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Connecticut College Professor´s new book answers pressing questions about the Iraq War

NEW LONDON, Conn. - Connecticut College Government Professor Caroleen Sayej and three co-authors seek to answer some of the most pressing questions about the Iraq War and its lasting implications in a new book, "The Iraq Papers." Sayej and co-authors John Ehrenberg, J. Patrice McSherry and Jose Ramon Sanchez spent two years analyzing primary sources - ranging from presidential addresses to redacted memos to internal security papers - to write the book, released Dec. 15 by Oxford University Press Inc. Sayej examined and translated several documents written in Arabic - some more than a 1,000 pages in length - to author the book´s introduction and fifth and sixth chapters, focusing on whether the conflict is a civil war and whether democratization in Iraq is homegrown. "A civil war involves domestic infighting among groups vying for power and the reordering of the state," Sayej said. "The Iraq case fits this description." Sayej also argues Iraq´s reconstruction is happening under the tutelage of the U.S., and it controls Iraq´s democratization. In the book´s other chapters, Sayej´s coauthors analyze nearly every aspect of the conflict. "The book shows how boundaries changed after 9/11," Sayej said. "It also answers several questions. How does Iraq relate to terrorism? Where were the media and Congress, and why did it occur and happen the way it did? It is a one stop shop for understanding the conflict." Sayej and her co-authors hope their book shows the conflict´s consequences and impacts current and future policy makers. "The lessons have been costly to hundreds of thousands of people, but it is important to use the Iraq War as an example that should not be repeated," Sayej said. Though "The Iraq Papers" only recently hit book shelves, it is already garnering attention. "I strongly recommend this compilation to the specialist or the general reader alike - but particularly to the citizen concerned about our democratic republic," Lawrence B. Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell, said in a review posted on Amazon. About Connecticut College Situated on the coast of southern New England, Connecticut College is a highly selective private liberal arts college with 1900 students from all across the country and throughout the world. On the college´s 750-acre arboretum campus overlooking Long Island Sound, students and faculty create a vibrant social, cultural and intellectual community enriched by diverse perspectives. The college, founded in 1911, is known for its unique combination of interdisciplinary studies, international programs, funded internships, student-faculty research and service learning. For more information, visit www.connecticutcollege.edu. --CC--



January 21, 2010