War in Iraq
Perspectives from Indiana University
EDITORS: Indiana University faculty experts can provide insights on various aspects of the situation in Iraq including politics, Near Eastern cultures, Islamic studies, Jewish studies, law, medicine, economics, health and journalism. For additional assistance in reaching faculty at IUPUI, contact Diane Brown at 317-274-7711 or habrown@iupui; and at IPFW, Susan Alderman at 260-481-6165 or aldermas@ipfw.edu.
Politics and policy
-- Lee Hamilton, director of the Center on Congress at IU Bloomington and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., served for 34 years as a U.S. congressman from Indiana. During his tenure, he served as chairman and ranking member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs (now the Committee on International Relations), and chaired the Subcommittee on Europe and the Middle East from the early 1970s until 1993. Hamilton also served as chairman of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He established himself as a leading congressional voice on foreign affairs, with particular interests in promoting peace and stability in the Middle East. His service enabled him to become an astute observer and participant in many significant historical events, including the Arab/Israeli peace negotiations and the Gulf War. Hamilton can be reached by calling 202-691-4202.
-- Salih Altoma, professor emeritus of Near Eastern languages and cultures at IU Bloomington, was born in Iraq and has been associated with IU since 1964. He is a distinguished scholar of comparative and Arabic literature and was director of the Middle Eastern Studies Program and chair of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at IU Bloomington. He will respond to media queries through e-mail at salih@indiana.edu.
-- Matthew Auer, an associate professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IU Bloomington, has expertise in foreign aid politics and international environmental affairs. He can comment on short-term humanitarian assistance in Iraq and long-term developmental aid prospects for Iraq. In terms of environmental impacts, he can discuss the destruction caused by burning oil wells and the impact of the war on the environment and terrain of Iraq. Auer can be reached at 202-501-2922 (office), 703-960-4765 (home) or mauer@indiana.edu.
-- William Bradford, an assistant professor of law at IUPUI, teaches national security law, military law and the laws of armed conflict. A retired officer of the U.S. Army who served in the Persian Gulf and Bosnia, Bradford holds a doctoral degree in political science with concentrations in U.S. foreign policy and Middle Eastern politics. He can be reached at 317-274-4884 or wibradfo@iupui.edu.
-- Diane Henshel, associate professor of environmental science in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IU Bloomington, says environmental damage and human sickness in Iraq caused by a war may be great. Particular concerns will be public health problems caused by air pollution from burning oil fields, the possible dispersion of chemical and biological weapons, and radiation released from depleted uranium weapons, also known as "dirty bombs." Henshel is an expert on the sublethal health effects of environmental pollutants, as well as risk assessment and communication. She can be reached at 812-855-4556 or dhenshel@indiana.edu.
-- Zaineb Istrabadi, associate director of the Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies Program at IU Bloomington, is an Iraqi-American woman who is very well informed about conditions in Iraq. She has relatives there and is willing to speak to reporters. Her fields are Islamic studies and Arabic languages and literatures. She can be reached at 812-856-0372 (office), 812-855-5993 (department office), 812-339-9263 (home) or zistraba@indiana.edu.
-- James Lutz, professor and chair of the Department of Political Science at Indiana University Purdue University at Fort Wayne (IPFW), teaches courses on terrorism and Middle Eastern politics. He also is very familiar with current arguments about weapons of mass destruction. He can be reached at 260-481-6688 (office), 260-432-9136 or lutz@ipfw.edu.
-- John McCormick, a political science professor at IUPUI, can discuss the impact of war talk on relations with allies and the resentment in the Middle East, Europe and Russia regarding U.S. policy. He can be reached at 317-274-4066 or jmccormi@iupui.edu.
-- Michael McGinnis, associate professor of political science at IU Bloomington, can comment on the problems of dealing with the refugees of war and delivering food and other supplies to civilians in Iraq. He also has a general research interest in international conflict and can discuss the situation in Iraq in those terms. He can be reached at 812-855-8784 (office), 812-339-9668 (home) or mcginnis@indiana.edu.
-- Scott Pegg, an associate professor of political science at IUPUI, teaches classes on war and international conflict, guerilla warfare and security. Pegg previously taught classes on international relationships and security studies at the University of Bilkent in Ankara, Turkey. He can be reached at 317-278-5749 (office), 317-636-7718 (home) or smpegg@iupui.edu.
-- Robert Rohrschneider, a professor of political science at IU Bloomington, can offer European perspectives on the war, especially that of the German government. He can be reached at 812-855-6308 or rrohrsch@indiana.edu.
-- Alvin Rosenfeld, director of the Robert A. and Sandra S. Borns Jewish Studies Program at IU Bloomington and a member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, can speak about the war's impact on Israel and Jewish reaction to the war. He can be reached at 812-855-0453 (office), 812-339-8101 (home) or rosenfel@indiana.edu.
-- Nazif Shahrani, chair of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at IU Bloomington, is a native of Afghanistan. Shahrani, a professor of anthropology, is familiar with conditions in Afghanistan and Iraq and has strong views about the long-term effects of a war with Iraq. He can be reached at 812-855-5993 (office), 812-332-8868 (home) or shahrani@indiana.edu.
-- Charles Winslow, a retired political science professor at IUPUI, can discuss the Middle East conflict. He can be reached at 317-274-1463 or cwinslow@iupui.edu.
