2008 Woodie Awards
Trying to recognize, solve troubles in the Middle East
Ken Pollack discusses potential solutions to a worsening problem
Daliah Singer
Issue date: 4/3/07 Section: News
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The lecture, titled "The Middle East - Can It Get Worse?" focused on Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine and Iran.
All of the problems in the Middle East are "reinforcing each other and creating bigger problems," said Pollack. The main issue in all four countries is that they are "failed states" with "security vacuums," which generate bigger problems, such as terrorism.
Iraq became a failed state in April 2003 when the United States ended Saddam Hussein's regime without replacing it, said Pollack. The regime had been holding the country together. "Without recognizing this," he said, "we can't find a solution."
The combination of a failed state and a security vacuum, also created by the United States, has produced "a playing field for terrorists," according to Pollack. The Iraqi people were "left without protection," allowing for militias and insurgents to take over. These groups are providing the Iraqi people with basic services, including food and safety that the government is no longer able to, said Pollack.
The removal of Hussein created an "opportunity to push chaos into civil war," he said. "Our mistakes are making their [terrorist groups, militias, etc.] job that much easier."
Pollack's concern is that the civil war in Iraq may escalate since civil wars have a tendency to leak beyond borders. They also have the potential to turn into regional wars involving many states. This is the "great danger of Iraq," and it possesses "profound ramifications" for the region because the economies involved in these civil wars are "critical" to the global economy owing to their production of petroleum, said Pollack.
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