Ambassador to U.N. to discuss war’s effect on U.S. security

Freshman Miles Taylor hopes people will leave this evening’s lecture “thinking.” \n“Not about politics of the Iraq war, but about how we as a country can maintain a strong and compassionate role in the world while still looking out for our security interests,” said Taylor, director of the Student Alliance for National Security.\nAfter months of comparing schedules and making room for accommodations, Iraqi Ambassador to the United Nations, Feisal Istrabadi, will be returning to the IU campus for the first time since 2005 today to present a speech on “Implications of Failure in Iraq for U.S. Security.”\nIstrabadi will be speaking from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Whittenberger Auditorium. Admittance is free and open to the public. \nIstrabadi, an IU alumnus who graduated in 1986, last visited IU to discuss the current situation in Iraq at the IU law school. Again, he returns with the intent to discuss what failure in Iraq will mean for security issues. \nTaylor said that the Iraq war is the “most compelling conflict so far this century.” Taylor said the Student Alliance knew Istrabadi would bring an extraordinary perspective to this “critically important” topic as a leading Iraqi official, a top-flight diplomat. \n“The implications for the Iraq war will be for our generation and we hope that this lecture, from a top Iraqi official, will give students critical, firsthand insight on the issue,” Taylor said. “The war’s effect on the Middle East will reach beyond this decade and its implications for the United States will be inherited by the next generation of American leaders.” \nThe Student Alliance for National Security, which is sponsoring the event, is hoping for a high turnout, said freshman Eva d’Ambrosio, communications director for the group. D’Ambrosio said a Facebook event has been established to publicize the event. As of press time, she said 260 people “confirmed” to attend.\nD’Ambrosio said the lecture will allow attendees to see what the possible failure in Iraq means for the United States in security terms.\nSenior Adam Newman, director of debates and issues for Union Board, said he hopes students who attend the lecture will gain a new appreciation and understanding for the depth and complexity of the political situation in Iraq. \n“People already see on the news how stressed out the military is in dealing with the civil war, and news reports show the strategies, but people often don’t have a good understanding of the politics,” Newman said. \nD’Ambrosio said she hopes those who attend will be able to gain a broad perspective past the gruesome images seen on the television and instead be able to realize the situation in Iraq and how it affects the Iraqis. In addition, she said the impact of the United States’ presence in Iraq affects security in not only the U.S, but in other countries as well. These topics will be among the issues Istrabadi will address. \n“We really wanted to get him because we thought he would be a fantastic source for students at IU,” d’Ambrosio said, noting that Istrabadi helped write the Iraqi Constitution. \nThe interim constitution that he helped draft proposed reconciliation between Iraq’s divided religious and ethnic groups. The constitution received approval in March 2004. \n“He is hands-on and knows the situation in and out and will be able to give his point of view,” d’Ambrosio said.\nIstrabadi will also be addressing the fear of the violence in Iraq spreading, along with ways to ease these tensions to prevent all-out civil war. The future of Iraq itself along with discussion in regards to political and security issues in other countries will be topics \nas well.\n“The situation in Iraq has progressed and state and political considerations are important as well as military ones,” Newman said. “I think the Iraqi ambassador will be very \nvaluable.”