be far-ranging, assert experts
Faculty members discussed the impact of the U.S. war in Iraq on everything from the economy to the world of higher education at a panel discussion held on April 10 as part of the University's series of teach-ins on the conflict.
The Luce Hall auditorium was packed for the panel, which was titled "The War and Its Repercussions" and was moderated by Frank Griffel, assistant professor and director of undergraduate religious studies.
The panelists were Gustav Ranis, the Frank Altschul Professor of International Economics and the Henry R. Luce Director of the Yale Center for International and Area Studies; Bruce Russett, the Dean Acheson Professor of International Studies; Gaddis Smith, the Larned Professor Emeritus of History; and Steven Smith, the Alfred Cowles Professor of Political Science, chair of Judaic studies and master of Branford College.
Ranis discussed the war's effects on the security of the United States and the furtherance of terrorism.
"Mubarak in Egypt has said that this is going to create a hundred new Osama bin Ladens," Ranis noted. "There's a lot of discussion in the Arab and Muslim world about the reaction to victory." He questioned whether democracy could be brought to Iraq following the war and whether it would be viable. He also questioned whether the peace process would be helped.
Ranis expressed concern about the idea of pre-emptive war, noting that other countries may decide this is a new international law, leading to incursions of one country into another's territory.
He said he didn't discount the damage done to NATO, the United Nations and the European Union, and wondered whether these alliances could be put back together again. He also pointed to the damage to the Bush administration's relationship with Russia's President Putin and trouble spots like Afghanistan, Venezuela, Mexico and Bolivia.
Russett said he was surprised at the quick victory and the relatively low casualties Coalition forces have sustained.
"I'm pleased to see the war went well in these respects," he said. "Less killing has to be better -- morally and in terms of wider peace in the Middle East and rebuilding Iraq and the international institutions that have been so stressed by the war."
Although he had confidence in the United States' military might, said Russett, he was less confident in recent efforts at international diplomacy. He pointed to several problems that need attention, including establishing order, delivering humanitarian aid and refugee assistance, and rebuilding Iraq.
According to Russett, it is important to first establish order in Iraq so humanitarian aid efforts can proceed -- citing the problems that humanitarian aid workers faced in Somalia before U.S. troops were called in to restore order.
Russett noted the source of funding for reconstruction won't come from other countries but, more likely, from the U.N., which he believes will also play a major role in refugee relief and humanitarian assistance, as well as in organizing and monitoring elections. Eventually, the U.N. will need to become temporary civil administrators and peacekeepers before a permanent government could be formed, he said.
He also pointed out that the sale of Iraqi oil is controlled by U.N. Security Council resolutions that the United States and other countries supported. The United States would need a new resolution authorizing the sale of Iraqi oil and indicating what the proceeds may be used for, said Russett, noting that France, Russia and China would need to agree to such a resolution.
Like Ranis, Russett noted that since Iraq was never a democracy, it will be difficult to put one into place. The country's oil wealth, he pointed out, puts it in the same category as other OPEC nations, most of which do not have stable democracies. He said Islamic culture will also be an impediment to democratization, especially considering the status of women in Islamic societies and other cultural attitudes. Furthermore, Iraq's surrounding neighbors -- five of which are not democratic -- will make it more difficult for the nation to achieve success as a democracy, he contended.
Gaddis Smith discussed the war's repercussions from the perspective of higher education. He pointed to examples of negative repercussions on campus thought and activities, citing cases where freedom of expression and thought were suppressed on campus during other wars. He also noted the restrictions that are in place regarding scholarship -- such as reporting in detail on what students are studying and any changes they make.
He discussed the American Protective League, forerunner of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The league, which was staffed by volunteers, was a kind of private "thought police" whose members wore official-looking badges reading "American Protective League Secret Service," explained the Yale scholar. He also cited examples at Yale in the early 1900s, when students were investigated for statements they made about Kaiser Wilhelm.
Gaddis Smith said that the new Patriot Act allows the government to view citizens' travel itineraries, the books they borrow from libraries and their credit card purchases.
"Is it only people with something to hide who need to worry about this? Is it necessary to find terrorists? Well, maybe it is to a certain point, but there is a real conflict here," the historian said.
Steven Smith noted that too many anti- and pro-war demonstrations struck him as partisan rather than objective. He noted that even though many Americans may not have voted for President Bush, they do support the country's involvement in the war.
He asserted that the Iraqi war is not racist, imperialistic or Zionist as many have claimed. "This is a war of liberation, a justified and justifiable piece of liberal interventionism," Steven Smith said. He expressed hope that the war would result in the same benefits for Iraq as it did for Germany and Japan after World War II -- taking highly militaristic and imperialistic states and turning them into responsible, constitutional democratic governments.
The political scientist noted that the Iraqi people are greeting Coalition troops not as conquererors but as liberators. But he expressed concern about U.S. security in the future and about whether more terrorists will emerge. He added that the removal of Saddam Hussein sends a clear message to terrorist states worldwide "that we will not endlessly tolerate Saddam wannabees and surrogates."
Claims of the Iraqi war as an illegitimate action and an example of American unilateralism are unfounded, said the Yale scholar, noting that there were no complaints during the Clinton administration about the lack of U.N. support for the humanitarian intervention in Bosnia, Kosovo or
Afghanistan, or for France's current unilateral intervention in the Ivory Coast. He said the U.N. will have much to answer for when the war is over, that it has become an institution more concerned with conflict avoidance than with conflict resolution.
In closing, Steven Smith quoted Abraham Lincoln: "'And then there will be some men who can remember that, with silent tongue and clenched teeth, and steady eye and well-poised bayonet, they have helped mankind on to this great consummation while I fear there will be others unable to forget that, with malignant heart and deceitful speech, they have strove to hinder it.'
"To be sure," he added, "there will always be those who ask with some credibility: 'Why this war? Why us? Why now?' To those who ask 'Why now?' I answer: 'If not now, when?' And to those who ask 'Why us?' I say: 'If not us, who?'"
-- By Thomas R. Violante
All events in "The War in Iraq: Yale University Teach-Ins" are being recorded on videotape and can be seen online at www.yale.edu/opa/@yale/teachin/video.html.
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