Media Relations

WKU department head Keeling publishes op-ed on Syrian civil war

Date: Thursday, October 25th, 2012

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A longtime member of the American Geographical Society’s Writers Circle, Dr. David Keeling, head of WKU’s Department of Geography and Geology and University Distinguished Professor, recently published an op-ed addressing the consequences of U.S. policies toward the factions fighting in Syria’s civil war.

Dr. David Keeling

His commentary, Could U.S.-Syrian Strategies Lead to Genocide?, appeared in the Bakersfield Californian on Oct. 13, in the Odessa (Texas) American on Sept. 30 and in the Gilmer (Texas) Mirror on Sept. 27. It addressed the complications involved in the U.S. providing support for the Sunni Syrian rebels against the country’s political Alawite minority. Conflicts in the Middle East region that have been characterized generally as the “Arab Spring” raise significant questions about ethnic relationships and the future of geopolitical partnerships in the region. A potential genocide of Alawite minorities is one of the fears of commentators watching this volatile region.

From 2003 to the present, more than 120 local, regional, national and international newspapers have published versions of 70 op-ed commentaries by members of the AGS Writers Circle. Media outlets include The Washington Times, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Chicago Sun-Times, Pravda (Moscow), Hawaii Reporter, Anchorage Press, myriad regional and local outlets, and blogs around the world.  With expertise in such areas as geopolitics (Afghanistan and the Middle East), spatial technologies (Geographic Information Sciences and Spatial Modeling), water management, global climate change (Arctic sea-ice melting), globalization, urban growth and change, and social issues (cyberspace, privacy, cultural imperialism, religious conflict), among others, the American Geographical Society can provide media representatives with up-to-date and insightful analysis of current and historical events. Links to previous op-eds can be found at the AGS website.

Contact: David Keeling, (270) 745-4555.