Teach-In

University of Minnesota

Symposium:

Rethinking the Role of the US in Iraq and the Middle East

Wednesday, April 30th

5:30 - 7:00 P.M.
350 Anderson Hall
University of Minnesota, West Bank

Moderated by
Bert Kreitlow
Department of History, U of MN

Panelists:

--Renee Worringer, Department of History, U of MN
"The British in Mandate Iraq, US Involvement in Post-War Iraq"

--Ragui Assad, Humphrey Institute, U of MN
"The Arab World, the US, and the Impact of the Iraq War"

--Taner Akcam, Department of History, U of MN
"Turkey, Iraq and the Kurdish Question"

--Martin Sampson, Department of Political Science, U of MN
"Unclear Trails as a Problem for Cowboys"

--Eva von Dassow, Department of Classical and Near Eastern Studies and the Department of History, U of M
"The Spoliation of Iraq's Museums -- What the World has Lost"

This event is co-sponsored by the Institute for Global Studies, Department of History, and the Faculty Against the War at the University of Minnesota. For further information, please call IGS at 612.624.9007.

For Immediate Release

Contact:
Prof. Renee Worringer
Dept. of History
phone (home): 612 823-4511
email: reneew@umn.edu

UNIVERSITY SYMPOSIUM PLANNED ON IRAQ WAR’S IMPACTS

Weighing the loss caused by the recent looting of Iraq’s museums is one of the perspectives to be offered by a panel of five Mideast scholars at a University of Minnesota symposium regarding the past and future of the U.S. and Iraq in the Middle East region.

The symposium, entitled “Rethinking the Role of the U.S.in Iraq and the Middle East” will be held at 350 Anderson Hall on the West Bank from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on April 30. Admission is free.

Dr. Eva von Dassow, a professor of Classical and Near Eastern Studies in the department of history, will discuss “The Spoliation of Iraq’s Museums -- What the World has Lost”.

Dr. Renee Worringer will compare the history of British involvement in twentieth-century Iraq with U.S. involvement in post-war Iraq while Dr. Taner Akcam addresses “Turkey, Iraq and the Kurdish Question.”

Dr. Raqui Assad of the Hubert H. Humphrey of Public Affairs at the university will be speaking on “The Arab World, the U.S., and the Impact of the Iraq War.” Political Science Professor Dr. Martin Sampson offers a talk entitled “Unclear Trails as a Problem for Cowboys.”

Written questions will be welcomed from the audience near the end of the event. The symposium is sponsored by the university’s Institute for Global Studies and Department of History and by the group Faculty Against the War.

For further information, call (612) 624-9007.

SYMPOSIUM ON THE ROLE OF THE U.S. IN POST-IRAQ-WAR MIDDLE EAST: A REPORT

The symposium entitled “Rethinking the Role of the U.S.in Iraq and the Middle East” was held in the early evening of April 30 at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Approximately 65 attendees largely filled the auditorium. This audience appeared to have been comprised of a large number of community members, along with faculty and graduate students . Dr. Eva von Dassow, a professor of Classical and Near Eastern Studies in the department of history, was outspoken in her denunciation of the Bush Administration’s failure to prevent looting of antiquities and written records in Baghdad in the days after the Hussein government collapsed. Her talk was entitled “The Spoliation of Iraq’s Museums -- What the World has Lost.”

Other speakers included Dr. Renee Worringer, who compared the history of British involvement in twentieth-century Iraq with U.S. involvement in post-war Iraq. Dr. Taner Akcam addressed “Turkey, Iraq and the Kurdish Question.” Political Science Professor Dr. Martin Sampson also dwelt on the Kurdish question in a talk entitled “Unclear Trails as a Problem for Cowboys.” Dr. Raqui Assad of the Hubert H. Humphrey of Public Affairs at the university spoke from the perspective of the largely hostile attitudes toward the U.S. among Arabs in a talk entitled “The Arab World, the U.S., and the Impact of the Iraq War.”

Questions by the audience, moderated by Dr. Bert Kreitlow, focused on implications of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, on the legacy of military coups in Iraq, and on the strength of Islamic fundamentalist movements.

Bert Kreitlow, Ph.D.
Visiting Lecturer
Dept. of History
Univ. of Minnesota
Minneapolis
kreit010@umn.edu
(612) 626-9877
home: (612) 659-1947