The war and the United States' plans for Iraq, successful or not, will affect the world, said the Jordanian ambassador to Austria Wednesday afternoon.
Muhyieddeen Touq, Ball State alumnus, told a group of 70 people about the war's impact on oil, the United Nations and the Middle East in his presentation, "The War on Iraq and Its Impact."
The United Nations will face change after failure of the Security Council, Touq said.
"The lengthy and painful discussions in the Security Council ... have tarnished the image of the United Nations," Touq said. "The war in Iraq may create the climate to instigate reforms long over due."
Touq said the five veto powers in the Security Council have "paralyzed" it.
If attempts to install a democratic government in Iraq are successful, other Arab nations may also look to a similar system, including Iran.
"If everything goes right, Iran will find itself sandwiched between two pro-west countries: Afghanistan and Iraq," Touq said.
He said there's a good chance that Iran will open up its nuclear facilities to inspectors.
However, another extremist rule may be established if Islamists are allowed to an Islamist state, he said.
Touq said a successful democratic government will happen only if the Iraqi people are allowed to create one.
"You can send me a French suit, but you can't send me a French democracy," Touq said.
He said a successful democracy is not limited to voting but includes having respect for the laws.
Not everyone will be so open to change, he said.
While most people in the Middle East dislike Saddam Hussein, they are distrustful of Americans, he said.
"Arabs will not believe the war is just," Touq said. "These feelings can only be averted if there is a genuine peace in the Middle East."
He said the war has helped the Palestine and Israel peace talks move forward, which in turn will give legitimacy to the war.
The United States can also help end feelings of hatred by dispelling its troops as soon as possible, he said.
"America is not in the trade of imperialism," Touq said. "America is in the trade of liberating people."
Though the United States may not want to set up its own government in Iraq, it does want to control Iraq's oil, he said.
Touq said that the United States has worked since 1971 to gain a power hold in the Gulf region.
The United States can end the control of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries "cartel" on oil if they set up a successful government in Iraq, he said.
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