Students disagree on need for war

Round-table discussion with the students of SBHS

By: Rebecca Tokarz
   High school students, like many Americans, are split on what role the United States should play in the pending war with Iraq.
   Students in Mark Babich’s military education class at South Brunswick High School were invited by the South Brunswick Post to debate the issue as part of an occasional forum that looks at local, state and national events.
   Those students who supported a pre-emptive strike against Iraq said another Sept. 11 tragedy is inevitable if the United States waits any longer. Others were looking for more substantial evidence, including plans and documentation of biological and chemical warfare weapons within the country.
   In addition, students are of mixed opinion as to whether the United States should be responsible for taking Saddam Hussein out of power and forcing a regime change.
   The discussion came one day before President George W. Bush’s State of the Union address, during which the president announced that, if Saddam Hussein does not fully disarm, the United States will lead a coalition to disarm Iraq.
   Over the last three months, United Nations inspectors have been visiting various sites throughout Iraq and interviewing scientists to determine whether Iraq has complied with previous U.N. orders to disarm all its biological and chemical weapons.
   In recent weeks, members of the United States military have been sent to undisclosed areas in the Middle East in preparation for a possible battle with Iraq in the future.
   Junior Brian Hirsch said the United States has just-cause to unleash a pre-emptive strike against Iraq because Saddam Hussein has hindered the U.N. investigations to determine whether all the country’s weapons of mass destruction have been destroyed.
   However, Brian said the United States needs to be careful about pre-emptively striking Iraq because it has housed biological and chemical weapons in the past and possibly has them now. He said it is unclear if or against whom the Iraqis might use them.
   With the possibility that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction at its fingertips, some students felt that the United States should strike Iraq before it strikes other countries.
   "We shouldn’t wait for another Sept. 11 tragedy," Senior Jen Oliveira said.
   Students in favor of a military invasion, like their counterparts around the country, said Iraq has defied U.N. weapons inspectors often enough in the past to warrant a pre-emptive strike.
   "He has never followed resolutions from the United Nations from after the Gulf War," Jen said.
   Some believed the support of outside countries is essential and the United States should not act alone.
   Eleventh-grader Saud Kasim said he is in favor of going to war with Iraq, as long as the United States has the support of the United Nations and other countries. If the United States strikes alone, the consequences could be troublesome, he said.
   Junior Mike Feldman was in the minority of students who were against waging war against Iraq. He said it would be unfair to attack a country based solely on the threat that the country has weapons of mass destruction.
   Mike said there needs to be substantial proof, such as a mapped out plan for the future use of these weapons, before the United States should invade.
   "There needs to be a plan of attack," Mike said.
   Senior Alex Brown agreed. He said the way Saddam runs his regime and the amount of power he could hold over other countries is scary. Alex said he wanted to see a link between Iraq and terrorism or the capabilities to build destructive weapons before he would support the United States invasion.
   Many students felt it was important for a regime change in Iraq, but said it was not the United States’ right to take it on by itself.
   "It would be nice, but it’s not our right," Mike said.
   If the United States does work to take Saddam out of power, it should stay long enough for the country to install a new leader, he said.
   "If we leave Iraq (too soon), someone as extreme as Saddam will come into power," he said.
   Saud said there is a need for a regime change, but argued that it is not the job of the United States to ensure that this happens.
   "(If the military goes to Iraq) It should stay to stabilize the area, better the economy and have the citizens elect a leader," Saud said.
   He said it would look like the United States were picking on smaller powers.
   Jen agreed that the United States should not act alone and that a U.S. attack would look like we are targeting smaller countries.
   "I don’t think we should go alone. We need the support of a few countries. We’d be known as the global aggressor that picks on other countries," she said.