February
20,
2003
Ambassador Karim Kawar,
Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of
Jordan to the United States of America and the
Republic of Mexico
Jordanian Ambassador Karim Kawar's lecture on "The Middle East Crisis from a Jordanian Perspective" was very timely and offered a unique insight into a moderate Arab government's point of view regarding the crisis of Iraq. The Ambassador started his remarks by telling the Executive Lecture Forum members and guests that his country cannot ignore what is happening in Iraq. As one of the allies of the United States, the Jordanian government feels it is important to be candid and frank in sharing genuine concern. "War," said the Ambassador, "should definitely be the last resort." He felt that the conflict in Iraq would divert attention from a bigger war, the war on terrorism. In addition, his other concern is the disintegration of Iraq. "We cannot allow," he said, "for Iraq to be broken up into three states. That would be a destabilizing factor for the whole region." The Ambassador concluded his well-received address by reminding his audiences that there are many advocates who speak about the crash of civilization, claiming that the Western Civilization is different from that of the Eastern Civilization. Ambassador Kawar is an advocate of the conversion of culture. In his believe, mankind is evolving into a global culture. The basic principles of the three moralistic religions—Christianity, Judaism, and Islam—like the ten commandments, are common to all those three religions. When we build our global culture on those values and principles, said the Ambassador, we will realize that there is more in common than there are differences.
