Ending war in Iraq

The best and quick solution for ending the civil war in Iraq is the departure of Nuri Al-Maliki from power. What is happening now in the land of Euphrates is the result of his failure. The delay in his departure would make it worse than the situation created following the fall of Saddam Hussein.

Al-Maliki has been oppressing his allies and opponents including Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds, sometimes in the name of fighting terrorism and sometimes in the name of democracy. He was also not on good terms with his neighbors except Iran and the Syrian regime due to sectarian reasons.

As a result of this policy, Al-Maliki remains alone during the present crisis facing the country. It cannot be described just a sectarian attack against him because there has been a combined revenge against Al-Maliki from all groups including the Sunnis because of his oppressive policies.

He had boasted about the departure of Americans from Iraq and now he is requesting US forces to launch air attacks on terrorists. Al-Maliki had rejected US intervention in Syria despite the horrendous crimes committed by Assad’s regime. The crisis in Iraq is not against the whole regime like in Syria, but against Al-Maliki’s leadership.

— By Tariq Alhumayed

US options and Baghdad

In 2003 the United States attacked Iraq under the pretext of destroying weapons of mass destruction. Later it was discovered that there were no such weapons in the country. On Sept. 12, 2001, an analyst wrote in New Yorker that the Iraqi regime was responsible for 9/11 attacks and the US must attack Iraq to discipline that country.

In both cases, the analyzes were wrong and the US attacks failed to achieve its strategic objectives. Now Al-Maliki government has requested the US to intervene to stop extremist forces from taking over the country and given the green light for US forces to carry out air attacks on the strongholds of ISIL.

But the White House has not given any assurance except President Barack Obama saying all options are open. Past US interventions in Iraq not only brought positive results but also created bad public opinion in the US. American forces lost 33,000 men in Iraq in addition to material losses worth more than $1.8 trillion. As a result the Obama administration will think a million times before sending his forces to Iraq. The Republicans have strongly criticized Obama for not setting out a clear-cut strategy for the Middle East.

The US has to select between the two choices. If it intervenes once again in Iraq it would not know whether it could come out of it successfully. On the other hand if it decides not to send forces it would affect its credibility and draw criticism from allies. The coming days will determine what the White House would do in Iraq after it failed in Syria.

— By Hani Wafa

The flight of funds

Saudi Arabia has witnessed a lot of economic reforms in recent years. Various government departments are trying their best to make things better. The Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) has taken initiatives to correct the mistakes it had done in the past to attract value- added investment.

SAGIA has found that most foreign investment was not contributing to the economy in terms of increasing exports, reducing imports, transferring technology and creating jobs for Saudis. It also found that most foreign investors do not follow SAGIA’s standards and conditions.

SAGIA had given these small-scale investors enough time to correct their status. SAGIA is looking for multinational companies as well as those listed on stock markets and companies that manufacture internationally branded products. Contracting companies must have implemented projects worth not less than SR500 million in their countries with not less than 2,000 workers.

Although SAGIA has made commendable efforts to attract foreign investments, it has failed to stop the flight of Saudi funds to foreign countries. According to one report, such Saudi funds are estimated at SR1 trillion. The authority must create a balance between the incentives and facilities provided to Saudi and foreign investors and provide additional incentives to Saudi investors.

— By Mohammed Al-Aufi

Scholarship students

The foreign scholarship program has brought about a remarkable improvement in the lives and education of Saudi students. They come with a different experience from foreign countries where teachers deal with their students in a friendly manner and are happy to discuss with them academic and non-academic matters.

Our universities have to learn many things from foreign universities. Many of our teachers have failed to attract students because of their boring lectures, as they do not make good preparations. They are also not ready to hold discussions with students and take questions from them. Such talks are essential for students to develop their capabilities in conducting constructive dialogue.

We have to be aware of the poor educational system in our country and understand what is wrong. Many of our teachers lack the skills to create a good academic atmosphere in our universities to spur thoughts and intelligence of our students. They will not be able to understand and accommodate certain questions as they take them with suspicion.

What I am trying to say is that Saudi university teachers must rise to the occasion to lead the Kingdom’s educational revolution and I believe the return of scholarship graduates to our universities as teachers would have a big impact on our education system.

— By Eid Al-Dhafeery

Benefits of family life

A recent research study conducted in the West showed the importance of family life in reducing worries. The study, which was conducted by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, suggests that people with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who are single or have unsupportive family relationships may be less likely to adhere to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy.

Results show that individuals who were married had better CPAP adherence after the first three months of treatment than individuals who were single. Higher ratings of family relationship quality also were associated with better adherence.

The Holy Qur’an says: “And among His signs is that He created for you spouses from among yourselves that you may find peace in them, and He put between you love and mercy.” But many people are not aware of the benefits of family life.

— By Salim bin Ahmed Sahab

Change is a must

A friend of mine told me that I have to change the date of my article from the beginning of the week to the end. I asked him why? He said on Saturdays which is a holiday, people will not read newspapers. I don’t know from where he got this idea. But I am sure he is one among people who do not change their views and concepts. We see people who go to the same restaurant and eat the same food and will not be ready to taste other food. But for me change is essential and I have applied it in my life.

I like to change by dress and appearance to make it impressive. We should be courageous enough to break tradition and routine because change is part and parcel of life. My friend was against changing weekend to Friday and Saturday and now the government decision has forced him to accept the change. So we should not wait for decisions and laws to change our lives but we should be ready for changes to make our lives better and happier.

— By Bassam Fetaini