IU faculty discuss possibility of Iraq war

Beyond being a source of controversy for the international community as well as the American people, the question of whether the United States has the right or the obligation to go to war with Iraq is also a topic of debate among intellectuals in the fields of political science and international conflict. Faculty members of the IU Political Science Department who focus on matters of international politics are no exception. \n"Saddam Hussein could be deterred and already has been from any sort of international aggressive action, so now is not the time to go to war with Iraq for that rationale," said Professor Michael McGinnis, a political science faculty member specializing in international conflict. "At this time this is not a good war. Saddam is undoubtedly an unsavory character but there are many more like him out there."\nOther political science faculty members don't have as strong of a stance on the war on Iraq.\n"Although I am not vehemently opposed to the possibility of war with Iraq, I have enough doubts about its necessity that do not make me enthusiastic about the prospect of initiating an operation at this time," Professor Dina Spechler said.\nSpechler's comment mirrors the sentiments of many students across the nation that view the possibility of a U.S.-Iraqi war with skepticism but lack a strong conviction either way. However, the recent deployment of 60 thousand more American troops in the region, bringing the total number to more than 300 thousand, could change that neutral stance. \n"The most immediate factor is the pending onset of summer that will leave the question of Iraq to most likely be decided one way or the other within the next two weeks," said Professor Karen Rasler, a political science faculty member specializing in International War and Conflict.\n"It worries me that the timetable is being driven by such an artificial medium as the onset of a desert summer, and reminds me of the situation prior to WWI in which as soon as the Russians mobilized the Germans felt compelled to attack before winter and thus did not have time to pursue other ends," Spechler said.\nAn additional argument often neglected in coverage of the current Iraqi situation is how the war will differ militarily from what was experienced in the Persian Gulf War of 1991. Many agreed Washington is without a doubt able to fight and most likely win a second war in Baghdad. \n"The most difficult type of fighting is being an invader to an entrenched enemy who knows the landscape in an urban setting, which is exactly what U.S. troops would face if they were ordered to occupy Baghdad -- the only way to effect regime change," Spechler said.\nPerspectives also differ among the political science department faculty on the future of an occupied Iraq for the future of its people, an immense economic and political burden on the United States and widening of conflicts in the Middle East. But a shared thread is the potential and even probability of dire short-term results for all parties involved.\nThe worst-case scenario as presented by Spechler would include a highly likely attack on Israel like in the 1991 Gulf war, a viewpoint shared by McGinnis, as well as potential attacks on those Arab countries whose regimes support the United States, including Turkey and Kuwait. \nThe effects of a war in the Middle East would cause a further slow down in the Bloomington economy, raise gas prices, and cause further student, faculty, and community reservists to be called to active duty, Spechler said. \n"Two of my students have already been recalled to their Air National Guard base," Spechler said.\nMore generally, any attack on Iraq by the United States would be likely to engender additional anti-U.S. sentiments. This could increase hostilities and thereby diminish the number of Middle Eastern students who choose to study abroad in the United States, as well as making it more difficult for American scholars to do research in that region, Spechler said.\nWhen asked what students can do to influence the outcome of this monumental decision, McGinnis said even though Bloomington is far from where decisions regarding U.S. foreign policy are made, the continued attendance of public debates and rallies can have an affect on policy.\n"Public forums are exactly what Indiana University, and all college campuses, should be doing," McGinnis said. "This is the time to make your voice heard, and although it cannot have an immediate impact since it is the job of our current representatives to form policy, in the long-run anything is possible"