Lessons from Past Western Incursions in the Middle East

Juan Cole discusses his new book, Napoleon's Egypt: Invading the Middle East and the relevance and lessons of Napoleon's expedition in Egypt to the current American occupation of Iraq. New America Foundation/American Strategy Program Director Steve Clemons offers comments and moderates the discussion.

Juan Cole is a professor of Middle Eastern and South Asian history at the University of Michigan, the President of the Global Americana Institute, and the publisher of Informed Comment, a blog that specializes in providing translations and commentary on the modern Middle East.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Juan
• Cole
• Middle
• East
• Iraq
• Egypt
• Foreign
• Policy
• Colonialism
• France
• Napoleon
• George
• Bush

[truegangsteroflove]

One key aspect of our current predicament is the democratization of know-it-allness. Juan Cole studies the history of the Mideast for a living, and provides insightful, necessary, yea informed comment on the various aspects of the Bush criminal regime's invasion and occupation of Iraq.

[DonFamoso]

Death to Imperialism We coming for all you imperialist.

[QuixoticM]

That said, i do appreciate your argument, as morally wrong as i think you are.

[QuixoticM]

Just because what one part of the world does, affects every other, does not mean that one country can impose it's will on another. And i'd point out that since US intervention, the region is WORSE rather than better. Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Pakistan... Interfering militarily just builds up their resentment of the western world.

[QuixoticM]

...Propping of dictators and unpopular governments in Iran (the shah was our guy, they overthrew a democratically elected government to get him there), Iraq (Don't forget, Saddam was our guy), syria, Lebanon etc.

And how is my question irrelevant? I asked you if you think it is fair that some group of people out there decide that it is okay for you to lose all your family for the sake of progress. And those people did not even have a say. The human factor cannot be overlooked.

[QuixoticM]

"The west has established world leadership and justly so."

Are you serious? You cannot mean that seriously. "Justly"? Does that mean that you are not aware how imperialism worked? In the Americas? Africa? Asia? MIddle East?

Anyway, the middle east has problems? Well we have the west to thank for that- specifically, Britain and France, and later the US. But fundamentally, the random partitioning of the Ottoman empire, bungling of the Israel issue...

[fismail07]

@QuixoticM that is a rhetorical question, and irrelevant to the central issue here. Our modern world is one, what one part of it does effects the rest in all ways. The west has established world leadership and justly so. The Middle East is a region with serious problems, and does not have the ability, nor the will to get itself out its mess without major help. left to its own it will not only destroy itself, but quite possibly the rest of the world with it!

[QuixoticM]

That is pretty odious. That is colonial mentality. "They were worse off before [we] came". When you invade a foreign people, there is no excuse sufficient to justify your actions. You have infringed on their freedom. They did want or ask for any foreign intervention, did anybody ask the people who lost their mothers, brothers, etc whether they were willing to sacrifice them so "Iraq has a chance to get better?" Would YOU agree to give up your family for some future progress? Don't think so.

[fismail07]

Egypt after the French was a better place with better chances. Without the French incursion it would has lingered in the middle ages for a longer period, and would have made much less progress. So even if the French did not succeed at the time, they had a positive impact on Egypt. The same is with Iraq, even if the U.S does not completely succeed now, it will have given Iraq a chance to change to the better, and perhaps the entire region.

[HighVoltage18388]

DUDEEE! fucking longest vid on youtoube I've ever seeen...woooot!!!

[DecentWatch]

Napoleon's Egypt: Invading the Middle East Bookmark Program 

Author: Juan Cole

Upcoming Schedule Sunday, September 9, at 10:00 PM