Economic effects
-- Philip T. Powell, associate clinical professor of business economics and public policy in the Kelley School of Business at Indianapolis, can talk about the economic impact of war. He can be reached at 317-274-8745 (office), 317-727-3330 (cell) or phpowell@indiana.edu.
-- Alan Rugman, L. Leslie Waters Chair in International Business in the Kelley School of Business at IU Bloomington, can discuss the long-term economic effects of the U.S. decision to begin a war with Iraq without a United Nations mandate. He is one of the world's leading researchers in multinational business, and his research suggests an even greater need for tight regional security and coordination, particularly concerning energy resources. He expects that the war will place an even greater importance on the relationship the United States has with its neighboring countries, given that multinational politics at the U.N. has failed. He is the author of 30 books including TheOxford Handbook of International Business, Multinationals as Flagship Firms and The End of Globalization. He can be reached at 812-855-5417 (office), 812-333-2782 (home) or rugman@indiana.edu.
Health and family
-- Dr. Rose Fife, assistant dean and professor of medicine at the IU School of Medicine, heads the school's bioterrorism committee and is a member of a task force on disaster preparedness for the mayor of Indianapolis. For assistance in reaching her, contact Joe Stuteville at 317-274-8881 (office) or 317-312-2504 (pager); or Mary Hardin at 317-274-5456 (office) or 317-312-2542 (pager).
-- Kathleen Gilbert, associate professor of applied health science at IU Bloomington, is a leading expert on death and grief and the effect of trauma on families. She is available to discuss the long-term effects of war on families, the trauma facing battle combatants and their families, and what parents can say to their children about the war. She can be reached at 812-332-3404 (home), 812-855-5209 (office) or gilbertk@indiana.edu.
-- Dr. Stephen Jay, chairman of the Department of Public Health at the IU School of Medicine, can address general public health concerns. Jay, a professor of medicine and public health, is an expert in lung-related injuries from poisonous gas. For assistance in reaching him, contact Joe Stuteville at 317-274-8881 (office) or 317-312-2504 (pager); or Mary Hardin at 317-274-5456 (office) or 317-312-2542 (pager).
-- Dr. Kurt Kroenke, a senior research scientist at the Regenstrief Institute for Health Care and professor of medicine at the IU School of Medicine, has conducted extensive studies on Gulf War Syndrome and related maladies. For assistance in reaching him, contact Joe Stuteville at 317-274-8881 (office) or 317-312-2504 (pager); or Mary Hardin at 317-274-5456 (office) or 317-312-2542 (pager).
-- Martha McCarthy, Chancellor's Professor in educational leadership and policy studies at IU Bloomington, is available to discuss First Amendment rights for teachers and students in American schools. Freedom of speech already has been an issue in some U.S. classrooms, as some teachers have been criticized for speaking out against the war. She can be reached at 812-856-8384 (office) or mccarthy@indiana.edu.
-- Eric Meslin, professor of medicine, medical and molecular genetics, and philosophy and director of the IU Center for Bioethics, has experience in discussing ethical issues in bioterrorism. He can be reached at 317-554-0148 or emeslin@iupui.edu.
-- Kathleen L. O'Connell, associate dean of IPFW's School of Health Sciences and director of the Behavioral Health and Family Studies Institute, can discuss the effects of war on families, as well as the permanent or temporary loss of a family member. She can be reached at 260-481-5795 (office), 260-396-2412 (home) or oconnell@ipfw.edu.
-- Ingrid Ritchie, associate professor of public and environmental affairs at IUPUI, is available to discuss potential health problems facing Baghdad residents as a result of oil and other fires. She can discuss building safety, air quality and hazardous materials as a result of bioterrorism. She is co-author of The Healthy Home Kit, which provides consumers with knowledge about indoor air and other environmental hazards related to real property. She can be reached at 317-274-3752 or iritchie@indiana.edu.
Media coverage
-- Maria Elizabeth "Betsy" Grabe, associate professor of journalism at IU Bloomington, has a research focus on the content and effects of audiovisual messages. She has been closely monitoring television coverage of the war. She can discuss issues relating to the use of "embedded" journalists and their efforts to report from a personalized perspective. She also can discuss the increasing use of rhetoric by journalists in telling their stories and which journalists are being the most objective in their coverage. Grabe can be reached at 812-855-1721 (office), 812-323-1699 (home) or mgrabe@indiana.edu.
-- Christine Ogan, professor of journalism at IU Bloomington, studies the intersection of communication technologies and international communication. She has written extensively about relationships among the media, political organizations and religion in Islamic communities. She contributed a chapter to the forthcoming book, Communication, Politics and Religion in an Islamic Community. She can respond to questions regarding Turkey in particular and other general questions about the region, and on the media of the entire region, including Al Jazeera. Ogan can be reached at 812-855-1699 or ogan@indiana.edu.
-- David Weaver, the Roy W. Howard Professor in journalism and mass communication research at IU Bloomington, has researched and written award-winning books on journalists as people and how their personal views affect news coverage. On April 10 at the American Society of Newspaper Editors convention, he presented the results of a third major national survey of U.S. journalists funded by the Knight Foundation. He also is the author of The Global Journalist: News People Around the World and The American Journalist: A Portrait of U.S. News People and Their Work. While Weaver has not done a content analysis of the war coverage, he can address questions about political and personal backgrounds of journalists. He can be reached at 812-855-1703 or weaver@indiana.edu.
