Wednesday, January 5, 2005 SF Lecture, "What We Owe Iraq: War and the Ethics of Nation Building"

Wednesday, January 5

What We Owe Iraq: War and the Ethics of Nation
Building

Noah Feldman, Associate Professor of Law, New York
University; former Senior Constitutional Adviser,
Coalition Provisional Authority, Iraq

America is up to its neck in nation building, but the
public debate, focused on getting the troops home,
devotes little attention to why we are building a new
Iraqi nation, what success would look like, or what
principles should guide us. Noah Feldman argues that
to prevent nation building from turning into a
paternalistic, colonialist charade, we urgently need a
new, humbler approach. Nation builders should focus on
providing security, without arrogantly claiming any
special expertise in how successful nation-states
should be made. Drawing on his personal experiences in
Iraq as a constitutional adviser, Feldman offers
enduring insights into the power dynamics between the
American occupiers and the Iraqis, and tackles issues
such as Iraqi elections, the prospect of successful
democratization, and the way home.

Noah Feldman (AB '92) is Associate Professor of Law at
New York University and, in 2003, was Senior
Constitutional Adviser to the Coalition Provisional
Authority in Iraq. He is the author of After Jihad:
America and the Struggle for Islamic Democracy.

Check In: 5:30 PM, Program: 6:00 PM
At the World Affairs Council: 312 Sutter Street, 2nd
Floor Conference Room, San Francisco

Harvard Club Members: $7, Nonmembers: $15
To reserve seats call: (415) 293-4600, e-mail
registration@wacsf.org, or visit:
www.itsyourworld.org.