DURHAM, N.H.— Jeannie Sowers, professor and chair of the department of political science and international affairs at the University of New Hampshire, is available to discuss the recent attack by the Palestinian militant group, Hamas, that included a barrage of bombings and the capture of Israeli hostages.

Sowers is an expert on topics related to U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and international humanitarian norms. Her recent research focused on the targeting of civilian and environmental infrastructures in contemporary conflicts in the Middle East, which can lead to the collapse of water, sanitation and health services and thus more deaths than from war-related violence. She has conducted research in Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian territories.

She can offer comment on the historical background of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, conditions of life in Gaza and the West Bank, and how Hamas’ terrorizing attacks on Israel will lead to further humanitarian suffering. She can also reflect on past failures to achieve peace and on the deepening challenges to achieving a durable and just political settlement.

Sowers is the author of several books and articles that focus on political economy, ecology and state-society relations in the Middle East and North Africa.

###

The University of New Hampshire inspires innovation and transforms lives in our state, nation, and world. More than 16,000 students from 49 states and 82 countries engage with an award-winning faculty in top-ranked programs in business, engineering, law, health and human services, liberal arts, and the sciences across more than 200 programs of study. A Carnegie Classification R1 institution, UNH partners with NASA, NOAA, NSF, and NIH, and received over $210 million in competitive external funding in FY23 to further explore and define the frontiers of land, sea, and space.