By Jeff Powalisz
With the 2004 Presidential election looming, students gathered Thursday in the Curry Student Center to reexamine President George W. Bush’s War on Terror.
Bush said he felt the war would make the world safer in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Presidential hopeful John F. Kerry has called the plan “inept.”
Attendees of the event, part of the Progressive Student Alliance’s (PSA) weekly discussion series, included members of the NU Democrats, Students for Kerry and the Student Government Association.
PSA member Mike Amato moderated the discussion and presented questions to the group.
Many questioned the overall plans of Bush’s administration and whether or not fighting an “idea” (terrorism) is feasible.
Yaarub Al Yaarubi, a middler industrial engineering major, noted that the plan lacks support, unlike in 1991, where the majority of the world was on America’s side.
“Comparing the war in 1991 and 2003, there is a huge difference in international support. The goal is completely different. In 1991, a resolution was passed and there was world support. In 2003, the biggest loss was on the international level.”
Others asked how terrorism could be confronted differently from Bush’s approach. The response was America was retaliating in Afghanistan but their presence in Iraq is much more controversial. “The motivation to invade Iraq definitely included their oil, but other reasons as well,” said Jacob Klansin, a transfer student majoring in history. “Why else would we be liberating people we never cared for before?”
Yaarubi also noted that the U.S. seems to be acting on its own.
“In 2003, the biggest loss is on the international level, because the UN lost its power. The U.S. acted outside the umbrella of the U.N. I think the U.N. role, or position, was hijacked by two or three countries and that is unfortunate.”
Amato also asked the group if the United States’ current role in Iraq should be given to the U.N. Although the clear majority of speakers were against Bush’s actions, they said that the troops in Iraq cannot leave the country hanging.
“We can’t just cut and run now,” said Anthony Morse, a sophomore political science major and member of the NU Democrats. “We have troops there and need commitment. If we pull out now, there would be an even worse problem and utter chaos. No President, I think, on any ticket would say we have to cut and run now.”
The group also discussed the situation on the homeland, including the measures taken by the administration to combat the War on Terror.
Morse said that what happened on September 11 was a part of a communication failure between intelligence and defense agencies in the United States. However, another speaker quickly noted that agencies such as the FBI and CIA, by definition, work on their own.
“If American citizens suspected of being involved in any sort of terrorist threat can be held indefinitely and lose their citizenship’s in the U.S. and be held without reason, that is a scary thing,” said Scott Breiding, a senior history major.
PSA, formed in 2001, welcomes anyone interested in promoting social justice through education, demonstration and direct action. It seeks to raise awareness about the world, and encourage direct participation in the decisions that affect the course of society.
