Charles R. Figley (center) appears on the Good Morning Kuwait television program.
	AUDIO FSU Headlines: Radio Feb. 12, 2004 Pair of FSU professors receive Fulbrights, head overseas for their studies

Charles R. Figley, FSU School of Social Work professor and expert in traumatology, is spending several months in as a Fulbright Fellow in Kuwait, studying the recovery and resilience of the Kuwaiti people in the wake of the Iraqi occupation of 1990. Following is his account of a recent experience in that country.

The "pop, pop, pop" sounds pierced the early morning quiet in stark contrast to the sound of the beach. Were my friends and family right about their fear of my coming to the Middle East, now?

It could have been gunshots. I was running my usual route here in Kuwait near my hotel in Salmyia, along Arabian Gulf Street. It was the morning after Liberation Day, which celebrates the end of the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait 13 years ago.

It took me only seconds to figure out that the "pop" sounds probably came from a kid setting off leftover firecrackers. But even that's a sign of change. These were the first firecrackers I have heard since arriving here. They've been strictly forbidden since the invasion.

The facts that this youth felt safe enough to set his firecrackers off-- and that the country was in such control that the act was rare--spoke volumes. Kuwait was safe and secure - and it showed in the health and mental health of the population.

Kuwait has come a long way since their horrific treatment at the hands of Iraq. I was here as part of my sabbatical from FSU's School of Social Work and paid by the U.S. Fulbright Fellowship, to understand why and how they have recovered.

Since 9-11 I have been part of a research team led by Dr. Joseph Boscarino at the New York Academy of Medicine to follow a large sample of New Yorkers as they recover from the terrorist attacks. If I am successful here in Kuwait I will organize a team of Kuwaiti social scientists to work with us to investigate the similarities and differences between the recovery processes of New Yorkers and Kuwaitis. We are especially interested in the factors accounting for resiliency--not just the absence of distress but the ability to thrive in the wake of a national trauma. What are the factors that separate those who thrive from those who are still distressed from their traumatic experiences?

So far I have met many Kuwaitis at the Kuwait University and colleagues and friends of my university colleagues. Thanks to my appearance on Good Morning Kuwait (GMK), dozens of people have approached me, wishing to tell their stories of struggle during and following the invasion and occupation.

There are a few FSU connections here in Kuwait. First is my friend, Husain Al-Ansari. I first met Husain and his family back in 1990-94. His daughters went to school at Maclay School with my daughters, Jessica and Laura.  He was a Ph.D. student in Information Studies. Now Dr. Husain Al-Ansari is an associate professor and assistant dean for graduate studies of the College of Social Sciences and former director of libraries at Kuwait University. The other was a young man who worked at the television station producing GMK. He had on an FSU sweatshirt. Though he had never left Kuwait, he had acquired it through an Internet purchase.

Despite the ban on firecrackers, they are exploded. Despite the trauma inflicted on Kuwait, Kuwaitis survive and thrive. What are the active ingredients in their apparent success? The answer will be useful to Kuwait and certainly will be helpful for America, and the rest of the world vulnerable to a national trauma.