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Arabs Consider the Wounds of War
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18552 |
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CURRENT ISSUES
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4 / 1991 |
6,751 Words |
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Ted Smith is a professor of journalism at Virginia
Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. |
Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and the world's response seem destined to become a watershed in the Middle East's long and often tortured history. For the first time in modern memory, an Arab country has invaded, pillaged, and plundered a brother Arab country. And, in an act unthinkable only a short time ago, and Arab country has invited foreign powers into the region to strike back at a fellow Arab. The long-cherished dream of a united pan-Arab nation seems shattered, and from the ruins a new order may already be emerging.
Emotions run deep in the Middle East, perhaps deeper than anywhere else in the world. The question remains whether the new order arising from the ashes of the present conflict will bring deeper resentments and hatreds, or whether it will usher in a new era of peace and reconciliation. The United States will play an important role in shaping that future, and the Arab world will stand in judgment of America's actions.
In this month's Forum, the first of a two-part series, leading Arab academics discuss the origins of the conflict, the varying opinions of the "Arab in the street," and possible outcomes. Mohammad Hallaj, a former professor of political science and now editor of Palestine Perspectives, Mahmoud Ayoub, Islamic studies professor at Temple University, and Ibrahim Oweiss, professor of economics at Georgetown University, participated in the forum. Current Issues editor Laurie Burras moderated.
--The Editor
THE WORLD & I: What major strategic developments or economic developments might emerge from the ashes of this war?
MOHAMMAD HALLAJ: In terms of the strategic developments, I expect that the impact on the balance of power in the region is going to be one of the most profound consequences of this war.
For example, if Iraq emerges intact--that doesn't mean militarily victorious, but intact as a power--if Iraq manages to remain a significant regional power, we will have one kind of a future in the Middle East. And if Iraq is destroyed as a power, another prospect looms. And again, I'm not just talking about military power. I'm talking industrially, technologically, because obviously this war involves not only the Iraqi military machine. Its industrial infrastructure is being targeted, and its technological capabilities are bring
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