With a possible confrontation between American and Iraqi forces approaching, residents at SHSU offer thoughts on the probable war.

Robert Biles, professor and chair of the SHSU political science department, said the war seems to be inevitable.

“I think it’s very likely we will go to war unless something major happens,” Biles said.

Biles said that President Bush is acting within his own concept of the national interest, but the rest of the world is seeing these actions as America trying to look out for its own interests and no one else’s.

“I think that a lot of European and Middle Eastern intellects think Bush’s advisors are seeking to create an American empire that is safe for Americans and their interests,” Biles said.

While dismissive of this notion at first, Biles said he kept hearing comments from main Bush cabinet members that seemed to “lend credence” to these theories. Biles added that many European powers don’t see this possible war as an extension of anti-terrorism, and that it may actually harm the peace process in the Middle East.

In terms of dealing with Saddam Hussein, Biles speculated that if Gore were the commander in chief, the United States would not be seeking such extreme measures concerning Iraq.

“It’s difficult to know, but I think it’s improbable that we would have gone after Saddam in terms of war if Gore had been elected president,” Biles said.

Since many of Bush’s top military advisors are veterans of Cold War-era politics, such as National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of State Colin Powell, Biles said he believes Bush is relying more on Reagan and Bush Sr. era tactics to fight the war.

“(Bush) came into the presidency fairly ignorant of international relations and has had to rely more on his advisors,” Biles said.

Despite this, Biles said U.S. foreign policy has remained mostly the same over the past 50 years, and that neither Bush nor Gore would have deviated radically from the status quo to produce a major policy change.

He said the protests nationwide are strong but do not represent a majority of public opinion, nor do the feelings of those who support an upcoming conflict.

“Support for the war is fairly lukewarm,” Biles said. “This is not a war that is driven by popular support, nor is it a war opposed by the popular majority.”

Biles also said that the political party of the president has not proven historically to be an important issue concerning whether the populace protests a war, but rather the people’s feelings about the ultimate goal of what a war will accomplish. Biles said that Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon, a Democrat and Republican respectively, both faced criticism for involving the U.S. military during the Vietnam War.

Likewise, Biles said a president might choose to make military decisions contrary to popular opinion if he feels they are in the nation’s best interest.

“In the long run, public policy should reflect public opinion, but it should be public opinion that is fairly thought out,” Biles said. “In the short run, political leaders should be leaders and seek to make decisions and convince the public they are right.”

Biles said that if a war does happen and America removes Hussein from office, U.S. forces would have to stay in the Middle East for an extended period to coordinate the aftermath of the war, and that a possible power vacuum might occur, affecting not just Iraq but also Iran, Syria, Libya, Israel and Palestine. Biles added that fundamental ideologists would most likely threaten many moderate regimes in the region, such as in Iran, though some moderate nations such as Jordan might remain unaffected.

Some SHSU students disagreed with the prospect of sending American troops into war with Iraq.

Sophomore Denetra Walker said she is a strong opponent to all war, not just the possible Iraq confrontation.

“I just feel like no problems should be solved with war, and I wish there was another way this problem could be solved,” Walker said. “It’s none of our business what (Hussein’s) doing. We need to take care of home first.”

Senior Rebecca Elliott said that it was not a good idea to go to war with Iraq.

“I don’t agree with it,” said Elliott. “I think it’s unnecessary. I don’t see why we should even bother with this war,” said Elliott. “I don’t think the problems they’re facing over there are directly related to the U.S.”