Opinion

America needs to leave Arab nations in peace

Samira Zaidi
Opinion Columnist

I have learned a lot while writing my columns, especially the ones dealing with Iraq ­ sarcasm isnit for everyone and, damn it, if you live in this country, youid better support our policies. 

Sarcasm aside, I am glad Saddam Husseinis regime has finally been crushed. I enjoy reading letters from people who think I support Saddam and fail to realize he has had numerous Muslims killed in Iraq.

I donit support Saddam. I am glad he is either dead or fled. I hope now that the rebuilding phase is positive and in the favor of the Iraqi people and not big business. 

Surprisingly, those who will run the interim government in post-war Iraq arenit Iraqi.

I may be wrong about this, but shouldnit Iraqis run Iraq? 

Itis nice that America wants to help, but it may be getting too close for comfort. 

Without belittling the humanitarian effort, I believe the best way to help the Iraqis would be to make sure the transition to a new government is done carefully and thoughtfully. 

Britain wants the United Nations involved, but the United States feels there is no place for the United Nations in the reconstruction phase, and that the United States should have first dibs because they paid with lives and equipment. 

Take into account an interview done with an Iraqi after Saddamis statue tumbled down: 

A reporter asked this civilian what he felt about the American presence in Iraq, and he replied, "We are glad they got rid of (Saddam). Now they can leave."

The reporter replied, "Well, they are helping you; why do you want them gone?"

And the Iraqi said, "We never asked them to come."

This may be a little hard for the average American to understand, someone who has been watching scenes of Iraqi boys kissing American soldiers and civilians waving peace signs to coalition troops.

But to most of these Iraqis, and many in the Middle East, America has been synonymous with supporting dictatorial regimes and anti-Arab policy. 

America supported Saddam during the 1980s. The CIA trained Osama bin Laden and we all know of the relationship America has with Saudi Arabia. 

Now, with Syria next on the U.S. hit list, the United States is wandering into some troublesome territory. Syria has a legal right to possess weapons, and by even mentioning them as a possible target, the United States will run into controversy. 

Israel also has weapons of mass destruction and has also violated U.N. resolutions. 

Since the American Israel Public Affairs Committee is the largest political action committee in the United States, and with so much aid being given to Israel to develop its military (fourth largest in the world), itis no wonder anti-American sentiment is high in the Arab world. 

It looks like the United States is embarking on an anti-Arab war fling. 

If America wants to maintain a positive presence in Iraq and in the Middle East, it needs to step back and analyze its decisions to make sure they are in the favor of the people it says it is helping. 

Zaidi, a senior communication major, can be reached at greeneggs34@hotmail.com