DePaul University, the largest Catholic university in the United States, has an array of experts available to provide context and insight on the Iraq War on its fifth anniversary. Our experts are available to the media to discuss the war and the myriad issues that have emerged from it, such as human rights abuses, the Patriot Act, Gulf War and chronic fatigue syndromes, Islamic religion and culture, and terrorism.

Professors available to speak with reporters are:

M. Cherif Bassiouni, law professor and president of DePaul’s International Human Rights Law Institute (IHRLI), which has been one of the most active non-governmental organizations working in Iraq to help rebuild the nation’s legal system and document the human rights abuses that occurred under the Hussein regime. He is a world-renowned international criminal law expert who chaired the U.N. Security Council’s War Crimes Commission in the former Yugoslavia. He also chaired the U.N.’s Drafting Committee for the establishment of an International Criminal Court, for which he won the 2007 Hague Prize. He was also the U.N.’s special envoy to Afghanistan in 2004 to investigate human rights abuses following the fall of the Taliban government, a post he lost after issuing a report critical of various U.S. actions there. A Muslim who is an Egyptian native, Bassiouni served in the Egyptian armed forces in the 1956 war, in which he received the medal of military valor. He can be reached at (312) 362-8332 or by e-mail at cbassiou@depaul.edu.

Daniel Rothenberg, managing director for international projects at IHRLI. He designed and supervises the Institute’s two major current human rights projects in Iraq: the Iraq History Project, which has gathered more than 7,000 detailed interviews from victims, witnesses and perpetrators of atrocities committed from 1968 to 2003 (see www.iqhp.org) and the Current Violations Initiative, which uses a victim-based methodology to analyze human rights violations committed from 2003 to the present with a special focus on mass displacement and torture. Rothenberg manages an all-Iraqi in-country staff of as many as 60 working throughout the country. He has traveled to Iraq every three to four months since mid-2004. His work on Iraq can be found in various publications including Harper’s magazine. Rothenberg can be reached (312) 618-3632 or by e-mail at drothenb@depaul.edu.

Leonard Cavise, professor of law, DePaul College of Law: Can discuss homeland security, its impact on civil liberties and the Patriot Act. He can be reached at (312) 362-6841 or by e-mail at lcavise@depaul.edu.

Sheldon Cotler, professor of psychology. He can talk about the long-term psychological affects of war on families who have members in active duty, as well as the long-term impact on the general public. Cotler can be reached at (773) 325-4257 or scotler@depau.edu.

Patty Gerstenblith, professor of Law, director of the College of Law’s Program in Cultural Heritage Law. She can talk about antiquities in the international market and cultural heritage law. She can be reached at (312) 362-6175 or pgersten@depaul.edu.

Leonard A. Jason, professor of psychology and director of DePaul’s Center for Community Research. He can talk about the Gulf War and chronic fatigue syndromes among veterans of the Iraq War. Jason can be reached at (773) 325-2018 or by e-mail at ljason@depaul.edu.

Barry Kellman, professor of law, DePaul College of Law. He is author of “Bioviolence: Preventing Biological Terror and Crime” (2007, Cambridge University Press). He can discuss weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, national security and nuclear arms proliferation. He can be reached at (312) 362-5258 or by e-mail at bkellman@depaul.edu.

Aminah McCloud, associate professor of religious studies and director of the Islamic World Studies Program, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She can discuss Islamic religion and culture; Islam in America; Muslim women; and how war against Iraq affects relationships with Middle Eastern and Muslim residents of the U.S. She can be reached at (773) 325-1290 (office), (773) 836-8240 (home) or by e-mail at amccloud@depaul.edu.

Thomas Mockaitis, professor of history, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He can discuss historical relations between the United States and Iraq; status of the war; the possibility of guerilla warfare in Iraq; and the peace operation needed to stabilize the country. He can be reached at (773) 325-7471 (office), (847) 501-2623 (home) or by e-mail at tmockait@depaul.edu.

Warren Schultz, chair of the history department, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He can discuss Middle Eastern history, including the pre-modern Middle East and the Islamic world. He can be reached at (773) 325-1561 (office), (773) 478-6488 (home) or by e-mail at wschultz@depaul.edu.