Peter
Schwartzstein

Enviro journalist & researcher, think tanker @ The Wilson Center & @ Center for Climate & Security, Author of 'The Heat and the Fury: On the Frontlines of Climate Violence'

@pschwartzstein

Latest Stories for Smithsonian

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Smithsonian 

Jun 29, 2020

How Urban Design Can Make or Break Protests

Cities’ geography can aid, underscore or discourage a protest movement’s success

Smithsonian 

Sep 3, 2019

What the Restoration of Iraq’s Oldest University Says About the Nation’s Future

The Mustansiriya has withstood centuries of war, floods and architectural butchery, but can it survive its own restoration?

Smithsonian 

Feb 13, 2019

The History of Poisoning the Well

From ancient Mesopotamia to modern-day Iraq, the threat to a region’s water supply is the cruelest cut of all

Smithsonian 

May 29, 2018

How Saddam and ISIS Killed Iraqi Science

Within decades the country’s scientific infrastructure went from world-class to shambles. What happened? Read more: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-saddam-and-isis-killed-iraqi-science-180969097/#sBTwkLWJqFjGDmEi.99 Give the gift of Smiths

Smithsonian 

Dec 11, 2017

The Greatest Clash in Egyptian Archaeology May Be Fading, But Anger Lives On

After 200 years, the sad story of Qurna, a so-called ‘village of looters’, is coming to a close

Smithsonian 

Apr 24, 2017

How an Alcohol-Hating English Preacher Founded Global Tourism

Thomas Cook’s tours set the stage for today’s tourism industry

Smithsonian 

Oct 16, 2016

The Bizarre Tale Of the Middle East’s First Space Program

In Lebanon, reminders of what could have been still stand

Smithsonian 

Jul 28, 2016

How the American Civil War Built Egypt’s Vaunted Cotton Industry and Changed the Country Forever

The battle between the U.S. and the Confederacy affected global trade in astonishing ways

Smithsonian 

May 11, 2016

The Black Sea Is Dying, and War Might Push it Over the Edge

Surrounded by six countries, all with their own agendas, the massive body of water is at risk of becoming another casualty of regional strife