2/15/2007 12:05:00 AM
Iraq Study Group report draws hits for Baker Web site
BY FRANZ BROTZEN
Rice News staff
The release of the report of the Iraq Study Group (ISG) put a spotlight on the Web site for the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, drawing huge numbers of visitors since it appeared in early December.
The Baker Institute site received an estimated 4 million hits from 10 a.m. Dec. 6 — when the ISG report was officially released — through mid-January. Half a million of those hits came in the first 10 days after the release. In the first hour, 23,000 people downloaded the report.
By mid-January, the site was still averaging about 83,000 hits a day, or about 2.5 million a month.
The ISG report was also released in book form and climbed the charts to the top spot on the New York Times bestseller list for paperback nonfiction for two weeks. It remains on the bestseller list.
The Baker Institute was one of the sponsoring organizations of the ISG, which was co-chaired by former U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker III and former Indiana Congressman Lee Hamilton. Baker is the honorary chairman of the Baker Institute. Baker Institute director Edward Djerejian served as a senior adviser to the study group.
In an interview published in the latest Baker Institute Report, Djerejian expressed satisfaction that the “report has been studied and commented on extensively since its publication.” He added, “It has become an important part of the discussion and debate on U.S. policy toward Iraq and the broader Middle East.”
The report can be found at <http://bakerinstitute.org>, by clicking on “More Highlights,” then scrolling down to “ISG Report.”
