Speaker connects Iraq war, Soviet Union, Sept. 11
A visiting speaker told students and faculty Tuesday of how the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989 and the war in Iraq, along with most Middle Eastern problems, are interconnected.
Omar Kader, a Palestinian-American, also told his audience he believes Osama bin Laden is a much bigger threat worldwide than Saddam Hussein.
In a speech sponsored by Pi Sigma Alpha, the political science honor society at USU, Kader spoke to a packed room in Old Main. William Furlong, Pi Sigma Alpha adviser, said he has been friends with the speaker for more than 30 years.
Kader said March 20, the day coalition forces invaded Iraq, will be a benchmark in American and Middle Eastern history.
Kader explained many are at a loss of what exactly is going on at the moment. He said the question is, “Do we have a radical administration right now, or is it just unusual times?” Kader said the answer to both questions is yes, but how radical is the administration?
President George W. Bush started changing things around in extreme ways, he said, noting that America’s defense budget is higher than France’s and Britain’s combined.
“But, at the same time, he increased the budget for child education and Head Start,” he said. “And the $5 billion he gave to the AIDS pool makes him sound like a liberal.”
Things such as these make one wonder what kind of a president we have, he said.
Then along came Sept. 11, 2001.
Kader connected Sept. 11 and the current war to the power and fall of the Soviet Union.
During the Cold War, he said, the United States befriended any country that was against communism, even repressive countries in the Middle East.
“We said, ‘Forget reform. We just want stability,'” he said. “That meant tolerating a lot of repressive countries and giving no introductions to democracy.”
When the Berlin Wall fell, he said, America began telling Middle Eastern countries they needed to reform after more than 50 years of domineering dictatorships.
Supporting these oppressive governments for so many years destroyed generations of Islamic students, Kader said. Arabs believe modern reform at universities in their countries was not encouraged, because America let constricting governments stay in place, he said.
When Sept. 11 came, Kader said, the United States lost patience with the lack of reforms.
“The next six months will define foreign policy for the next 60 years,” he said.
Everyone has a vested interested in Iraq, he explained.
Kader was insistent that the current dilemma in Iraq is not a “liberal, conservative, Republican or Democrat dilemma,” but an “American dilemma.”
He said he believes it could take 40 years to get a democracy running completely in Iraq. Americans are in it for the long haul if they really want to see a democracy emerge out of the situation, he added.
Kader continued to note that no one really knows what’s going on or what’s involved.
“We have been sent signals from this administration from every direction possible,” he said, citing a unilateralist approach from Vice President Dick Cheney and a multilateral approach from Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Kader questioned why the administration sent U.N. inspectors to Iraq at the same time as sending “tens of thousands” of troops.
“The U.S. never intended to do it through inspections,” he said. “The inspectors were there to let public opinion come on board.”
Kader said another reason Arabs are angry with Americans is their support for Israel.
“They believe Americans have stood by Israel in every principal without raising a finger or voice against them,” he said.
Why, he asked, has America done nothing to stop Israel’s violations, but make war against Iraq?
Kader also wondered why Osama bin Laden isn’t the No. 1 target for America. He said people will learn over the next decade that bin Laden and his followers are a greater threat to America than the Soviets ever were. This is mainly because bin Laden’s followers are willing to die in mass, he said.
“I will breathe a sign of relief when Osama and his minions go away,” he said.
Kader said there are other countries that fit in the same company as Iraq. Two are North Korea, with its weapons, and Saudi Arabia, with its anti-woman, anti-democracy, anti-liberalism movements, he said.
The next several years will write the history for the next decades, he said.
Kader said he has been working in Arlington, Va. for about 15 years. He owns a company called Pal-Tech Inc. based there. He’s been working with poor countries, trying to get them to become part of trade organizations, he said.
Kader was born and raised in Provo, Utah and used to work as a political science professor at BYU.
Medlir Mema, president of Pi Sigma Alpha, said his group likes to bring speakers to USU who are leaders, such as major decision makers, or come from think tanks.
-emilieholmes@cc.usu.edu