Afghanistan still vulnerable, professor says

  MANDY WHITING Prof. Mohammed Ayoob of Michigan State
University speaks Friday about the instability of Afghanistan and
the Southwest Asian region.

By Kristina Wong
Daily Bruin Contributor

Although the war against terrorism may have rooted out al-Qaeda,
instability in Southwest Asia is far from over, according to
Michigan State Professor Mohammed Ayoob at the “After the
Taliban: the U.S. and the Future of Southwest Asia” lecture
Friday.

Ayoob said that despite American efforts to create a new Afghan
government, the current social, economic and political disorder in
Afghanistan leaves the country vulnerable to the interests of
political factions within its borders and neighboring countries
such as Pakistan.

Ayoob added that Pakistan could become the new center of
terrorist activity, since he said many al-Qaeda members had likely
fled there, and would undermine American efforts to create
stability in the region.

Ayoob said American solutions so far are not stable or long
term, an example being the current Afghan government under Hamid
Karzai that the United States helped to establish.

Ayoob said it was unlikely the government would last due to
warlords, militants and terrorist groups in Pakistan vying for
power in Afghanistan.

“U.S. foreign policy makers should take a more
comprehensive view of the situation when forming public policy, and
not compartmentalize the countries within this region,” Ayoob
said.

Ayoob also said the United States should improve relations with
countries who may be strategic in maintaining peace in that region,
specifically India and Iran.

Ayoob described the Iranian population as
“pro-American,” adding that President Bush falsely
identified Iran as part of the “axis of evil” during
his January State of the Union address.

UCLA professor and Burkle Center director Michael Intriligator
said he agreed that Bush’s term “axis of evil,”
which was denounced by European allies, gave the wrong impression
of whom the government is targeting in its war on terrorism.

“It was rhetorically a step in the wrong direction, and
gave tremendous support to the opposition,” Intriligator
said.

Robert Núengayé, a psychology graduate student,
disagreed, saying that Ayoob “underestimated the resolve of
revolution in its current form in Iran.

“While things might have changed since I last visited in
1994,” said Núengayé, “Iranians’
resolve toward anti-American rhetoric may be stronger, and may
since have been compounded by President Bush’s identifying
Iran as part of the “˜axis.'”