WFU experts available for comment on potential war with Iraq

Jonathan Marks, visiting scholar in the Wake Forest School of Law
Marks, a practicing barrister in London’s Matrix Chambers, is an international law expert who teaches a class this spring in the university’s political science department on lawful responses to terrorism. He is available to discuss the question of going to war with Iraq, and the role of the United Nations in the ongoing conflict.
Related Info »

Charles “Hank” Kennedy, professor of political science
Kennedy, an expert on Pakistan and South Asia, is available to discuss the impact that a U.S. war with Iraq would have on that region. The author or editor of 14 books dealing with South Asia, Kennedy is recognized internationally as a leading authority on Pakistan. He served as the director of the American Institute of Pakistan Studies from 1988-2001, and he has undertaken significant field research in Pakistan, Bangladesh and India. He has a long-standing teaching interest in the issues of political Islam and in U.S. foreign policy with respect to the Middle East and South Asia.

Charles Kimball, professor and chair of religion
Kimball, an internationally known expert on Islam and the intersection of religion and politics, is available to talk about the religious issues raised by a U.S. war in the Middle East. Kimball is the author of the award-winning 2002 book “When Religion Becomes Evil.”
Related Info »

Robert Whaples, associate professor of economics
By many measures, the war with Iraq has been less costly than past conflicts in U.S. history, says Robert Whaples, associate professor of economics at Wake Forest University and an expert on wartime economy. However, he says the uncertainty of what happens next will continue to affect the U.S. economy. Whaples, an economic historian and past recipient of Economic History Association’s prize for excellence in teaching economic history, can comment on the history of the U.S. economy during wartime and general economic indicators during a time of war. He is currently developing a seminar course on war and the economy. Contact: Sarah Mansell; manselss@wfu.edu, 336-758-4393 (o), 336-926-0466 (c).
Related Info »

Bill Leonard, professor and dean of the Wake Forest Divinity School
Leonard, an expert on church history, is available to discuss the ways that religious congregations tackle the question of war. He is the author or editor of more than 14 books and is writing a new history of the Baptists for Judson Press. Leonard has been a frequent commentator for both print and broadcast media on issues dealing with conflict between moderate and fundamentalist Christians.

Michael Hughes, professor and chair of history
Hughes can comment on restitution and justice in the aftermath of war. Author of “Shouldering the Burdens of Defeat: West Germany and the Reconstruction of Social Justice,” he can discuss post-war Germany and lessons learned following World War II. “Dictatorship, war, and defeat all bring suffering and loss to individuals, and societies have struggled to decide whose misery deserves recompense, and how much,” Hughes says.

Sheri Bridges, associate professor of business
An expert on advertising and branding, Bridges can comment on how advertisers will respond during wartime.

Sarah Watts, professor of history
Watts is available to comment on parallels between Theodore Roosevelt (George W. Bush’s favorite president) and President Bush. She is the author of the book “Rough Rider in the White House: Theodore Roosevelt and the Politics of Desire,” scheduled to be published by University of Chicago Press in July.

Allan Louden, associate professor of communication
An expert on political rhetoric, Louden can comment on presidential communication during wartime. Louden is director of the university’s nationally-ranked debate program and served as Elizabeth Dole’s personal debate coach during the 2002 North Carolina senate race.