FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Washington, Dec. 14) – Senior staff from the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) who also served in lead support roles for the Iraq Study Group are now available to discuss their experiences with the media.

At the urging of Congress, USIP acted as primary facilitator to the Iraq Study Group, providing the group with scholarly and logistical support during the entire nine months leading up to the ISG report release.

USIP officials organized the Iraq Study Group’s nine plenary meetings, more than 100 expert interviews and the group’s trip to Iraq.

USIP also provided a key substantive role by convening and chairing the ISG’s four Expert Working Groups, which met with and provided dozens of briefing papers to the Iraq Study Group during their deliberations.

The four USIP officers who led Expert Working Groups are available to discuss the Iraq Study Group’s formation, process and findings. They are:

• Daniel Serwer, Vice President for Peace and Stability Operations (Expert Working Group – Political Development);
• Paul Hughes, Senior Program Officer, Peace and Stability Operations (Expert Working Group – Military and Security);
• Gary Matthews, Director of Task Force on the United Nations and Special Projects (Expert Working Group – Economy and Reconstruction); and
• Paul Stares, Vice President, Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention (Expert Working Group – Strategic Environment).