As Congress Wrestles With Resolution on the War, Pitt Faculty Expert Says Iraq Situation Will Go From Bad to Worse

PITTSBURGH-Michael Brenner, professor of international affairs in the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, says the deep, widespread discontent about the Bush White House's Iraq policies is now breaking into full public view because the Democrats control Congress; this gives the debate for a resolution-which is expected today-a partisan coloration. "In truth, many Republicans see the surge to increase American troops as a futile, costly last grasp for some degree of success in Iraq," Brenner says. Republicans are the ones in a bind as they try to reconcile loyalty to the administration with the views of voters and their own convictions, he says. "Whatever the outcome of the vote on what is a mild resolution expressing the sentiment of the House, the debate will flare up with even greater intensity over the next two years as the situation in Iraq goes from bad to worse, and the 2008 Presidential election comes closer," Brenner says. "Moreover, if the administration continues on its collision course with Iran, the nation as a whole may find itself in a far graver crisis."

Brenner's areas of research include American foreign policy, international relations theory, international political economy, and national security; he is affiliated with the Center for Transatlantic Relations in Washington, D.C.

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