Reporter to share notes on Iraq

On Nov. 18 journalist Steve Negus will lecture on sectarian violence within Iraq and how the U.S. invasion impacted the state's stability.

Negus was an Iraq correspondent for the Economist and Financial Times from 2004-2008, and editor for the Institute for War & Peace Reporting in Baghdad, Iraq from 2003-2004. The Office of the Dean of Special Programs is sponsoring the lecture, which will be held in the Faculty Staff Club from 8 to 10 p.m.

Violence has significantly escalated in Iraq since the United States invaded the country in 2003 and put Saddam Hussein, the former leader of the militant Ba'ath party that controlled Iraq from 1979-2003, out of power.

The civil war is being fought between the Shi'ites, the majority Islamic denomination in Iraq, and Sunnis, a minority Islamic sect that Hussein's Ba'ath party supported.

"These have been the bloodiest years Iraq has seen since 1991," Negus said in reference to the increased level of violence between the two sectarian groups since 2003.

He did note, however, that Sunnis and Shi'ites were hostile towards one another prior to the U.S. occupation. And while he does not believe the U.S. invasion created civil war in Iraq, he believes the Iraq War amplified the chaos. He said that the toppling of Iraq's leader and outlawing of his party set flourishing conditions for militants.

One example he said is Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a militant Islamist who coordinated the transfer of al-Qaeda operatives from Syria in Iraq following the U.S. invasion. In Oct. 2004 al-Zarqawi pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda.

"People are going to rally to the militants," Negus said.

Al-Qaeda executed frequent high-casualty suicide bombings targeting Shi'ites, which is smaller than the Sunni sect. Without a stable government, Sunnis were inclined to support al-Qaeda because the group represented their interests. "Insecurity tends to make people look out for hardliners," Negus said.

He does not believe that radical groups would have thrived to such an extent were Hussein still in power.

Negus perceives cooperation between the U.S. military and Sunnis to combat al-Qaeda influence in Iraq as an overall successful strategy. Amidst more stable conditions, Iraq held democratic elections in Dec. 2005. However, many Sunnis protested voting in the election because the U.S. still occupied the country.

"A lot of Iraqis equate the word democracy with corruption and chaos," Negus said.

However, he said Sunnis seek legitimate authority and a state role, which could be accomplished with seats in the Parliament. They decided to vote in the Jan. 2009 elections and gained more government power. Negus perceives the exercise of democracy in Iraq as a crucial step toward stability and an alternative to seeking power through violence.

He does not call Iraq a stable state. "But I don't think it's going to collapse," Negus said.

He recognizes that there are still suicide bombings and that Iraq is still dangerous, but believes a parliamentary system is a significant step away from such violence.

He did not speculate on the political controversy of whether a U.S. troop withdrawal would bring Iraq back into violence. "Staying in Iraq is not really an option," Negus said.

"Iraq used to have a strong state," Negus said. And he has faith that Iraq could reestablish itself.