| Getting It Right |
23 June 2003
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Lieutenant General John "Mad Arab" Abizaid, All-American
General Tommy Franks is retiring after achieving military success of Alexandrian proportions -- that is, he conquered Persia. Replacing him will be Lt. Gen. John Abizaid, a West Point graduate whose nickname there was the "Mad Arab." Mad or not, General Abizaid's appointment undercuts the view of the American military as a bunch of know-nothings.
In addition to his West Point degree, General Abizaid holds a master degree from Harvard in Middle Eastern studies. Moreover, he speaks Arabic with a Lebanese accent, since that is where his grandfather came from. It is difficult to imagine a better prepared occupier, with the possible exception that he is a Christian rather than a Muslim.
America's military, as usual, leads the civilian segment of society in meritocracy. Under live fire, there is no room for incompetents (although two Air Force pilots appear to have gotten away with friendly fire killings of four Canadian allies). Relations with the Muslim world, especially its Arab component, will be the next generation's Cold War. Just as understanding and continued study of the USSR's economic system, Russian culture and history were once vital to American foreign policy, so too will Arabic and Muslim cultures and habits form the cornerstone of success in dealing with the new challenge.
The question is whether America's educational system is up to the job -- it definitely is not. Mercifully, it has the grandchildren of Arab immigrants on its general staff.