Washington created IS indirectly by invading Iraq: US theorist
December 08, 2015 – 2:54:51 amBy Feyza Gumusluoglu
Doha: Prominent US Professor John Mearsheimer said the US “indirectly created ISIS”, pointing out that the failure of the US policy in the Middle East has caused greater terrorism than ever before.
The international relations theorist was speaking at Gulf Studies Forum organised by Arab Centre for Research and Policy Studies.
Prof Mearsheimer criticised the US for having made serious mistakes in the Middle East, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya and Egypt, describing all these as “disasters”.
In his hour-long speech, he dismissed the perceived disengagement of the US from the Gulf, arguing “the Gulf will continue to remain vital to the US strategic interests”, while “Europe will become less and less important”.
He said: “The US created ISIS, not directly but by invading Iraq”, and that there was no such terrorism in Iraq before the US invasion.
According to Mearsheimer, “the US did not start the war in Syria, but played a key role in keeping it going”.
He said: “The US has been pushing hard to get rid of Assad in Syria, but the result is a civil war.”
To stop the bloody war in Syria, he suggested that the US should throw its hat into the ring and acknowledge that Assad will remain in power.
“If we don’t stabilise Syria and accept Assad, the result will be continuing civil war. I am not saying that supporting Assad is the best solution, but it is the least bad one.”
He said Egypt was another failure of the US policy in the region.
“The US violated its basic belief in democracy”, by facilitating the overthrown of the Muslim Brotherhood elected by the people”.
On the Israeli-Palestinian issue, he said “Obama failed to deliver a two-state solution and prevent Gaza massacres”.
He said a two-state solution in Palestine is not possible in the near future. “It will be one state and it is an apartheid one. Greater Israel is now a certainty, the Palestinians will continue to suffer.”
Prof Mearsheimer, who has written one of the most notable books on the Israel lobby in the US, said: “Israel is not a strategic asset for the US.”
The fact that the US financially supports Israel is because of the Israeli lobby in the US. “Did you ever see Israel helping us in the war against ISIS? Or during the First Gulf War? It is all about domestic politics,”he explained.
He also touched upon Iran nuclear deal, suggesting that it is a “good deal”, as it creates conditions that would force Iran to seek good relations with neighbours.
He believes that there is no reason for Gulf countries to be worried about Iran. “I do not believe that Iran has the ability to dominate the Gulf, the US will not let it happen.”
Suggesting that the US-Gulf rapprochement with Iran would disarm nuclear weapons, he said: “The best way for GCC countries to ensure that Iran does not get nuclear weapon in 15 years is to have good relations with the country.”
The Peninsula
