I read with interest the many points and counter points that
have been published in The Reflector as well as other papers about
the current crisis in Iraq. President Bush has often been called
stupid, non-diplomatic, etc. However in the current case, Bush is
right. The opponents of this war have only one claim to support
their argument and that is that the war is for oil, these people
have got to be kidding. The United Arab Emirates and Russia produce
many times more oil than Iraq ever will or ever has. Seen against
this lone argument we have the following strong arguments for a war
against Iraq or more appropriately against Saddam Hussein:
-Hussein is a dictator who has used chemical weapons against his
own people because they had the temerity to oppose him.
-He’s a dictator who invaded the neighboring country, was beaten
back and still continues to defy United Nations resolutions and
probably will continue to do so until and unless forced to step
down from his dictatorial seat.
-This dictator has starved his own people just so he can build
his fancy bombs, missiles and his outrageously expensive
palaces.
-This man’s foreign minister had the audacity and callousness to
say that if attacked he will use his civilian population to stop
the invasion by making them into suicide bombers. How cold and
ruthless can you get? Trying to save your own skin by sacrificing
your people.
The people of the world need to understand that oil isn’t the
motive for every war. Sometimes you have to go to war to preserve
the basic human values of freedom, equality and the choice of
deciding your own fate. If we can’t fight for these very core
values that make us human then perhaps the entire human race is a
fluke in the evolution process and perhaps chimps would be better
suited to rule the earth.
I would rather have the United States go it alone than stoop
before the United Nations with folded hands begging it for
authorization again and again.
Gaurav Savant is a graduate student in civil
engineering.