On January 28, 2015 Ambassador Lukman Faily delivered remarks to a student-audience at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
The ambassador’s lecture, entitled “Challenges of Iraqi Foreign Policy, Status and Prospective,” outlined the new Iraqi government’s approach to foreign policy. Ambassador Faily briefed the audience on Iraq’s internal dynamics prior-to and post-collapse of Saddam’s regime in 2003, when Iraqis began a new era of political progress and democracy.
The Ambassador emphasized the many achievements of Iraq’s new and inclusive government, including national reconciliation, decentralization, restructuring and reform of armed forces, and economic reform and development.
Ambassador Faily focused on Iraq-U.S. relations and regional cooperation to confront the threat of ISIS, highlighting the strength of the relationship between the two countries, particularly in the fight against global terrorism. He also offered an assessment of current developments in the Middle East and Iraq’s recent initiatives to foster security and stability with its neighbors.
The Ambassador discussed efforts to defeat ISIS and noted that greater support from the international community, including expedited arms delivery and increased intelligence coordination is necessary to these efforts. International support to Iraq is crucial in facing terrorism and the extremism of ISIS. Already a coalition of 60 nations led by the United States, have provided military advisors, airstrikes, weapons, ammunition, intelligence, border monitoring and training.
The event was sponsored by the departments of History and American Studies, Political Science and International Affairs, and Geography, the Leidecker Center for Asian Studies, and the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
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