Expert Asks, "Can U.S. Avoid War With Iran?"
Middle East expert talks about prospects of war with Iran



The U.S. could avoid war with Iran once U.S. leaders realize Iran is not aggressive state and does not support terrorism, a Middle East expert told students Monday, March 29, in the Robert S. Kerr Auditorium of the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History.

Juan Cole, author of the popular blog on Middle East issues, “Informed Comment,” and professor of history at the University of Michigan, gave a lecture titled “Can the U.S. Avoid War with Iran?” and signed copies of his book, "Engaging the Muslim World."

Cole said he doesn’t think a U.S. war with Iran is an “immediate possibility, but in the world system we now have, Iran is viewed by NATO as the most troublesome.”

Cole said despite politicians’ frequent rhetoric about Iran’s nuclear weapons program, there is no evidence that Iran is building a bomb. He said if Iran did obtain a bomb, attacking Israel or the U.S. would not be in Iran’s best interest.

“If they got a bomb, deterrents would work, and the price of an alternative [U.S.] policy, which would probably be a land invasion, and a major war could be so destructive to the world that it’s not the preferable course,” Cole said. “But, you know, I could be overruled in 2012 by Sarah Palin.”

Co-director of OU’s Center for Middle East Studies, Joshua Landis, said Cole has had a great influence on his own interest in the region.

“In many ways [Cole’s] blog changed my life, because it inspired me to start blogging myself,” said Landis, associate professor of Middle East studies. “He is the most successful blogger on the Middle East. It is no exaggeration to say that he has educated an entire generation of Americans about Iraq.”

Landis said major news networks often seek Cole’s expertise and the CIA, the Defense Department, and the State Department constantly consult him for information on Iraq and Iran.

The Center for Middle East Studies sponsored the lecture. The center will bring in freelance journalist and reporter for Toronto's Globe and Mail, Orly Halpern, for the next contemporary Middle East issues lecture on April 5 in Ellison Hall.