DePaul University faculty and staff are available to provide media commentary on issues involving the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit that begins May 20 in Chicago, as well as the May 18-19 Group of Eight (G-8) summit, which was relocated from Chicago to Camp David in Maryland.

Experts available to speak with reporters are:

J.D. Bindenagel, vice president, Community, Government and International Affairs. A former U.S. ambassador with 28 years of experience in the American diplomatic corps, Bindenagel can talk about NATO, the euro crisis and Afghanistan. He is an expert on U.S. relations with Europe, particularly Germany. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, he speaks German fluently. He can be reached at (312) 362-7579 or jbindena@depaul.edu.

Leonard Cavise, professor, College of Law. Cavise can discuss First Amendment issues related to summit protesters, and police and legal issues related to the summits. He speaks Spanish and French. Cavise can be reached at (312) 362-6841 or lcavise@depaul.edu. 

Kaveh Ehsani, assistant professor, international studies. He can discuss dealing with Iran’s nuclear program, international sanctions and threats of military confrontation. Ehsani is an expert on the politics, economy and culture of the Middle East, particularly Iran, and the geopolitics of Iran and Afghanistan. He is co-editor of the journal Middle East Report and an editorial board member of an Iranian quarterly publication. He can be reached at (773) 325-7642 or kehsani@depaul.edu.

David Franklin, vice dean, College of Law. He can discuss free speech issues raised by G-8, NATO planning and protests. Franklin is a constitutional scholar and former law clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. He can be reached at (312) 362-5226 or dfrankl2@depaul.edu.

Animesh Ghoshal, professor, economics. He can discuss what will be accomplished at the G-8 summit and why it attracts protesters and controversy. He is an expert on international business and economic development, trade policy and protectionism, North American Free Trade Association, European economic integration, and exchange rates. He can be reached at (312) 362-8008 or aghoshal@depaul.edu.

Thomas Maier, assistant professor, or Chris Roberts, director, School of Hospitality Leadership. They can talk about the impact of the summits on the local tourism industry. Maier can be reached at (312) 362-6049 or tmaier@depaul.edu; Roberts can be reached at (312) 362-6777 or crober31@depaul.edu.

Khalil Marrar, visiting assistant professor, political science. He can explain what the G-8 Summit accomplishes, what the big issues will be and why it causes such controversy and attracts protesters. Marrar’s expertise includes peace and conflict resolution, terrorism, globalization, multiculturalism and democracy. Author of “The Arab Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy: The Two-State Solution.” Marrar can be reached at (773) 325-8682 or kmarrar@depaul.edu.

Thomas Mockaitis, professor, history. Based on his work in international security, Mockaitis can discuss security concerns and precautions for both summits as well as issues faced by NATO. A conflict historian, Mockaitis is an expert on U.N. operations in the Middle East, U.S.-European relations, general Western European history and current events, NATO, peacekeeping missions, the European Union, and contemporary conflicts. He can be reached at (773) 325-7471 or tmockait@depaul.edu.

Antonio E. Morales-Pita, adjunct professor, economics. He can speak about the international political economy, European crisis, European union and G-8. He speaks Spanish. Morales-Pita can be reached at (312) 362-5613 or amorale1@depaul.edu.

Erik Tillman, professor, political science. He can talk about the role, interests and actions of any of the European members participating in the G-8 Summit, as well as the European Union. He can also discuss public opinion, protests and controversies surrounding the G-8. He can be reached at (773) 325-4131 or etillman@depaul.edu.

Patricia Werhane, Wicklander Chair in Business Ethics, College of Commerce. She can discuss global poverty, education, global corruption, the debt crisis, job creation in the G-8 countries, and the future of G-8 economics in light of the economic development in Brazil, Russia, India and China. She can be reached at (312) 362-8793 or pwerhane@depaul.edu.