best/worst self-description
The Iraq war will no doubt go down as one of the great blunders of the American empire as it stumbles into history. Of all the scandals, the millions in misappropriated funds, the stockpiles of missing arms, the failure to establish an Iraqi police and military force, the propping up of an ineffective and lazy parliament, Blackwater, a lack of transparency with contractors, the invasion itself... this one is my favorite.
Owen Cragol, formally President of Northern Arizona University, was hired as chancellor of the American University in Iraq. The position is a significant one. AUI would help transform the intellectual life in the Middle East. It would expand American intellectual influence into a country not particularly friendly to the US.
But a simple google search shows just how poor choice Cragol is to head the AUI. In 2001 Cragol resigned from NAU after a scandal. In a locker room, Cragol grabbed the genitals of a fellow faculty member. After charges of sexual harassment Cragol sent out an email to all staff in which he described himself as "a rub-your-belly, grab-your-balls, give-you-a-hug, slap-your-back, pull-your-dick, squeeze-your-hand, cheek-your-face, and pat-your-thigh kind of guy."
Now, that is worth a belly laugh. But to get a little perspective on the issue, you can read this article.
Owen Cragol, formally President of Northern Arizona University, was hired as chancellor of the American University in Iraq. The position is a significant one. AUI would help transform the intellectual life in the Middle East. It would expand American intellectual influence into a country not particularly friendly to the US.
But a simple google search shows just how poor choice Cragol is to head the AUI. In 2001 Cragol resigned from NAU after a scandal. In a locker room, Cragol grabbed the genitals of a fellow faculty member. After charges of sexual harassment Cragol sent out an email to all staff in which he described himself as "a rub-your-belly, grab-your-balls, give-you-a-hug, slap-your-back, pull-your-dick, squeeze-your-hand, cheek-your-face, and pat-your-thigh kind of guy."
Now, that is worth a belly laugh. But to get a little perspective on the issue, you can read this article.
I personally would not volunteer for the post unless I'd been blackballed in the United States and needed a change of venue. In civil wars and insurgencies, intellectuals often become prime targets.
I wonder who else applied for the job? (if anyone)