This event is free and open to the public. Seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Arnold A. Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies, SIPA Vets, the Defense & Security Student Organization, and the Columbia Journalism School present:
“Shooting War”
A discussion with Andrea Bruce, Thanassis Cambanis, and recent combat veterans currently studying at Columbia
Classroom study usually addresses the tactical and strategic implications of war. “Shooting War” is an opportunity to interact with people who have experienced and reported on the human toll of conflict, bringing together established war journalists and recent combat veterans, who are currently attending Columbia University, for a panel discussion. Each journalist will provide an overview of their work and experience including examples of their photographs. After the photographer presentations, the panelists will engage in discussion of the relationship between the photographic representation of war and the reality. A moderated question and answer session will follow. These people are fellow students and journalists on the ground, not senior policymakers.
This event will reverse the normal relationship of soldiers and reporters and have veterans interview the journalists. It is important to move beyond the cursory discussion of “what it’s like to be in combat” and instead discuss their third-party impressions of stakeholders within conflict. The panel will focus on the perspective of those who acted as documentarians of military efforts in conflict zones, as well as discuss the impacts of US military operations on the general public that view these images.
Through documentary photography, Andrea Bruce brings attention to people living in the aftermath of war. She focused on Iraq from 2003 to the present, following the intricacies and obstacles of the conflict experienced by Iraqis and the US military. She also wrote a weekly column for The Post called “Unseen Iraq.” Andrea currently splits her time between Afghanistan the United States.
Thanassis Cambanis is a journalist who has covered the Middle East for nearly a decade. He is a fellow at The Century Foundation, writes “The Internationalist” column for The Boston Globe Ideas section, and is a correspondent for The Atlantic. Thanassis regularly contributes to The New York Times, The Boston Globe (where he served as a foreign correspondent in Iraq and the Middle East), and other publications. He teaches at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and the New School’s Graduate Program in International Affairs. Mr. Cambanis lives in New York with his family.