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U.S. Faces Critical Problems In Iraq According To Daniel Brumberg
Aired August 24, 2003 - 18:09 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: Our next guest says the U.S. is facing some critical problems in Iraq. Daniel Brumberg is a professor of government at Georgetown University and a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He joins us tonight from Washington.
Mr. Brumberg, do you think that we are reaching a crisis point in Iraq?
DANIEL BRUMBERG, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT: It's not a crisis point because while things have gone very badly in the Sunni triangle, where the opposition to American forces has increased in much of the Shi'ite part of Iraq, things are actually going rather well. But there's no doubt that we have reached some sort of turning point that will require a recalibration of not only the use of force, armed force in Iraq, but also the whole question of the international role of the U.N., both on the political and the military level.
KOPPEL: Well, as you just heard there in Suzanne Malveauxs report, the administration, although it's gone back to the U.N. now, there really isn't a lot of flexibility in terms of what it's willing to kind of give in exchange for troops. Do you think that that approach is a mistake?
BRUMBERG: It is a mistake. And we haven't gotten over the residue of bitterness over the question of European and particularly French and German opposition to the war in Iraq.
You know, there's an air show going on right now in France outside Paris. And the United States is not represented. We're at the Moscow air show. It just goes to show how deep the bitterness runs. And this has created a real unwillingness, I think, on both sides in terms of the U.N. community and in the United States to find new ways to define both political and military cooperation in Iraq. I think they're going to find new ways to do so because they have to, but that residue of bitterness runs very deep and is affecting those relations.
KOPPEL: Well, as, again, as you heard Suzanne Malveaux lay out there in her piece, the U.S. feels if it is carrying the majority of this burden, both financial and military in Iraq, why should it hand over even some of the reins of authority to other international forces?
BRUMBERG: Well, first of all, on the political level, while we did create the governing council, it would create -- it would infuse the governing council with much greater legitimacy if it in fact it was linked to the U.N. instead of the United States. So we have an interest in bringing the U.N. on the political level.
Moreover in terms of burden sharing when it comes to economic issues, its going to cost $16 billion to rebuild the water system. It's going to cost $13 billion minimal to rebuild the electricity system. We won't be able to handle that burden alone. So I don't think that argument is very tenable. Were going to need the international community. And theyre going to share a lot of the economic burden or else our deficits at home are going to run much deeper than they already are.
So I think that there's a real argument to be made for burden sharing and giving Europeans a greater role in this whole effort.
KOPPEL: I'm not sure if you saw today in "The New York Times" Tom Freedman had an interesting column in which he said that one of the reasons behind the terror attacks, he believes, or at least the attraction of jihadists into Iraq has to do with the concern within the Muslim community at large, within the Arab world at large that a democracy in Iraq might work. And that might change the face of the Middle East.
BRUMBERG: Well, I think that the Islamists, particularly Islamist radicals are very concerned that Iraq will become a -- might become a democracy or at least a government that is closely linked to both the United States and possibly Israel. And they are determined to prevent that from happening.
I don't share Tom Freedman's very, I think, optimistic view that the transformation of Iraq will happen kind of positive benefits throughout the region, but that he predicts. But certainly, the Islamists are determined to make sure that whatever our project is in Iraq, it fails.
KOPPEL: Daniel Brumberg joining us tonight from Washington. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
BRUMBERG: Thank you.
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Brumberg>
Aired August 24, 2003 - 18:09 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: Our next guest says the U.S. is facing some critical problems in Iraq. Daniel Brumberg is a professor of government at Georgetown University and a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He joins us tonight from Washington.
Mr. Brumberg, do you think that we are reaching a crisis point in Iraq?
DANIEL BRUMBERG, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT: It's not a crisis point because while things have gone very badly in the Sunni triangle, where the opposition to American forces has increased in much of the Shi'ite part of Iraq, things are actually going rather well. But there's no doubt that we have reached some sort of turning point that will require a recalibration of not only the use of force, armed force in Iraq, but also the whole question of the international role of the U.N., both on the political and the military level.
KOPPEL: Well, as you just heard there in Suzanne Malveauxs report, the administration, although it's gone back to the U.N. now, there really isn't a lot of flexibility in terms of what it's willing to kind of give in exchange for troops. Do you think that that approach is a mistake?
BRUMBERG: It is a mistake. And we haven't gotten over the residue of bitterness over the question of European and particularly French and German opposition to the war in Iraq.
You know, there's an air show going on right now in France outside Paris. And the United States is not represented. We're at the Moscow air show. It just goes to show how deep the bitterness runs. And this has created a real unwillingness, I think, on both sides in terms of the U.N. community and in the United States to find new ways to define both political and military cooperation in Iraq. I think they're going to find new ways to do so because they have to, but that residue of bitterness runs very deep and is affecting those relations.
KOPPEL: Well, as, again, as you heard Suzanne Malveaux lay out there in her piece, the U.S. feels if it is carrying the majority of this burden, both financial and military in Iraq, why should it hand over even some of the reins of authority to other international forces?
BRUMBERG: Well, first of all, on the political level, while we did create the governing council, it would create -- it would infuse the governing council with much greater legitimacy if it in fact it was linked to the U.N. instead of the United States. So we have an interest in bringing the U.N. on the political level.
Moreover in terms of burden sharing when it comes to economic issues, its going to cost $16 billion to rebuild the water system. It's going to cost $13 billion minimal to rebuild the electricity system. We won't be able to handle that burden alone. So I don't think that argument is very tenable. Were going to need the international community. And theyre going to share a lot of the economic burden or else our deficits at home are going to run much deeper than they already are.
So I think that there's a real argument to be made for burden sharing and giving Europeans a greater role in this whole effort.
KOPPEL: I'm not sure if you saw today in "The New York Times" Tom Freedman had an interesting column in which he said that one of the reasons behind the terror attacks, he believes, or at least the attraction of jihadists into Iraq has to do with the concern within the Muslim community at large, within the Arab world at large that a democracy in Iraq might work. And that might change the face of the Middle East.
BRUMBERG: Well, I think that the Islamists, particularly Islamist radicals are very concerned that Iraq will become a -- might become a democracy or at least a government that is closely linked to both the United States and possibly Israel. And they are determined to prevent that from happening.
I don't share Tom Freedman's very, I think, optimistic view that the transformation of Iraq will happen kind of positive benefits throughout the region, but that he predicts. But certainly, the Islamists are determined to make sure that whatever our project is in Iraq, it fails.
KOPPEL: Daniel Brumberg joining us tonight from Washington. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
BRUMBERG: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Brumberg>
