Mehrzad Boroujerdi, associate professor and director of graduate studies in the political science department in Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, will deliver a public lecture titled "War on Iraq? Understanding U.S. Policy Beyond Saddam," on Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m., in Maxwell Auditorium. The event is sponsored by SU's Graduate Muslim Students Association.
The events of Sept. 11 and since have led to new questions about the 11-year conflict between Iraq, the United States and other states in the international community. The losers in this conflict have been the vast majority of the Iraqi population, suffering from two decades of war and siege in the form of U.S.-led, U.N.-imposed economic sanctions.
Boroujerdi will answer questions such as: "Who is gaining from these devastating policies?" "What are the effects of this ongoing blockade?" "How do U.S. policies toward Iraq relate to its policies toward Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran Israel, Palestine and other Middle Eastern states?" "How would the impending war affect Iraq, the Middle East and the United States?"
Boroujerdi's areas of interest include intellectual history of the Middle East and the role of religion in Middle Eastern social life. His book "Iranian Intellectuals and the West: The Tormented Triumph of Nativism" was published by Syracuse University Press in 1996.
For more information please contact: Anthony D'Onofrio at muslimsg@mailbox.syr.edu.