USC Experts on Iraq War, 10 Years Later
It’s been a decade since March 19, 2003, when the United States invaded Iraq. USC experts have insights on the legacy of the war and what it means for America’s future. They can also discuss how the Iraq War influenced the Syrian uprising, now in its third year.
Veterans and Social Services
Eugenia Weiss is an expert on PTSD and military families at the USC School of Social Work, which offers a unique Masters of Social Work degree with a concentration in Military Social Work. She can discuss how sequestration cuts to social services will affect veterans, the ripple effects that can impact families, and how little preparation for returning veterans was done before the Iraq invasion. She is fluent in Spanish.
“The war doesn’t end when service members get home. The Veterans Administration is a complex system to navigate and it takes some injured veterans years to get the appropriate care, benefits and resources. Many are disenchanted with the US government or VA, so they seek out services in community agencies that are not equipped with the expertise needed to be able to help these folks.”
Contact at: 949-433-3416 or eugenia.weiss@usc.edu.
Foreign Policy
Josh Lockman is an expert on international law and American foreign policy at the USC Gould School. He can discuss legal issues pertaining to the war, how it has changed America’s global standing, and its impact on revolutions in Egypt and Syria.
“The consequence of the war, unfortunately, has been both a reshaped Middle East landscape which has empowered Iran and weakened U.S. resolve and leadership in the region. President Obama, mindful of the Iraq War’s legacy, has been ambivalent to committing military force in crises spanning the region, especially in Syria.”
Contact at: 310-995-1819 or josh.lockman@gmail.com.
Patrick James is an expert on American foreign policy and Middle Eastern conflict at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences. He can discuss the war’s continuing impact in the region, including revolutions in Egypt and Syria.
“It seems petulant to say that we know whether it was ‘good’ or ‘bad’ for the world as a whole, because Iraq’s regime change may have set in motion processes in the Middle East and North Asia that will not be fully played out for a very long time. To say we understand the legacy of the war would be to claim, falsely, that we comprehend the full significance of events such as the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia, along with the ongoing strife in Syria.”
Contact at: 573-424-0231 or patrickj@usc.edu.
Edwin Smith of the USC Gould School is an expert on law and international crises. He can discuss how American war powers have changed since the start of the Iraq invasion, and how the war changed the global community’s response to international crises like the one in Syria.
Contact at: 213-740-2563 or esmith@law.usc.edu.
Contact: Andrew Good at 213-740-8606 or gooda@usc.edu.
