This week students at the University of Southern Maine responded to the current debate over resolutions with Iraq and the United Nations in varying ways.
Walking into the campus centers this week, one noticed that the television remained tuned to the comedy channel and other light entertainment. Some students on the Portland campus shrugged when asked if they were watching the news or keeping abreast of the current situation with Iraq. Most were sprawled out on couches in the usual manner. Not all were interested in responding to questions on Iraq or sharing their view on the current political situation.
A few were, however, and although some students did not offer opinions, it is possible that the current state of affairs in Congress will become more of a consideration in the coming weeks.
As reported in this Friday’s edition of the Washington Post, President Bush has received approval by the House to use force as he sees necessary in order to remove Saddam Hussein from power. Bush has been granted permission to attack Iraq unilaterally, meaning without help from other countries; to remove Saddam Hussein from his dictatorship, and abolish the country’s nuclear capabilities. Bush was quoted as saying in a recent speech to Congress, “The days of Iraq acting as an outlaw country are at an end.”
Senior physics major Matt Amoroso said he doesn’t believe the President’s hype on the reasons for the inspections.
“What’s changed?” he said. “What’s the difference now? Nothing. There still probably isn’t a problem.”
Amoroso argued that Iraq has had these weapons in their possession prior to now, and pushing for inspections at this time is pointless.
“I think that the reasons are economical or political, or both,” he said, adding, “We’re the world champions of hypocritical when it comes to war on weapons of mass destruction.”
Jo Weirs, linguistics major, said she tunes in to the news about once a week to see what’s happening.
“I am not right on top of it because I don’t want to be,” said Weirs. “I’m completely powerless over it. It scares me to pay attention on a daily basis.”
Martin Manning, a junior in media studies and communication thinks
Bush’s push to inspect is a bad idea.
“He’s the face of our country. People are going to think that the American people want him to be doing this. I’ve heard that Saddam is going to let the U.N. in. Why, then, is Bush going for Congress’s approval?”
“I think President Bush is doing something to be remembered by,” commented USM student Ingrid Roeder. Roeder said she has more global issues on her mind. Roeder referred to the war on Iraq as a “distraction.” She said Bush is pushing for war so that he can have a blank check.
“When the war is bad, the economy boosts it,” she said. [Bush] wants to keep the war going until election time,” Roeder said.
Since Bush has received Congress’s approval, he now plans to focus on gaining support from the United Nations. Since Congress has granted him the authority to act Bush now has permission to instigate military action regardless of U.N. support.
“It’s been under-debated,” said Ronald Schmidt, an assistant professor in the political science department.
“This is an example of an aggressive foreign policy maneuver that is not as unprecedented as some people want to claim that it is.” Schmidt spoke of the possible war on Iraq as the beginning of a much larger problem. What will the U.S. will do once Saddam is out of power?
“Congress now claims that they have a policy on what they want to do with post-war Iraq, and that it’s similar to what we did with Japan after the Second World War,” Schmidt said.
Schmidt explained that, “Asia in 1946 is not the Middle East in 2002.” Schmidt stated his concern with a one size fits all policy and statement.
Most members of Congress were in agreement that a strike on Iraq must be a last resort. Saddam’s resistance to amendment of standard weapons inspections indicates that military action will be highly likely.
Schmidt responded to the idea of a possible forum put on for USM students.
“If it’s under-debated at the United States Senate, it certainly doesn’t have to be under-debated at USM,” Schmidt said.
The forum could provide students with a sense of what it is the country is committing itself to.