▁produced ▁an ▁educational ▁Web ▁site ▁on ▁the ▁conflict , ▁The ▁Cy pr us ▁Conf lict . ▁Return ing ▁from ▁Cy pr us , ▁Tir man ▁was ▁appointed ▁Program ▁Director ▁at ▁the ▁Social ▁Science ▁Research ▁Council , ▁a ▁leading ▁academic ▁think ▁tank , ▁in ▁New ▁York ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 0 . ▁ ▁He ▁head ed ▁the ▁Program ▁on ▁Global ▁Security ▁and ▁Co operation ▁with ▁colle ague ▁I tty ▁Abraham . ▁ ▁In ▁ 2 0 0 1 ▁he ▁opened ▁a ▁Washington , ▁D . C . ▁office ▁for ▁SS RC . ▁▁▁ ▁He ▁moved ▁to ▁M IT ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 4 . ▁ ▁His ▁work ▁there ▁has ▁mainly ▁focused ▁on ▁U . S . ▁policy ▁in ▁the ▁Pers ian ▁G ulf . ▁ ▁He ▁de cri ed ▁the ▁war ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 2 - 0 3 ▁in ▁a ▁series ▁of ▁articles ▁for ▁Alter Net , ▁including ▁one ▁that ▁predicted ▁a ▁few ▁days ▁into ▁the ▁war ▁that ▁it ▁would ▁become ▁bog ged ▁down ▁and ▁be ▁viewed ▁as ▁a ▁failure . ▁ ▁In ▁ 2 0 0 5 , ▁Tir man ▁commission ed ▁the ▁Ira q ▁Mort ality ▁Study ▁that ▁was ▁published ▁in ▁The ▁Lanc et ▁in ▁October ▁ 2 0 0 6 . ▁ ▁The ▁study , ▁which ▁was ▁controvers ial ▁at ▁the ▁time ▁because ▁of ▁its ▁high ▁estimates ▁of ▁total ▁“ ex cess ▁death s ” ▁att rib utable ▁to ▁the ▁war ▁( ~ 6 5 0 , 0 0 0 ), ▁was ▁carried ▁out ▁by ▁scient ists