The Legal Research Society

On Thursday 6th November at 6pm TAYLOR C11 (opposite the Taylor library entry) The LRS will screen a movie titled “Why we fight” The film was directed by Eugene Jarecki and has won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. It is an unflinching look at the anatomy of the American war machine , weaving unforgettable personal stories with commentary by a “who’s who” of military and beltway insiders. The film moves beyond the headlines of various American military operations to the deeper questions of why – why does American fight? What are the forces – political, economic, and ideological – that drive “us” to fight against an ever-changing enemy? The movie will be followed by a brief discussion which will be moderated by Paula and Khaled. You are very welcome to come along and enjoy the movie and the refreshments ( free of charge )!

US diplomats in Iraq are currently unable to leave the Green Zone in Baghdad. On Wednesday Prime Minister al-Maliki complained about killings of Iraqi's in "cold blood". What has prompted these reactions? The shooting of at least eight Iraqi civilians (Iraqi officials estimate the number is closer to 20). Blackwater says it was acting defensively in protecting a diplomatic convoy. They were responding to a car bomb which was nearby a diplomatic convoy, and the contractors opened fire on a car which mistakenly entered a traffic circle. Iraqi officials acknowledge there was a bomb, but argue the contractors shot wildly. This is only the latest in a long line of shootings. Blackwater has been hired to provide security for diplomats, and there are a number of troubling accounts of overzealous contractors. NPR has a good story, and Terry Gross has an outstanding interview with Jeremy Scahill back in March. As an aside, the company's activities are not just limite...

Things are looking increasingly grim in Iraq these days, with the US considering arming Sunni groups that once attacked coalition forces. Soon after the invasion of Iraq in 2003, western journalists visited the Iraqi Museum in Baghdad and reported incorrectly that 170,000 objects were stolen from the museum. More careful reporting soon accurately placed that number far lower, and current estimates seem to indicate that a still alarming 3,000 objects are still missing, with about 47 main exhibition artifacts missing. Thus I always maintain a healthy bit of skepticism when articles come out detailing the loss of archaeological context and heritage in Iraq. The article last Friday by Simon Jenkins in the Guardian titled "In Iraq's four-year looting frenzy, the allies have become the vandals" even viewed skeptically reveals some very troubling things about the way archaeological sites are treated by coalition forces. The catalyst for the discussion was a presentation by Abb...