CONFLICT CONCERNS: Robert Rowland, professor of communication studies, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in its July 25 issue that the 9/11 commission skirted the Middle East conflict, and that skirmishes between Israelis and Palestinians are a significant factor in anti-American sentiment in the Arab world. “There certainly is an argument that, in the aftermath of 9/11, one of the first things the United States should have tried to do was to do everything we possibly could … to help the Israelis and Palestinians reach some kind of settlement to take the issue off the table.” Rowland co-wrote a book about political rhetoric in the Mideast conflict.