David Capitanchik

David Capitanchik

David Bernard Capitanchik (born 5 November 1934) is a former academic and e-learning development officer who is a popular ‘terrorism expert’ in the British media. His role as an expert largely occurred after he ceased to be an academic, prior to which he appears to have been primarily interested in Jewish and Israeli politics.

Education and Academia

A biographical note in a 1985 book states that Capitanchik studied at the University of Southampton and a spreadsheet listing alumni at the University of Southampton lists him as class of ’68 Alumni in the department of mathematics. This seems to conflicts with reports that he lectured at Aberdeen University from 1967 but it is certainly the correct David Capitanchik because Helen Capitanchik who is also listed in the spreadsheet is his wife. It seems likely therefore that the list refers to the date of Capitanchik’s PhD award rather than his graduation.

According to his biography at the Robert Gordon University, Capitanchik was Senior Lecturer in Politics at Aberdeen University, from 1967 until 1993, where he specialised in the politics of the Middle East and in international terrorism. Capitanchik's career is unusual in that he left that academic post in 1993 and in around 1995 took up an apparently administrative post in the Further Education college in Aberdeen (Aberdeen College) where he was Strategic Development Executive (c.1995-1999). From there he moved to Aberdeen’s Robert Gordon University, where he was a Project Development Officer with the Department of eLearning from 2000 to December 2004, at which point he retired. It would appear therefore that Capitanchik ceased to be in an academic post in 1993 and appears to have never published any academic journal articles on the issue of terrorism, the subject of his 'expertise' in the media.

Since Capitanchik left Aberdeen University in 1993 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 Capitanchik 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.

Capitanchik is 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

A Lexis-Nexis search returns one reference to Capitanchik as a terrorism expert in the print media during the 1980s, which was in The Toronto Star on 17 July 1988. Between 1990 and 1993 he appears in four articles commenting variously on the IRA, the PLO and the development of right-wing terrorism in the United States. He reappears in print media again 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" and his media presence steadily increases.

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

Links to Israel

Prior to his academic career Capitanchik lived and worked in Israel, first in the Youth section of the General Confederation of Labour (the Histadruth) and subsequently, in the Israeli Civil Service. In 1989 Capitanchik was personally invited by then Israeli Prime Minister Shamir to a Solidarity Conference in Israel. Capitanchik declined in protest over the Israeli government’s actions in the occupied territories. His objection was not particularly principled, but was based on the assessment that the occupation was too costly (“It has cost $1.5 billion, 2 per cent of Israel's annual rate of growth, and 100,000 army training days”) and ultimately counterproductive (“The existence of the hostile Arab population, and the need to protect the Jewish settlements in their midst, could make the territories a liability rather than an asset”).

Links to the oil industry

A biographical note in a 1999 book states that Capitanchik is a member of the Institute of Petroleum and there are several other facts linking him to oil companies. 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 a cost-effective way, especially for offshore workers" Finally an April 2008 article in the Scotland On Sunday refers to Capitanchik as “a national security and oil industry expert with Robert Gordon University”

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.]

Alan Taylor, writing in The Sunday Herald, comments on the Tartan Bollocks Awards , 2004, "when due recognition is given to stories whose relationship with reality is tenuous to say the least."

In truth, there was never any doubt about whose bollocks would win the top award. Step forward Jason Allardyce of the teuchter edition of the Funday Times. In March, Mr Allardyce reported that “government experts” believed that the Holyrood parliament could be attacked by “a lone terrorist with a lightweight mortar” standing on Salisbury Crags... Credence was lent to this incredible tale by... rent-an-academic, David Capitanchik, “a terrorism expert” at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, who said he expected surveillance of the hills overlooking the parliament site to be stepped up in view of the danger of a mortar attack. Apparently, “terrorists were most likely to strike during visits by foreign dignitaries and eminent people.... The parliament is exposed,” added Mr Capitanchick observantly, “and if things get really tough for terrorists in London, which they are, and if they see things are not so tight in Edinburgh, they could come here. Al-Qaeda does not know much about devolution. We are as vulnerable in Scotland as any other place in the UK.”

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
• RUSI
• Chatham House, contributor to International Affairs

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