Malik Mufti, Professor of Political Science and International Relations program director, met with two dozen students in the Crane Room last night to discuss Middle Eastern politics in the context of the 34 day war between Hezbollah and Israel this summer.
The event, titled "The Future of Lebanon," featured a brief lecture by Professor Mufti followed by a question and answer session and was sponsored by the student think tank New Initiative for Middle East Peace (NIMEP).
"One of the goals of NIMEP is to create an environment for constructive debate and following the events of this summer we knew we wanted to hold a larger forum for debate surrounding the conflict in Lebanon," senior Alex Zerden and NIMEP co-chair said.
Much of the talk and questions centered on the Arab-Israeli conflict.
"The first lesson we learn from this summer's events is that the Arab-Israeli conflict remains the single most important obstacle to America's pursuit of its interests in the region," Mufti said.
"The Americans cannot do anything as long as they give full support to Israel, because whenever the US pursues an interest against the wishes of another country in the region they will throw fire onto the tinderbox which is the Arab-Israeli conflict to turn Arabs against the US," he said.
"Lebanon was supposed to be the single success story of the Arab democratization process," Mufti said. "Then Israel is blowing up Beirut and the Americans say it is too early to call for a cease-fire. What does that stance do for the respect the Lebanese had for America and those in the government who support them as an ally?"
Nevertheless, "The US has to be the arbiter of any Arab-Israeli resolution because the US is the only actor who has the force to back up an agreement," he said.
Moreover, Mufti said that a shock to the delicate political balance in the region could cause any single state to "disintegrate."
There aren't any countries in the region whose territorial integrity is not at risk, he said, and catastrophe could be caused by any actor who felt it was in their interest to do so.
Mufti also discussed Hezbollah's role in the politics of the region, saying that it is a legitimate political party that should not be written off but offered incentives to become less radical.
This summer's war set Middle Eastern politics back, Mufti said. "Because of this conflict Syria went from being a pariah on the way out to being the indispensable element in any Arab-Israeli conflict that it always has been. Both Syria and Iran emerged from this conflict strengthened," Mufti said.
Although he said that Iran's imminent nuclear capability could worsen Arab-Israeli tension, this is not because they will be a threat to Israel but because it would make it more difficult for the US to pursue its interests in the region.
This talk will accompany others as preparation for a trip to Lebanon that NIMEP will lead, senior and NIMEP member Rachel Leven said.
