News and Events : News 06-07

NMH Speaker Poses "Riddle of Iraq"

GILL, MA— Northfield Mount Hermon School’s State of the World lecture series continues April 19 at 6:45 pm in the Rhodes Room of Beverige Hall with a talk by Middle East expert Glen W. Swanson. A longtime student of that region, Swanson will present, “The Riddle of Iraq,” a commentary on U.S. involvement in Iraq and the prospects there for peace. Swanson will focus on past and present relations between Iraq and the United States. In the events surrounding the road to war in 2003 and its aftermath, Swanson will weave a tale of politics and shifting alliances. He gives special attention to the wildcards of oil, Osama bin Laden and the insurgents, Turkey, Israel, the Kurdish quest for independence, the mismanagement of information, the Sunni/Shi’i factor, and the nature of America’s cultural awareness and military role in Iraq. He will address such questions as, “Which are more important, democracy and human rights, or power and security?” The public is welcome to attend this free address.

Swanson was awarded a Foreign Area Fellowship and is a fellow of the American Council of Learned Societies/Social Science Research Council. He received a BS in business administration from the University of Connecticut and a PhD in history from Indiana University. He also completed advanced studies on the Middle East, Islam, the Balkans, and Istanbul at the University of London. Swanson has participated in the US Department of State’s “Scholar-Diplomat Seminars,” has appeared on New Hampshire Public Radio’s “Exchange” program, and has lectured extensively on the Middle East, Islam, Central Asia, East-Central Europe, and American diplomacy.

At the request of the US military, Swanson helped create as Executive Editor IRAQ: Nation at a Crossroads, an educational CD-ROM for the US military and other governmental agencies; the software emphasizes the need for cultural awareness. He is the author of Oil and Water: A Look at the Middle East and Storm Clouds Over Iraq, as well as articles relating to international business, military missions, the social and economic consequences of war, foreign policy and security matters in the Middle East and the Balkans. He has served as a consultant to the US Department of Commerce and has worked as a liaison with Saudi Arabia. Swanson is also an advocate for the arts.

Contact: Kate Snyder, 413-498-3357 or ksnyder@nmhschool.org.

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