NEWS TIP SHEET
Roland Paris, assistant professor of political science, can discuss the overall political situation with Iraq, U.S. foreign policy and the role of the United Nations. Paris holds a doctorate from Yale University and previously attended the Sorbonne in France, the University of Toronto in Canada and Cambridge University in England. His research interests include international relations, civil and ethnic conflict, peacekeeping and peacebuilding operations, the evolving role of international organizations in world politics and foreign policy. He can be reached at (303) 492-7149.
Robert Schulzinger, professor of history and director of CU-Boulder's International Affairs program, is an expert in U.S. foreign policy, diplomacy and the Vietnam War. He can address numerous topics pertaining to possible war with Iraq. He can be reached at (303) 492-7993 or (303) 492-7529.
Don Roper, professor of economics, can address the economic effects of a war with Iraq on the U.S. and global economy. A former economist in the Division of International Finance of the Federal Reserve Board and an expert in monetary policy and debt, Roper believes the substantial cost of a war added to an increasing federal deficit could lead to a serious decline in U.S. credit markets. He also is concerned that fallout from a war could lead some countries with heavy debt, especially Muslim nations like Indonesia and Pakistan, into arrears and exacerbate the near-global debt crisis. Roper can be reached at (303) 443-1077.
Jack Powelson, professor emeritus of economics at CU-Boulder, specializes in economic history. He can talk about peripheral costs generated by war, including ill will generated among nations, the cost of property and environmental damage and the impact on the economy. He can be reached at (303) 443-1077.
Thomas Zeiler, chair and professor of history, is an expert in U.S. foreign policy. He can address the recovery and reconstruction efforts that are necessary in nations after a war. He also can talk about how terrorism fits into globalization. Zeiler can be reached at (303) 492-2569.
Rich Wobbekind, associate professor of business economics and director of the Business Research Division in the Leeds School of Business, is an expert on the Colorado economy and macroeconomic issues. He can talk about specific sectors of the economy and how a war with Iraq could affect them. He can be reached at (303) 492-1147.
Richard Pfaff, professor emeritus of political science, previously lived in Iran and Turkey and is an expert on the Middle East and world affairs. He can address the politics of the Middle East and the Persian Gulf War. Pfaff has given expert testimony on Middle Eastern affairs in Congressional hearings, has been a consultant to the Department of Defense and taught classes on the Persian Gulf crisis in 1989-90. He can be reached at (303) 499-4060.
Francis Beer, professor of political science, specializes in the study of war and peace. He notes that when a nation is gearing up for war, the words its leaders use follow a predictable pattern. In his latest book, "Meanings of War and Peace," he gives special attention to the congressional debates leading to U.S. actions in the Gulf War and Somalia. "Language is very powerful," Beer said. "It's like software in the mind -- the power of the word is in its ability to activate different images and different patterns of actions." He can be reached at (303) 492-7802.
Peter Gries, assistant professor of political science, is an expert on Chinese politics and can discuss China's views on U.S. tensions with Iraq and North Korea. Gries says China is concerned about the precedent that an invasion of Iraq would set in undermining national sovereignty -- an issue China is sensitive to with Taiwan and Tibet -- but also doesn't want to be perceived as one of the world's "bad guys." Opposition from Russia and France to an attack on Iraq has allowed China to express its opposition as well, he says. Gries can be reached at (303) 492-8601.
Meg Moritz, associate dean of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, co-directs (with Beth Gaeddert) the Media and Trauma Program that has sponsored a series of seminars and training sessions on the Columbine massacre and its effect on reporters, editors and photographers and their newsrooms. As a Fulbright Senior Scholar, Moritz traveled to South Africa in 2002 to conduct workshops and seminars with educators, editors and reporters on issues of media and trauma. Her 2001 documentary "Covering Columbine" has been screened in the United States, Canada and France. She can be reached at (303) 492-1610.