A professor of Islamic Studies and native Iranian told students last Tuesday that America's nation building efforts in Iraq will fail. The seminar was conducted by the Villanova Muslim Student Association, and the keynote speaker for the evening's event was Dr. Farhang Erfani of the University.
Erfani painted a bleak picture of the current state of the war in Iraq and the chances of creating a successful and peaceful democracy. The majority of his lecture was dedicated to the idea of nation building in Iraq.
A self-described political junkie, Erfani spends the first three to four hours of each day catching up on the situation in the Middle East by listening to radio broadcasts from the region over the internet.
From his perch atop the desk Erfani was at once both self-effacing and confident, humble yet full of conviction. When he spoke, the room was silent, as everyone seemed to be captivated by his words and conclusions.
Erfani noted that the United States is moving to create an Office of Nation Building, whose sole function would be to oversee the creation of new, sovereign nations in war-torn, or otherwise unstable regions of the world. Philosophical ideologies aside, Erfani believes this to be an impossible goal in Iraq.
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http://www.villanovan.com/news/2005/04/08/News/Seminar.Presents.Bleak.Picture.Of.Iraq-915567.shtml
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