December 2, 2003	Tuesday	Shawwal 7, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 1: In reaction to the 9/11 incidents, US President George Bush did not choose the right path, rather he choose to play the role of an ‘International Field Marshal,‘ said Aziz Alkazaz, the economist of German Institute for Middle East Studies (Deutsches Orient-Institute).

He was speaking at a talk on “Iraq Under Occupation: Political and Economic Prospects”, organized by the Institute of Strategic Studies, says a Press release issued here on Monday.

Mr Alkazaz said though the US had succeeded to get rid of Saddam Hussein almost single handedly, it had utterly failed to bring about stability in Iraq because it ignored social and political realities. “Even those Iraqis, who initially cooperated with the US-led coalition, have now realized that their role was too limited.”

He said the prevailing situation in Iraq had five characteristics: Iraq is in total chaos, there is no security, severe shortage of basic necessities, rising unemployment, and the mounting resistance against the occupation.

The speaker was of the view that the US wanted to stay in Iraq as long as possible. He also criticized the occupation forces for not undertaking any comprehensive and integrated reconstruction efforts in Iraq.