Barbara Ferguson • Arab News Correspondent

WASHINGTON, 20 June 2003 — Army Lt. Gen. John Abizaid speaks fluent Arabic, is a Middle East scholar and proud of his roots in the Arab world. He was the second-in-command in the war against Iraq, and may soon see himself become a household name throughout the United States.

The Pentagon announced on Wednesday President Bush’s nomination of Gen. Abizaid to succeed retiring Gen. Tommy Franks as chief of the US Central Command.

The nomination of Gen. Abizaid, who is of Lebanese descent and Gen. Franks’ deputy, had been widely anticipated.

The three-star general has vast Pentagon experience, an impressive Army resume and an academic and personal background in the Middle East — all of which makes him an excellent choice to lead the military in the region.

“You begin with the fact that he’s a great soldier,” Bill Nash, a retired Army general who commanded an armored brigade in the 1991 War, and has known Abizaid for 20 years, told the Associated Press. “Then you add to that the fact that he is savvy to the world political military affairs. And...his unique qualification is that he is fluent in Arabic and understands that region extremely well.”

Abizaid grew up in Coleville, California, where his widowed father raised him. He acquired his knowledge of Arabic as an adult, studying at the University of Jordan in Amman. In addition, he holds a master’s degree in Middle East studies from Harvard University.

Officials say Abizaid is expected to become the point man for operations inside Iraq and US military relations with other Arab nations. A graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point, Abizaid also attended the Armed Forces Staff College and Stanford University. He trained as a paratrooper and an Army Ranger, and served in the 82nd Airborne Division and the First Armored Division. He is said to have extensive background in military operations, particularly in areas of civilian Muslim populations.

In the 1990s, he was involved with military operations to protect the Kurds in northern Iraq, as well as in Bosnia and Kosovo.

He is currently serving as the deputy commander of US Central Command, and is in Iraq.

Pentagon officials deny that Gen. Abizaid has now been chosen as a “fence mender” toward the Arab world. “It’s safe to say that he was chosen for this position based on his career as a military officer, and the fact that he speaks Arabic and understands the culture is an added benefit,” said Lt. Col. David Lapan, Pentagon public affairs official.