Forum looks at war in Iraq, aftermath

UW–Madison’s Office of International Studies and Programs is sponsoring a forum about events related to U.S. military action in Iraq and its aftermath.

The forum will be held from 4-6 p.m. on Monday, April 21, at the Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St. It is free and open to the public.

The event is meant to give the university and the greater Madison-area community an opportunity to consider several of the ongoing issues associated with the conflict and current international affairs. UW faculty will speak on a variety of topics and lead breakout sessions during the two-hour session.

“Drawing on the array of international expertise at the university, this forum is designed to shed light on key issues arising from the war with Iraq that will be of interest to the Madison community,” says Michael Hinden, associate dean of International Studies. “In times of conflict and political division, open dialogue and inquiry remain of vital interest to the campus.”

The forum will feature discussions on the following topics:

• What we can learn from the history of Iraq
• The changing shape of U.S. foreign policy
• The war’s impact on the future of the United Nations
• The effect of the war on the Middle East
• Trans-Atlantic relations
• Turkish-Kurdish relations
• Media coverage of the war
• Questions concerning the nature of protest and silence

Among those participating in the forum will be Gilles Bousquet, dean of International Studies, and professors Michael Barnett (political science and director of the international studies major); Joe Elder (sociology); Myra Marx Ferree (sociology); Moneera al-Ghadeer (African languages and literature); Kemal Karpat (history); Jack Mitchell (journalism and mass communication); David Morgan (history and director of Middle East studies) and Pamela Oliver (sociology).