Midd population needs Iraqi representation

Author: Leslies Thompson & David Belanich

There is no doubt that Iraq is in a state of crisis. Nearly two years since the launch of Operation Iraqi Freedom - much less than freedom - we have yet to accomplish the modest goal of stability. Despite the promise of installing a functioning democracy through the impending elections, we have reason to remain cautious - the names of many candidates have been withheld to protect their lives from insurgent attacks that have increased in intensity and number with each new month.

The failure of democracy in Iraq would be the failure of democracy in the Middle East. With democracy weighing in the balance, we are compelled to act. One of the crucial factors tipping the scale toward chaos is the pitting of two biased and unchallenged views against each other - a confrontation of misunderstandings that can only perpetuate conflict.

Charred bodies hanging from bridges, burning cars, kidnapped journalists and decapitated aid workers - these are the images around which the American vision of Iraq is formed.

Protection of pipelines before bus lines, the immorality of Western values, torture at Abu Ghraib and inexperience with democracy - these are the elements composing the Iraqi view of America.

We need not fatally accept ignorance. In fact, as students of the liberal arts, it is our duty to turn to education as the solution. Greater understanding would breed greater cooperation. Middlebury has an opportunity to fulfill its educative purpose by challenging these black and white world views.

One promising means to realizing mutual understanding through education is the creation of an endowed scholarship to Middlebury for an interested Iraqi student. At Middlebury, this student would present lectures and lead discussions on subjects related to Iraq and American-Iraqi relations. At the end of his/her four years, the student would return home, where he/she would conduct a project to promote civil society through community service. The student would also be expected to speak at his/her high school about experiences in the United States. Finally, Iraqi alumni would provide yearly updates to Middlebury and would help with recruitment of future participants.

This program would bridge the gap between Americans and Iraqis, permitting cross-cultural dialogue. The presence of an Iraqi student on campus would enrich the Middlebury community and American awareness in general. Through personal contact with an Iraqi student, we would gain a deeper understanding of Iraq and our relation to the country we hope to rebuild. Middlebury students would be in a better position to make informed decisions about diplomatic action, to form educated opinions and to cast meaningful votes. The implications of this program would reach a broader cross-section of the American public as we graduate and, as leaders and active citizens, pass on our familiarity with Iraq and the Middle East.

As an institution that has long distinguished itself through its international focus and dedication to foreign languages and cultures, Middlebury is an ideal location to host such a project. Currently, about 10 percent of students are citizens of countries other than the United States, and represent about 75 nations. In addition, the popularity of study abroad and the language schools are indicative of Middlebury's internationalism.

The newly founded Arabic school and major, as well as the budding Middle Eastern Studies major illustrate the growing commitment of the school to promoting awareness about the Middle East through education. An Iraqi student would complement these programs and would encourage us to pursue these new studies.

A Middlebury Iraqi alumnus would also bring knowledge of the United States and of democracy back home. Each political regime has a corresponding system of education. Founded upon popular participation, an appropriate democratic education is especially crucial to democracy. Four years at Middlebury would serve both as an initiation into the liberal arts tradition and as an education in liberal democratic values.

Through the study of the liberal arts, an Iraqi student would acquire the intellectual habits of independent thinking and critical analysis. Furthermore, he/she would bear witness to the workings of civil society and would become familiar with the principles of democratic citizenship - freedom of the press, freedom of thought and expression, freedom of association and religious tolerance, etc. While at Middlebury, an Iraqi student would also have the opportunity to learn first hand how to form organizations and to assume positions of leadership.

Upon returning home, the Middlebury alumnus would be prepared to meet the challenges of a democracy in its infancy. As a college graduate who has garnered the intellectual skills that facilitate success, the Iraqi student would be ideally situated to become a leader in government and/or role model in civil society. Moreover, having personally developed democratic civic virtues, the Iraqi student through his/her own example would inspire others to preserve liberty, to aspire to social justice and to cultivate and educate the passion for equality. Finally, through a personal awareness of the American people and American values, the Iraqi student would possess an arsenal of knowledge with which to combat institutionalized bias. In sum, from his/her time at Middlebury, the graduate would possess the power of knowledge with which to nurture liberal democracy in Iraq and promote mutual understanding between our countries.

At this decisive juncture for democracy in the Middle East, Middlebury has an opportunity and responsibility to define and to promote common goals for our increasingly intertwined societies. Through personal contact with an Iraqi student, the nameless faceless enemy of Orwell's 1984 becomes human and familiar as we are forced from the comforts of abstraction to face an Iraqi as a peer. Let us take this modest step in the direction of a new beginning.