Meredith
September 25th, 2002
ERALD
Volume XVIV, Issue 5
Iraq forum answers questions and
creates diologue about pressing issue
The History and Politics Club sponsored the event to ponder the possibility of war with Iraq.
MARGARET COONEY
Staff Writer
We see the coverage
everyday on the news, yet
how much do we really
know about the situation in
Iraq? Last Wednesday, an
information session about
Iraq was held to answer the
very question on everyone’s
mind: what is the deal wiUi
Iraq?
Students and other inter
ested people gathered to
hear from a panel of experts
who put many questions to
rest and explained those diat
may never be answered.
The panel consisted of Dr.
Jim Piazza, whose specialty
is international relations;
Captain Lisa Phillips, who
has served in the U.S. Air
Force and has been to
Afghanistan and Iraq; Dr.
Greg Vitarbo, who is a 20th
century historian with an
interest in military history;
and Dr. Akram Khater, who
specializes in modem
Middle Eastern history.
Several other members of
the history and politics
department, including Dr.
Carolyn Happer, Dr.
Barbara True-Weber, Dr.
William Price and Dr. Clyde
Frazier, added their knowl
edge to the discussion about
the Iraqi-U.S. situation.
"I continue to believe that
the better mformed we are,
the better decisions we are
going to make,” said Dr.
Michael Novak, head of the
Department of History and
Politics, as he opened the
session.
The session began with a
quick explanation of the
modem history of Iraq,
emphasizing the political
instability of the country.
Saddam Hussein, who
gained power in 1979,
became a common name in
households across America
during the Gulf War in
1991. Khater pointed out
that the CIA actually had a
part in Hussein's rise to
power. So the U.S. not only
helped create a problem, but
also had to solve it.
The U.S. helped lead a
coalition to drive Iraq ow of
Kuwait. As part of the
United Nations’ resolution
with Iraq, the countiy had to
disarm all weapons of mass
destruction and allow
United Nations amis
inspectors to search Iraq for
weapons.
In 1998, Iraq evicted the
U.N. arms inspectors,
claiming they were spies.
Ctaly recently has Iraq stat
ed they would allow U.N.
weapons inspectors back in.
"I can't imagine that
Saddam would [allow] a
complete inspection,"
Piazza said. "He can't just
give them the keys to the
kingdom. He'll lose his job.”
So where does that leave the
U.S.?
It is hard to cite just one
reason behind the desires of
President Bush and his
advisers to go to war with
Iraq. Claims of mass
weapon production and
financial support for terror
ists are among some of the
main motives for war with
Iraq.
Would an invasion actual
ly help the problem, or
would it create further dam
age to the unsteady situation
in the Middle East?
"I think in the short nm we
may solve a problem. In the
long run we are going to
create & serious problem for
ourselves because we are
going to create a generation
of very angry people,”
Khater said.
"The argument that he
poses a threat to the United
States is a rather ridiculous
argument at this point. The
man is terrible, the man is
horrible, but he is not a
threat to anyone but his own
people that he is oppressing
everyday," he added.
Students were encouraged
to express their own views
and ask questions alter the
background information
was presented. Several stu
dents and members of the
Meredith community took
advantage of this opportuni
ty-
“I expected the panel to be
impressive, but I was also
impressed by the depth of
thought many of the stu
dents exhibited within their
questions and comments,”
freshman Hillary Madden
said.
Those who attended the
session on Wednesday were
left witii many points of
view to consider in the Iraqi
issue. To understand the
conflict, a person must
research the situation from
all sides because it is not
just the U.S. that is
involved.
On the inside:
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