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48 stories tagged ‘Iraq’
Members of human rights organizations gathered at Harvard Law School to reflect on the lasting impact of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
While the structures of state can be created by outsiders, national identities can only be created from within, and they commonly arise through shared language, culture, history, and ideals, political theorist Francis Fukuyama says.
Harvard’s Semitic Museum is employing a high-tech response to the destruction of 3,300-year-old figures, using 3-D scanning to repair a ceramic lion that was damaged by the Assyrians.
Jason Ur, the John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Social Sciences, earlier this year launched a five-year archaeological project — the first such Harvard-led endeavor in the war-torn nation since the early 1930s — to scour a 3,200-square-kilometer region around Irbil, the capital of the Kurdish region in northern Iraq, for the signs of ancient cities and towns, canals, and roads.
Signs of progress against PTSD
A decade after the start of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, studies have shown that the incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among troops is surprisingly low, and a Harvard researcher credits the drop, in part, to new efforts by the Army to prevent PTSD, and to ensure that those who develop the disorder receive the best treatment available.
From Iraq and back, via 9/11 and Harvard
A Harvard authority on ancient Iraq spent several years studying clay tablets looted from that nation, which had been stored in a World Trade Center building that was destroyed on 9/11. The tablets eventually were retrieved, restored, translated, and returned.
The 9/11 terrorist attacks caused Americans to awaken to the disdain for the nation held by some overseas. It also brought harsh attention to U.S. Muslims and mobilized the nation toward actions it may one day rue, experts said at a panel discussion.
History shines through the glass
Researchers are examining the Harvard Semitic Museum’s collection of ancient glass for clues about the people who made it and their interactions with other societies through trade.
Harvard President Drew Faust delivered the 2011 Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities, citing similarities between the Civil War and current conflicts.
If scholars were celebrities, life might look a little bit like it does on the day of the annual Jefferson Lecture (May 2), with interviews and toasts in anticipation not of a concert or play but a speech on the humanities.
In what is believed to be the largest gathering of uniformed students at the University since Winston Churchill spoke on campus in 1943, more than 170 Harvard veterans from all the service branches gathered at Cambridge's Sheraton Commander Hotel April 25 for a dinner honoring students who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Five years ago, Andrew Kinard lost his legs in Iraq. After 75 surgeries, he’s tackling other big goals, from a Harvard education to the Boston Marathon.
Cutting the military’s energy tether
Fueling America’s war effort is an expensive proposition, costing not only money but lives, since supply convoys are routinely attacked. The constraints imposed by an energy-hungry military prompted the Defense Department to investigate conservation techniques.
Marines in Iraq, students at Harvard are alike in wondering: Where do their lives go next?
A veteran, now a midcareer student at the Harvard Kennedy School, reflects on the values that his military peers bring to campus. Still, when a sharp noise splits the air, he ducks.
Four people who risked their careers and even their lives to stand on principle shared their stories in an event sponsored by the Carr Center for Human Rights.
If American leaders want help disentangling — and possibly even solving — complex problems in the Middle East, they should look to Saudi Arabia for leadership, said Prince Turki Al Faisal, former ambassador to the United States, in a talk at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics on Friday (Nov. 19).
Iraqi rowers compete with Harvard military veterans
Although the United States is winding down its military operations in Iraq, it is ramping up its bilateral engagement in less dangerous and more convivial pursuits. One example was on display last Sunday (Oct. 17) when a group of Harvard military veterans participated in a 500-meter race with the Iraqi national rowing team on the [...]
HKS’ Meghan O’Sullivan makes case for continued U.S. engagement in Iraq
The United States is ending its combat mission in Iraq, but the U.S. will remain involved in helping the country transition to a stable and peaceful democracy. That was the message delivered by President Obama in a nationwide address August 31. “We have sent our young men and women to make enormous sacrifices in Iraq, [...]
Mental health ailments are widespread among Iraqi children and teenagers, a problem compounded by a lack of mental health treatment facilities and inattention to the problem, an Iraqi psychiatrist says.
Getting a bird’s-eye view of the past
The archaeological work of Harvard students, using satellite photos to locate ancient structures, is on display at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology.
Five years ago, Augusto Giacoman was commanding about 30 soldiers and leading raids in Iraq. Now he spends his days in classrooms alongside former bankers, engineers and other civilians earning a master's in business administration.
Contrasts between past and present
In a series of interviews, 15 veterans discussed the startling contrasts between past and present.
On the Harvard campus, as many as 150 students have an untraditional academic past, as present or former members of the U.S. military, many of whom have had multiple combat tours.
Islamic treasures a click away
Harvard’s libraries and museums pull together vast materials on the Web, in tandem with Islamic Studies Program.
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