The United States will continue to face resistance in Iraq -- in the form of bombings, killings, vandalism and angry demonstrations -- until it develops and announces a quick exit strategy, said Ebrahim Moosa, co-director of Duke University's Center for the Study of Muslim Networks.

"In the Muslim world, the U.S. occupation of Iraq is equal to Israeli occupation of Palestine," said Moosa, an associate research professor of religion. "Every Iraqi searched, manhandled and arrested on flimsy suspicions will carry grudges against U.S. forces. Video of U.S. military raids in Iraq look uncannily like Israel raids into the West Bank and Gaza against Palestinians. This is the Palestinian-ization of the Iraqi conflict."

Rather than stepping up military raids, the United States should convince the United Nations Security Council to take over security functions in Iraq and offer (along with the British) to foot the entire bill, Moosa said. Rather than talking about an open-ended occupation period, the United States should set a date -- no more than a year into the future - to pull out and work to meet that date, he added.

"Iraqis, even in their broken and inefficient ways, need to own the post-Saddam era, not America," said Moosa, who is writing a book provisionally titled "After Empire: Rethinking Islam in (Post) Modernity." "If America wishes to own it, it will also own the casualties of conflict, long-term hostilities and financial burdens."

The absence of U.S. forces does raise the possibility that Ba'athists or Islamic extremists could come to power, Moosa said.

"That is the risk the United States took when it gambled on the risky venture of regime change," he said. "The U.S. had no realistic idea with what it would replace Saddam's government."

Moosa can be reached for additional comment at (919) 270-3431 or by email at moosa@duke.edu.