News release Public Information Office   SLU 10880   Hammond, LA 70402   phone: 985-549-2341   fax: 985-549-2061 publicinfo@selu.edu     www.selu.edu/news Contact: Rene Abadie Date: 4/30/03   Click on image for publication quality photo GENERAL ADDRESSES POST-IRAQ CONCERNS       HAMMOND – A number of questions that may take years to fully answer will determine the success or failure of the war in Iraq, a former military commander said Wednesday (April 30).       In an address at Southeastern Louisiana University, retired four-star U.S. Army General Montgomery C. Meigs said the Iraqi war carried with it a number of uncertainties that could take from one to 10 years to resolve. Meigs, who served as a regular commentator on the war on CNBC, is the former commander of NATO’s 39-member stabilization force in Bosnia-Herzegovina. He currently serves as the Distinguished      Visiting Professor of World Peace at the LBJ School of Public Policy at the University of Texas and holds the Younger-Carter Fellowship for Distinguished Policy-Maker in Residence at Texas A&M University.       Meigs outlined four major uncertainties associated with the war, some of which he said will turn out positive while others may be negative for the United States.       “Are we setting up the conditions for a successful effort to reconstruct Iraq as a stable democratic government?” he asked. One of the tests, he explained, will be to help the Iraqis develop a sense of separation of church and state in a Muslim society where this is not the preferred approach.       He noted that another concern will be the patience of the American people. “There will be situations where our troops are periodically attacked and must use lethal force in response,” he said. “They will face suicide bombers, snipers and others interested in thwarting U.S. efforts. Will the folks at home be understanding about this?”       An international issue that must be resolved, Meigs said, is whether traditional alliances have been significantly damaged. The anti-war positions assumed by Germany and France were based in large part because significant coalitions that make up the governing parties in those nations were opposed to military intervention. The question now is what happens to NATO and the United Nations and are these institutions now less important factors, Meigs said.        A final hurdle the nation faces is paying the bills associated with military intervention. Meigs said initial estimates indicate the nation’s deficit this year will be more than $.5 trillion with a similar deficit next year. The growth rate of the economy is significantly lower than what had been projected, leaving most states to face major budget cuts that impact new. “Can we conduct an aggressive foreign policy with these kinds of costs?” he questioned.       Meigs predicted that the Iraqi people will probably develop a loose federal system that “will hang together because they have an interest in hanging together.” While the Shiite Muslims represent 60 percent of the Iraqi population, if minority rights of other groups are not protected it will not be an effective government. “This is a major bump in the road that will have to be resolved,” he said.       Meigs’ presentation was sponsored by the Southeastern President and Provost’s Office, the Department of History and Political Science and the University Honors Program. Return to News Releases