Iraqi-American has mixed feelings over fall of Baghdad

With this week’s fall of Baghdad, many feel the end of the Iraqi war is close at hand. Grinnell College English professor Saadi Simawe considers himself half-Iraqi and half-American. Like his mixed background, Simawe says he’s also mixed about the war. He says he’s happy to see Hussein gone, but he says historically the U.S. supported Saddam, and he’s worried they’ll support another dictator.Some critics fear the American military will play too large a role in running the government in a postwar Iraq. A Pentagon-appointed former general in charge of rebuilding Iraq is raising concerns in the Arab and Muslim world. Simawe says he’s anxious about the next step. Simawe says he’d much rather see the United Nations head up the rebuilding of Iraq. He believes the regime of Saddam Hussein is over, but he still expects pockets of resistance before it’s over.