By Brian Bohl
Professor Rashid Khalid, the director of The Middle East Institute at Columbia University, criticized the United States for inadequate planning of the war in Iraq. The lecture was the first in the University’s “Foreign Policy Issues in the Second Bush Administration” series.
Khalid warned that possible conflicts may arise among the three major ethnic groups that comprise Iraq’s population. He attributed tensions between the Kurds, Shiites and Sunnies to the prolonged United States occupation.
“There is a distinct possibility of a sectarian civil war as a direct result of our invasion and occupation of Iraq,” Khalid said.
The lecture also focused on the presidential administration’s specious reasoning for invading Iraq initially.
“The fact that Iraq had an undemocratic, brutal regime does not in any way justify that war,” Khalid said. “There are dozens of such regimes that also exist in the world today. At least 15,000 Iraqis have died. The country has been reduced to a state of anarchy.”
Drawing on historical precedents, the speech drew parallels between early 20th century European occupations of the region to the current situation of the United States. From the British control of Iraq in the 1920s to France’s domination over Algeria up until the late 1950s, Middle Eastern nations have been hesitant to trust western countries.
“In the eyes of people in that region, (Middle East) it is actions, not intentions, that count,” Khalid said. “The history of that region tells those people that in every single previous case of western intervention what resulted was a lengthy, unwanted occupation.”
The fact that past experiences have netted poor results for Arab nations has increased skepticism when it comes to western intrusion.
“Western intervention has not been seen as liberation or democracy, but as occupation and subjugation,” Khalid said. “It is no longer enough for a foreign nation to tell these countries that they are intending to leave. The British and French both made the same claims and stayed for decades in the past.”
Geology major Tim Firth said the history of the region is often overlooked.
“The background that was brought up was wonderful because it certainly is not something our media addresses,” Firth said. “The history of the prior occupations in the Middle East has a direct connection to their struggles.”
Khalid expressed doubt that the United States intends to vacate Iraq anytime soon.
“Iraqis today are aware that the Pentagon is building 16 military facilities in out of the way parts of the country that the U.S. calls ‘a network of enduring bases’ that will remain in Iraq long after nominal sovereignty is handed over to a government that will do exactly what it is told,” he said.