Olivier Roy at PostGlobal

Olivier Roy

Paris, France

Olivier Roy is a senior researcher at the CNRS (French National Center for Scientific Research). He currently lectures at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) and the Institut d'Etudes Politiques (IEP) in Paris and has acted as consultant to the French Foreign Ministry (Center for Analysis and Forecast) since 1984. Olivier Roy was also a consultant with UNOCA on Afghanistan in 1988, special OSCE representative to Tajikistan (August 1993 to February 1994) and headed the OSCE Mission for Tajikistan from February to October 1994. He is also the author of Globalized Islam, published by Columbia University Press. Close.

Olivier Roy

Paris, France

Olivier Roy is a senior researcher at the CNRS (French National Center for Scientific Research). more »

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Dividing Iraq Will Exacerbate Regional Tensions

Paris, France - Iraq would not be better off if divided since Iraq would be no more. And what of the Iraqis? I say they probably will not be better off because the fighting will go on under new banners.

The collapse of Iraq as a unified state will dramatically change the regional balance of power and will increase regional tensions because other forces will rush to fill the vacuum. Turkey and Iran will put a lot of pressure on an independent Kurdistan. The local Iraqi Shi'a-Sunni tensions will turn into a regional confrontation in which proxies like Iran and a coalition of Arab militant Sunnis face off against nationalists, supported by Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Thus, dividing up Iraq will extend its troubles to the whole region.

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Posted on August 1, 2006 10:00 AM

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