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The U.S. Role in Iraq
Can an occupier become a peacemaker?

May 18 - May 31, 2008 Speaking Tour visiting Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, and California

Raed Jarrar, who was asked by House Foreign Relations Subcommittee to coordinate a visit of Iraqi Parliamentarians to testify before Congress in June, will travel to cities across the West Coast to discuss the initiative.  He will also discuss current war funding bills before Congress, the ongoing insurgent conflict, and a vision of what a constructive U.S. involvement would look like.

Background:

The U.S. strategy in Iraq is not working. Five years of occupation has led to the largest forced displacement in the Middle East since 1948 and an estimated 1 million Iraqi dead. More than 4,000 U.S. soldiers have been killed, and the US Government has spent one trillion dollars. The result has been little security and no stability for the Iraqi people.

Inside Iraq, the deterioration of basic services, including the collapse of the health care system, lack of electricity and potable water, and personal and economic insecurity make daily life for Iraqis nearly impossible. Eight million Iraqis are in need of emergency assistance, and more than one in six Iraqis have been forced from their homes. In neighboring countries absorbing refugees, infrastructure is sorely inadequate, and the economic and political strain is increasing. The chaos and violence in Iraq threaten to destabilize the whole region.

A new vision is emerging based on the complete removal of US troops and bases, Iraqi political reconciliation and regional negotiations. It is what the majority in Iraqi's Parliament and a majority of Iraqis want. The peace plan would require U.S. assistance to Syria and Jordan, which are hosting approximately 2 million Iraqi refugees, and dialogue with Iran, an important actor in Iraq.

About Raed Jarrar

Raed Jarrar is an Iraqi political analyst and consultant to AFSC's Iraq Program currently based in Washington, D.C.  After the U.S.-led invasion, Jarrar became the country director for CIVIC Worldwide, the only door-to-door casualty survey group in post-war Iraq.  He then established Emaar, (meaning "reconstruction" in Arabic), a grassroots organization that provided humanitarian and political aid to Iraqi internally displaced persons (IDPs).  Emaar delivered medicine and food as well as helped initiate micro-enterprise projects for IDPs.  Additionally, Emaar engaged in political advocacy on behalf of displaced populations.

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