Michael V. Bhatia

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Michael Bhatia was born in Upland, CA on August 23, 1976. He attended Brown University, where he graduated Magna cum Laude and Honors with a B.A. in International Relations in 1999. He was the recipient of the Scoville Peace and Disarmament Fellowship and a Marshall Scholarship to study at the University of Oxford where he earned his M.Sc. in International Relations in 2002. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University and a lecturer at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. Bhatia was killed in May 2008 in Khost, Afghanistan where he was serving as a social scientist in consultation with the U.S. Defense Department. In May 2008 the United States Department of Defense awarded him the Medal of Freedom posthumously.

[edit] Research and Work

Bhatia's work concentrated on conflict resolution in war-torn countries. His research and humanitarian work brought him to the Sahrawi refugee camps in Western Algeria, East Timor, Kosovo, and Afghanistan.

Bhatia published several works, including the edited volume "War and Intervention: Issues for Contemporary Peace Operations" (2003), and the co-authored "Afghanistan, Arms and Conflict: Armed Groups, Disarmament and Security in a Post-War Society" (2008). He had also published a photo-essay, “Shooting Afghanistan: Beyond the Conflict". Bhatia was working on his doctoral dissertation, “The Mujahideen: A Study of Combatant Motives in Afghanistan, 1978 – 2004.”

Bhatia's field work had taken him to Khost province, where he was working on resolutions to inter-tribal conflicts concerning land rights as part of a pilot Human terrain system (HTS) program with the U.S. Army's 82d Airborne Division[1]. A 5 to 8 person Human Terrain Team(HTT) consists of social scientists and anthropological experts (sometimes called "academic embeds"), and trained military personnel. They use a Mapping Human Terrain Tool Kit to assist with research and analysis and maintaining a human terrain data repository concerning factors such as local population social groups, interests, beliefs, motivating factors and leaders. HTTs goal is to reduce the threat to all involved parties, thereby reducing conflict and conflict-related death.[2]. While there has been controversy[3] [4]over the purpose of HTT projects, with some calling it "mercenary anthropology"[5], the U.S. military has stated that the HTT is "not a an intelligence gathering tool which is used to target inndividuals".[6]

It has been estimated by U.S. military personnel that the Human Terrain Team helped one brigade reduce its lethal operations by 60 to 70%, increase the number of districts supporting the Afghan government from 15 to 83, and reduce Afghan civilian deaths from over 70 during the previous brigade's tour to 11 [7].

[edit] Death

Michael was assigned to the Afghanistan Human Terrain Team #1, in support of Task Force Currahee based at Fob Salerno, Khost Province. His team was making an initial mission into a remote area of Khowst province where they intended to initiate a negotiation process between tribes. He was killed when the Humvee he was riding in was struck by an Improvised explosive device (IED). Two Army soldiers from Task Force Currahee were also killed in the attack, and two were critically injured.[8]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Afghan bomb kills scholar from Mass. - The Boston Globe
  2. ^ asdf<ref>http://humanterrainsystem.army.mil/col_schweitzer_statement.pdf</li> <li id="cite_note-2">'''[[#cite_ref-2|^]]''' [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/05/world/asia/05afghan.html?_r=1&incamp=article_popular_4&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin Army Enlists Anthropology in War Zones - New York Times<!-- Bot generated title -->]</li> <li id="cite_note-3">'''[[#cite_ref-3|^]]''' [http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/74326/ U.S. Military, Oblivious of Iraqi Culture, Enlists Anthropologists for Occupation | War on Iraq | AlterNet<!-- Bot generated title -->]</li> <li id="cite_note-4">'''[[#cite_ref-4|^]]''' [http://www.rfi.fr/actufr/articles/095/article_58603.asp RFI - Les anthropologues aux armées<!-- Bot generated title -->]</li> <li id="cite_note-5">'''[[#cite_ref-5|^]]''' http://humanterrainsystem.army.mil/col_schweitzer_statement.pdf</li> <li id="cite_note-6">'''[[#cite_ref-6|^]]''' http://humanterrainsystem.army.mil/col_schweitzer_statement.pdf</li> <li id="cite_note-7">'''[[#cite_ref-7|^]]''' [http://humanterrainsystem.army.mil/In%20Memoriam.htm In Memoriam<!-- Bot generated title -->]</li></ol></ref>
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