On Sept. 12, 2002, President George Bush went before the United Nations to ask for support for his intentions to send troops into Iraq. Since then Mr. Bush has continued to lobby for support both in the US and abroad, hoping to garner the help he needs.
Is this action eleven years in the making or eleven years too late?
Twelve years ago, Saddam Hussein openly declared his feelings against the rest of the world.
He was prepared to seize and dominate other countries, however, he was stopped by the United Nations.
During the proceeding negotiations, Hussein agreed to the terms set by the United Nations which included the termination of human rights violations and oppression of his people, the safe return of prisoners, the renouncement of terrorism, and the termination of weapon development, including biochemical warfare.
For eleven years, Saddam Hussein has violated each agreement and chosen to walk down his own path.
As the United States prepares to take on another adversary, the collective sentiment isn’t as united as he had hoped.
Bush’s plan to continue riding the anti-terrorism wave and receive support from his people might not be as easy as it was a year ago.
“If we do not get UN approval, we shouldn’t step on other people’s toes. That’s how we make ourselves look like a bully and that’s why the world hates us. It is a UN matter, and although the US is in the UN, we do not control the UN,” says biochemistry major, Candice Carlile.
However, it has been four years since the United Nations has successfully sent inspectors into Iraq.
During this period, not only has Iraq violated the range in the testing of Scud’s missiles, but has gathered together a team that with the right materials could build a nuclear weapon within a year.
“We should try and get UN approval, but if not, we should act unilaterally.
Saddam Hussein is a threat to the world and should be stopped.
Senior Bush should have finished the job,” says junior and political science major Nicole Garofano.
Following the invasion of Kuwait in 1990, the UN imposed economic sanctions on Iraq.
Hussein claims that the innocent people have suffered due to these impositions, however, he continues to grow his wealth and work around the sanctions to retrieve materials for weaponry.
“If we wanted to invade Iraq, we should have done it the day they lifted the ban on political assassination. We shouldn’t go into Iraq unilaterally because Iraq won’t treat it as a unilateral war. With this kind of warfare, [Iraq] don’t have to be strong. Terrorism is for people who don’t have an army,” broadcast major Joe Shaw claims.
In 1991, the UN Security Council demanded that Iraq surrender all ties to terrorism and permit no terrorists to reside in its nation.
However, since then, Hussein has acknowledged his support of the militant group, Mujahedeen-de-Khalq, which terrorizes the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Is it due to Bush’s war on terrorism that Iraq has suddenly become his prime target?
For the past year, Iraq has disappeared from media headlines, however, with the anniversary of September 11, Hussein’s name has resurfaced.
Graduate student Jemmell’z Washington has her own theories, “Is he [President Bush] bored? Can he just not find Bin Laden? Is that why we are going after Iraq?”
But, how much does the general public know?
Mathematics professor, Ray Coughlin, questions the amount of information available to Congress opposed to the amount released to the public.
That changes the outcome of the public’s view.
Professor Coughlin summarizes, “It is a simplistic question to a complicated issue.”
Poojah Shah can be reached at Pshah004@temple.ed
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