Virginia Tech expert comments on latest earthquake to strike Turkey and Syria

Residents of Southern Turkey were again jolted by a new earthquake Monday, this trembler reported by the U.S. Geology Survey (USGS) as 6.3 in magnitude. News reports state that scores of buildings that were damaged in powerful quakes on February 6 have been further damaged or outright collapsed. Virginia Tech’s Robert Weiss, who studies natural hazards, calls the devastating trio of earthquake “unusual,” but not “impossible.

Poor infrastructure in Turkey, Syria partially to blame for the high number of earthquake casualties, says expert

The earthquakes in Turkey and Syria killed over 45,000 people and decimated large areas. The shockingly high number of fatalities raises the question of whether infrastructure issues are to blame. Roberto Leon, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech, said there are several reasons for the large number of collapses, leading to mass casualties: Poor enforcement of existing codes (modern codes instituted after the 1999 Izmit earthquake) Grandfathering of older, deficient structures and not requiring their retrofit (structures built before 1999) Poor construction practices (i.

GW Expert Available to Discuss Humanitarian Assistance for Earthquake Victims in Northwest Syria

As of Friday, Reuters reports the death toll from the Feb. 6th earthquakes in Turkey and Syria now nears 44,000 between both countries, with rescuers pulling more survivors alive out of the debris almost two weeks since. Aid organizations say survivors will…

The Road Ahead With Iran: A Conversation With Tony Blair

Against the backdrop of the recent U.S. strike that killed Qasem Soleimani, Tony Blair discusses the current tensions with Iran and the implications for international policymakers. Mr. Blair discusses the critical role of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including ways the IRGC mobilizes and radicalizes its fighters for violence at home and abroad, and the road ahead for the United States and Europe.

Turkey’s military aggression in Syria is as unlawful as Russia’s in Ukraine, Notre Dame expert says

Turkey continues its military operation in northeast Syria to control a major swath of Syrian territory, moving the Kurdish population far from its border, and Notre Dame Law School Professor Mary Ellen O’Connell, a renowned expert on international law, calls it lawless. “Turkey’s ground…