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In This Issue:
Brian Sorensen, second from right, with members of Mercy Corps and Network of Iraqi Negotiation Experts in Iraq.
As rebuilding efforts continue in Iraq, ethnic, political and religious conflicts sometimes arise between tribes, communities or even neighborhoods. Brian S. Sorensen, MD, of the BWH Emergency Department, is part of a team that works to help solve those problems before they escalate.
As a consultant to Mercy Corps, a humanitarian organization that works in conflict regions around the world, Sorensen spent 10 days traveling to several cities in Iraq, meeting with ethnic, political and religious leaders to help them identify early warning signs. Their hope is to prevent even the slightest conflict from becoming a much bigger problem.
“The Iraqi people we met and talked with were motivated to improve their situation,” said Sorensen, who is also an International Emergency Medicine Fellow in the Department of Emergency Medicine’s Division of International Health and Humanitarian Programs. “Seeing their genuine interest made me want to help more and find ways to continue to contribute to peace building efforts in Iraq.”
Early this year, Mercy Corps established an Early Warning and Response Development project, training a number of Iraqi leaders and civilians, or Network of Iraqi Negotiation Experts, to identify disputes at an early stage and process dispute-related data more effectively.
Continuing that effort, the organization reached out to the Harvard School of Public Health and the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, which are known for successfully developing conflict early-warning and response strategies.
During his visit to Iraq, Sorensen and other Mercy Corps leaders spent time in Anbar, Baghdad, Erbil, Diyala, Kirkuk, Salah, Din and Salaymaniyah. They met with Iraqi leaders and negotiators, listening to issues and providing tips for establishing strategies to identify and defuse situations that could lead to violence.
Sorensen, who has worked in post-conflict reconstruction in Liberia and humanitarian missions in Haiti, says his work in Iraq might not be finished. “I left wanting to go back,” he said. “I feel closer to the Iraqi people, and we’re seeing real life changes and improvements that the program is making.”