Iraqi official visits MSU to aid homeland

Sami al-Araji’s eyes were playing tricks on him.

The Iraqi deputy minister of industry and minerals has seen plenty of changes during his life in Iraq.

He has endured several wars. He has seen his people decimated by terrorist attacks, American attacks and attacks from his own government.

Things that were greater than the loss of some East Lansing landmarks from when he was an undergraduate and graduate student studying mechanical engineering at MSU during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

“There’s been a lot of renewal,” said al-Araji, who was in East Lansing this past weekend for homecoming. “I was amazed at the College of Engineering and how it developed. … Grand River Avenue has developed so much … I couldn’t even recognize a lot of the buildings.”

In a country that seems to be constantly rebuilding, al-Araji is one of the people taking Iraq into the developed world.

And he’s asking MSU to help.

“He’s a natural leader”

James Beck, an MSU professor of mechanical engineering and al-Araji’s graduate adviser, isn’t surprised by where al-Araji sits in Iraq.

“He’s gone from director of this and head of that to director of this and head of that,” Beck said. “He’s a natural leader.”

Beck said he has never had a more loyal student than al-Araji, who would even take Beck’s children to Meridian Mall to buy Christmas presents for them, but there were gaps in communication throughout the 32 years since al-Araji graduated. Beck said he often wondered whether his friend had been killed under Saddam Hussein’s regime.

“He said he was almost killed quite a few times,” Beck said.

Al-Araji focuses less on Hussein’s inhumane track record. He said sanctions and boycotts following the first Persian Gulf War were Hussein’s most significant repercussions because it set the country back economically.

But now he’s ready to lead Iraq forward.

Michigan and Iraq — a natural partnership

Michigan and Iraq have something in common: They both emphasize renewable energy and economic development.

Al-Araji was at the Lansing Chamber of Commerce this weekend to meet businessmen to encourage investment in Iraq. For a state with an 8.9 percent unemployment rate — the worst in the nation — it might not be that farfetched.

“What happens is because of our unique relationship with Iraq, we are collaborating on projects with Iraq, so why not?” said Rita Kiki Edozie, assistant professor of international relations. “I would think college students in Michigan should be encouraged to collaborate on joint ventures with Iraq.”

Edozie said when she worked in New York, there was a group of Columbia University students who went to Iraq as early as 2003. She added that the U.S. has actively worked in the international community to bring investment to Iraq, which has spurred development.

Edozie also said investment will not shy away from post-conflict Iraq because of its oil reserves. Despite having oil, she said Iraq has an incentive to produce alternative fuels because they know oil is finite and foreign nations wish to break their energy dependence. For that reason, al-Araji is emphasizing renewable energy research and he thinks MSU can help.

“Being an alumnus of Michigan State University and knowing that Michigan State University is very much interested in this field, I would like to get Michigan State University into Iraq to try to help with developing and harvesting these opportunities,” he said.

For a state in need of jobs and an economic spark, it would be al-Araji’s way of giving back to the community that gave him everything.

“I’m really what I am today, and what I’m doing and serving my people in Iraq, all of it is because of this rich experience that I had at Michigan State University,” he said.

Published on Tuesday, October 7, 2008