4:19 p.m., April 9, 2009----John Fischer Burns, the London bureau chief for The New York Times and winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, spoke on the topic “Understanding Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan” during a University of Delaware Global Agenda series presentation Wednesday, April 8, in Mitchell Hall.

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Discussing Iraq, Burns was cautiously optimistic, noting that President Barack Obama pointed out when speaking of the Middle East that “he himself would never have imagined that Iraq would be the least of his problems.”

Burns, who was on the ground in Iraq covering the war when it began, said that things began to take a turn for the positive in Iraq when the Sunni minority realized that as long as the American troops were in Iraq, they were the best hope that the Sunnis had to gain minority rights.

Once the Sunnis came to that conclusion, he said, Iraq entered the beginning stages of a transformation. “Violence is down by 90 percent, the rhythms of life are reasserting themselves. Tourists are going to Iraq, if you can believe it,” he said.

While all of this is encouraging, Burns warned that the situation in Iraq remains “fragile and reversible.” He said “extraordinary things have been accomplished,” but added that six recent suicide bombings make clear that there is still work to be done.

Burns also warned that things are likely to get more violent in Iraq as American troops begin their gradual withdrawal.

When it came to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Burns' words were anything but optimistic.

Speaking of Afghanistan, Burns said, “No invading army has ever prevailed.” One of the biggest problems with Afghanistan is the overwhelming influence the Taliban has on the country.

“The Taliban own the countryside, the Taliban own the night, and the Taliban to some extent own the spirit of the country,” he said.

Burns said that the Afghanistan conflict “could be a 15 or 20 year struggle” and he wondered if the American people would be willing to continue a presence for that long as casualties mount.

An important problem in Afghanistan is government corruption, Burns said. “Everything within the power of the government of Afghanistan is for sale,” he said.

Government corruption is also at the heart of the problem with regards to Pakistan, he added.

“What is the good news from Pakistan?” Burns asked. He said that since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the government of Pakistan has received $10 billion in American aid, much of it military aid, and yet “continues to arm, finance and train the Taliban right under the noses of the United States government.”

Speaking of the president of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, Burns said he was suspected of being a “deeply corrupt individual.”

“Civilian government in Pakistan has been a woeful failure,” Burns said. “I'm not suggesting I have any obvious solution to this -- clearly the United States cannot be in a position of supporting or consorting with military dictatorships -- but I think that in some ways, civilian government has been more disastrous than military dictatorships.”

Burns said he believes the United States remains “the shining city on the hill” for much of the world, adding, “Those who have predicted, foreseen and hoped for, the end of the American empire in our time, if you can call it that, will be disappointed. America still sets the standard because of its ability to re-invent itself, which is an extraordinary thing.”

The Burns talk was part of the 2009 Global Agenda series, “Tinderbox: Understanding the Middle East.” The next presentation will take place at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 22, in Mitchell Hall, and the speaker will be Tom Segev, a historian and a weekly columnist for Ha'aretz, Israel's leading newspaper, who will speak on “Understanding Israel.”

Article by Adam Thomas
Photo by Duane Perry