War Objector Implores Patience

Author: Wellington Lyons

So we're going to war again.

Whether you're on the right, left or center of the political spectrum, there are a number of reasons to be upset with our leaders for what they have gotten us into.

Let's start at the beginning. Why are we preparing to invade Iraq? The story goes that Saddam Hussein has been attempting to rebuild his arsenal of unconventional weapons. So why do we care? The CIA estimates that North Korea has just recently developed as many as three nuclear weapons, but we're not about to bomb Pyongyang back to the stone age. So what makes Iraq special?

We are being told that we must invade Iraq for our own safety, and that if we don't do it now, Iraq will shortly develop weapons of mass destruction and use them to hold the free world hostage. That's a scary thought, I'll admit.

But much to the Bush administration's dismay, this scenario is not reality. Dubya's causus belli rapidly falls apart upon a cursory glance. Say Iraq does develop nuclear capabilities. Does anyone really think that the Iraqis hate America so much that they're willing to sacrifice everything, literally everything, just so they can go down in the history books as having the dubious reputation of being the nation that decreased our population by a few percentage points? Saddam Hussein may be ruthless, but he's not suicidal. His destruction would be assured were he even to think about launching an attack against America.

If the president is truly concerned with protecting the safety of the American people, which is what this weapons of mass destruction debate is really all about, then he should give the inspectors as much time as they need to finish the job. Patience is what was requested from the international community at the conclusion of the UN report that was handed in today, and patience is what the rest of the world is demanding.



Wellington Lyons '04 joined thousands recently in Washington to protest the planned invasion of Iraq.