Not to divert student’s attention away from the immediate matters and concerns ‘- the impending joyous holidays and not so joyous final papers and exams ‘- but for the sake of not forsaking bigger and more urgent development, I would like to revisit Iraq just to keep us focused on the big picture and not sliding again into disengagement, apathy and complacency.

Despite the US military involvement in more than one place in the world, Afghanistan and Iraq still top the list. I believe that our attention began to be diverted to more immediate concerns after becoming assured that, whether by sheer miracle or shroud planning and execution on the part of President George W. Bush’s handpicked appointee General Petraeus, the surge remarkably turned the tide against the insurgents and their al-Qaeda affiliates and terrorists. Moreover, we had elected a new president who, with promises of ending the war and bringing the troops home, lulls us once more into a sense of confidence, serenity and in some cases renewed detachment.

Let me asked you this. Do you happen to know what the latest developments in Iraq are following the unprecedented success of the surge and the election of President Barack Obama? Give up? I thought so. Well, aside from the terrible death toll following two massive and simultaneous car-bomb attacks on government installations in August and October, aimed at creating chaotic situations ahead of the general elections scheduled for Jan. 21, 2010, it looks like our president will have to rethink his plans for a phased withdrawal of US troops from the major cities, including, of course, Baghdad. On the bright side, however, Iraqis from various areas and walks of life have been expressing optimism, confidence and genuine hope for a bright future. The source of their confidence is the commitment of the Iraqi and US governments to work together to finally usher in a period of security and stability that will enable Iraq to emerge strong, secure and democratic. Again, to divert our attention away from Iraq during these critical times will only encourage those destructive forces in their bid to reverse such hard won achievements towards freedom and democracy, not mention a major let down for the Iraqi people in their time of need.

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Please let us stay focused and remember we are all in this together. In this day and age we can no longer afford to hand over or delegate matters of paramount significance to government officials or those people who are directly affected as soon as the immediate danger seems to outwardly dissipate.

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‘- Fathi El-Shihibi is a professor in the African American Studies Department at Northeastern.