of Knowledge lists 48 papers authored by Capitanchik between 1981 and 2003, only four of which were published this decade. Only three of those 48 publicaitons were academic papers; the remainder are book reviews, predominantly on Israeli politics and society. Most of the reviews appeared in International Affairs (23) and the Jewish Journal of Sociology (13). Of these 48 it appears that there are only three journal articles and that none of them are about 'terrorism'. The basis of Capitanchik's 'expertise' in terrorism is thus a little hard to perceive.

Media presence

Capitanchik first appeared in the print media in 1996 advocating censorship of the internet because of "increasing racism, xenophobia, intolerance and bigotry" This related to a report he had written for the Institute for Jewish Policy Research with Michael Whine of the Board of Deputies of British Jews on the use of the internet by extreme right-wing groups. Later that year Capitanchik appears again, warning that the Centennial Olympic Park bombing in the United States may be the start of a "US neo-Nazi terror campaign"

Even before his first appearance in print media it would seem that Capitanchik had already developed a TV and radio presence beecause he is refered to in the editor's notes of a 1996 press release as "a frequent radio and TV commentator on terrorism and Middle East affairs".

Views on 'terrorism'

2002

“I cannot think of a country where you are guaranteed to be safe...We are vulnerable right here in Britain. It would not take much for a suicide bomber to walk into Selfridges...” The Times, 31/10/02 [David points out that we are always vulnerable.]

2003

The Scotsman, 14/04/03 "I wouldn’t be surprised if it was true a number of senior Iraqis had escaped in a convoy of Russian diplomats. Since Saddam came to power the Russians have been very close to his regime. It must be remembered that Saddam owes Russia $12 billion for arms deliveries and economic aid and the two are closely tied through this." [comments on the possible location of Saddam and other senior Iraqis]

The Evening Express, 16/12/03 (via google cache) "Instead of the bloodshed of the Balkans I expect the new Iraq to be more like a devolved Britain." [predicts how events will unfold in Iraq. One of the few occasions he provides an optimistic prediction.]

2004

The Scotsman, 17/09/04 "If it had been terrorists the consequences could have been horrendous. Suicide bombers would have blown themselves up or attacked someone with knives." [comments after journalists gain unauthorised access to the Scottish Parliament.]

The Sunday Times, 26/09/04 "It’s no excuse to say that security would have been tighter when the royal family are in residence. The palace is susceptible to a Brighton bombing-style attack, in which a terrorist was able to build a bomb into a wall (in advance)." [commenting on a reporter gaining access to Holyroodhouse.]

2005

The Scotsman, 01/04/05 "I was surprised when Gordon Brown encouraged people to join the anti-poverty march which I think is an occasion to worry about." [warning against joining the Make Poverty History march in Edinburgh]

Daily Record, 31/05/05 "Given the current terror threat, it would be unreasonable for Britain - the Americans' main coalition partner - to refuse their request." [agrees with Blair's decision to allow 2000 heavily armed US Marines to help guard Bush during the G8 summit.]

Affiliations

• Institute for Jewish Policy Resesarch

Publications - date order

Journal articles

• David B. Capitanchik University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK 'Between Lebanon and the Gulf' Journal of Asian and African Studies, Vol. 19, No. 3-4, 263-272 (1984) DOI: 10.1177/002190968401900311 © 1984 SAGE Publications
• David Capitanchik (1989) The People Fail to Decide: The Israeli General Election of 1988 Government and Opposition 24 (2) , 142–157 doi:10.1111/j.1477-7053.1989.tb00113.x
• David Capitanchik (1996) The Israeli General Election of 1996 - Another Upheaval? Government and Opposition 31 (4), 449 October 1996 doi:10.1016/j.physletb.2003.10.071

Books

• The Eisenhower Presidency and American Foreign Policy by David Capitanchik ISBN 0710066414 / 9780710066411 / 0-7100-6641-4 Publisher Routledge & Kegan Paul, Limited, 1969
• Defence and Public Opinion by Richard C. Eichenberg and David Capitanchik ISBN 071009356X / 9780710093561 / 0-7100-9356-X Publisher Brookings Inst Pr./London : Royal Institute of International Affairs ; 1983.ISBN: 071009356X