Goldberg Backs War with Iraq

Author: Bryan Goldberg

Much of this last week's issue of The Middlebury Campus read like a pat-on-the-back for a couple dozen students protesting the war in Iraq. In the very same issue, the spokesman for this effort, Wellington Lyons '04, submitted a piece which outlined his dissent ("War Objector Implores Patience," The Middlebury Campus, Jan. 29, 2003). Unfortunately, it appears his views are a bit misguided. As one of the many Middlebury students who support the idea of a war with Iraq, I would like to discuss some of his key points.
Lyons' argument opens by comparing the Iraq situation with that of North Korea. Lyons is using the "double standard" argument that has become popular in light of the North Korean threat. What Lyons needs to understand is that we are going to strike Iraq so as to avoid a situation similar to that with North Korea. The frightening truth is that North Korea, unlike Iraq, has America, as well as the rest of the world, pinned against the wall. North Korea is capable of nuking several key cities from Seoul to Tokyo, and its all-powerful leader, a man who currently holds 200,000 of his own citizens in Nazi-style death camps, is crazy enough to push the button. Even if we wanted to perform a pre-emptive strike on North Korea, we could not, simply because they have our head in a vice.
So, rather than use North Korea as a model for why we should not attack Iraq, we should view it as an illustrative example of why we should attack Iraq. Furthermore, half of the North Korean population would have died last year from starvation if not for America's generosity in sending them millions of pounds of food.
Lyons admits that Iraq's quest to develop weapons of mass destruction is "a scary thought," but he rationalizes that Hussein would never use those weapons. His argument that Iraq would never attack America is unfounded. Hussein is the only voice of authority in Iraq, because whenever anyone tries to question his authority, that person is immediately killed. Hussein absolutely hates America. He despises our country. He would love to see our country blow up and every American die. And, yes, that is a scary thought.
Furthermore, the reason Hussein hates America is not because we have done anything wrong, as many anti-war advocates have suggested, but rather because he is a man of hate. There are many Muslims whom Hussein hates with equal passion, such as those in neighboring Iran, with whom he fought an eight-year war. Hussein also hates the Muslim Kurds who inhabit northern Iraq, as demonstrated by the genocide of March 1988. If, in several years, Hussein's tyrannical regime begins to lose power in Iraq, what is to stop him from going out with a bang? Should Iraq face economic collapse, what is to stop Saddam from selling nuclear weapons to Al-Qaeda? Are we to believe that if a genocidal maniac like Hussein were about to lose power and, presumably with it, his life, that his conscience would miraculously kick in? Unlikely. Lyons' belief that Hussein is either too smart or too ethical to use nuclear weapons is absolutely naÔve, and I, for one, would rather not wager the lives of millions against the hope that Hussein will "think better" of nuking his way out of power.
Finally, Lyons suggests that this war is primarily about "protecting the safety of the American people." This war is about a lot more than just that. First and foremost, it is about removing one of the most murderous men from power in a nation where tens of millions of people are suffering daily abuse. Lyons claims that "a war with Iraq would be nothing short of a crime against the people of Iraq." Nothing could be further from the truth.
Each year, Hussein kills hundreds if not thousands of his own people. If we allow Hussein to maintain power for decades to come, and eventually transfer it to his equally insane sons, many more people will die. Furthermore, the merits of each course of action are not only measured by how many people will die, but also by the fate of those who live. Right now, virtually all Iraqis live in poverty due to horrific mismanagement on behalf of their dictator. Not only that, but they live in constant fear and are severely oppressed. No Iraqi can speak his or her mind without fear of death. Those Iraqis who exhibit traits such as courage and free-thought, the very traits that Lyons exhibited when he spoke his mind in Washington D.C., are subjected to torture by Hussein, and many of them must fear for not only their lives, but also the lives of their families. Perhaps those who protest against President George W. Bush should consider the fact that if they were living in Iraq, and protesting against Hussein, they would be tortured and executed.


Bryan Goldberg is a sophomore economics major from Los Altos, California.