Ambassador Lukman Faily delivered keynote remarks at the 23rd Annual Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference on October 29, 2014. The conference, "Framing and Charting the Region’s Issues, Interests, Challenges, and Opportunities: Implications for Arab and U.S. Policies" was held at the Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center in Washington, DC.
In his keynote address, “Iraq-US Relations: A View from Baghdad”, Ambassador Faily discussed the fight against ISIL and Iraq’s struggle on the frontlines with the best-funded, best-organized, and best-equipped terrorist organization on Earth.
The Ambassador stated that the crisis can only be quelled with a comprehensive strategy that includes military action and also political, economic, humanitarian and diplomatic efforts by all the affected parties in our region and the world.
In order to defeat ISIL, Ambassador Faily said, it is imperative to act at the grassroots – and also globally. "The causes and consequences of terrorism are transnational. And the efforts to solve these problems must be regional and global in scope," he said.
Ambassador Faily stressed the importance of having a clear and new anti-terrorism doctrine introduced and adopted in the region. "Now is the time for a regional conversation about the constellation of challenges that we face: religious, economic, political and social – as well as terrorism and security. First and foremost, we need all the religious leaders from both sects of Islam to come together against terrorism.
“Terrorism is not a tactic. Terrorism is an atrocity. And we need to declare together, in no uncertain terms, that ISIL brutalities are wrong in any place and at any time – yesterday, today and tomorrow,” Ambassador Faily concluded.
The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations is an American non-profit, non-governmental, educational organization dedicated to improving American knowledge and understanding of the Arab world.
The conference brought together leaders from around the world and distinguished guests to expand the overall Arab-U.S. relationship.
To read Ambassador Faily's full remarks, click here.
To read Ambassador Faily's full remarks in Arabic, click here.
For more information on the conference, click here.