Fredrick Barton Discusses Iraq Conflict Resolution

...One of the leading advisors of the Iraq Study Group, Fredrick Barton, discussed with college students the importance of resolving the conflict in Iraq during a video conference on Jan. 25, 2007.

...The schools participating in the video conference hosted by C-SPAN were George Mason University, Pace University, and the University of Denver. One of the issues that all of the students seemed to have touched upon was why are we having so much difficulty stabilizing Iraq.

...Barton discussed that one of the main reasons the issue of stabilization has proven to be so difficult, is that we as Americans have little to no understanding of these people or their culture.

...“We know so little about all of these places,” explains Barton, “If you want to stabilize the region, you have to relieve the constant irritants.”

...“Constant irritants” Barton addressed were the conflicts between the Sunnis and the Shiites, which has caused great turmoil in the country, as well as the Iraqi's lack of faith in the new established government.

...When asked what he thought about President Bush's agenda to send more troops in Iraq, Barton was not pleased with the new plan at all. He explained how $400 billion dollars has already been spent on the war alone, however if you were to factor in other costs such as various supplies, causalities, and long term medical treatment for soldiers, the final amount is closer to $4 trillion.

...Many of the students who participated in the video conference found it to be very informative and were very pleased with Mr. Barton's presentation. KT Trotman, a junior at George Mason, exclaimed how he wished the conference with Mr. Barton could have been extended longer.

...“Many of the students were able to touch on topics that everyone was curious about. Such as the reaction to the President's State of the Union, the conflict between the tribes, and the future costs of the war, however I wish there was enough time for me to ask him what direction did he think the United States was heading in with regards to Iran. That would have been interesting,” explains Trotman.

...Federick Barton continues to serve on the Iraq Study Group, but has many other credentials to his name as well:

• Senior Advisor in the International Security Program

• Co-director of the Post-Conflict Reconstruction Project at CSIS (Center for Strategic & International Studies).

• Barton has also published a variety of works, some of which can be found at the following website: http://www.csis.org/component/option,com_csis_experts/task,view/id,52/

...If you would like to read the actual Report released by the Iraq Study Group, please visit:

http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/lps76748/iraq_study_group_report.pdf