By Laura Engberg
Renowned writers questioned the existence and effectiveness of the United States strategy for exiting Iraq. Wednesday’s debate kicked off the University’s “Day of Dialogue,” an event aimed at helping students make educated decisions in the upcoming presidential election.
“The object of a good liberal arts education is not just to get a good job…but also to be a good citizen,” President Stuart Rabinowitz said. ”That’s what today’s program is all about, to be more knowledgeable.”
Dr. James J. Carafano, author of Waltzing into the Cold War, and Dilip Hiro,
author of Inside India Today, were the key speakers of the discussion entitled, “Bush Policy in Iraq, Can the U.S. Leave?”
Carafano, who is affiliated with the Institute of Homeland Security, is considered an expert on defense, intelligence and homeland security issues. He served 25 years in the Army and wrote many works including After D-Day.
“The future of Iraq is really in the hands of the Iraqis,” Carafano said.
He holds a strong belief that the United States’ involvement in Iraq will soon come to an end.
Carafano further discussed the United States’ exit strategy for this war and described the challenges the country faces when dealing with post conflict operations.
“Frankly,” Carafano said, “the U.S. isn’t really very good at [post-conflict operations]…our federal government isn’t designed to handle post conflict well.”
Carafano expressed his concern that the U.S. progress is being measured in the wrong ways.
“We use terrorism and violence as the metric of success,” Carafano said. “We’re fixated on the wrong metric, the metric of terrorism. You can’t occupy a country, fight a war over a country and expect to be loved.”
Hiro disputed Carafano’s arguments and offered a different view of the war.
“We have to understand what happened in Iraq,” Hiro said. “Which was an invasion of a country that was not a threat to America…this was an invasion based purely on intelligence. [This invasion] was a self inflicted wound.”
He cited excerpts and headlines from international newspapers, highlighting the violence and its impact on foreign relations.
Hiro’s knowledge of the issue stems from his research in the writing of 27 books such as, A Triangular View, Iraq, in the Eye of the Storm, and The Essential Middle East: A Comprehensive Guide. He has frequently written editorials and offered comments on numerous television and radio shows.
“I thought the topic was interesting and I enjoyed what each speaker had to offer,” Jake Smith, a sophomore, communications major, said. “I think that all of these discussions will help students when it comes to making a more education decision come November.”