Students and professors in bipartisan discussion seek answers for Iraq

More than 200 students, faculty and community members were in attendance at a discussion titled "Bipartisan Solutions: The future of Iraq," presented by the College Democrats Monday night in Kirkbride Hall. The evening began on a solemn note with the recognition of those killed in the War in Iraq.

Leading the discussion were three university professors from the political science and international relations department, who spoke about the news media and its effect on the war, human rights in Iraq, and exit strategies from Iraq and what they will mean for all involved parties.

Ralph Begleiter, a political science and international relations professor, said 80 percent of Americans get their news from broadcast television as opposed to newspapers or the Internet. Begleiter said the typical local newscast does not highlight more than local soldier stories. Many forms of the news media respond to what the viewers want to hear about, he said.

University alumna Shabana Ansari, who attended the discussion, echoed his sentiments.

"The media is not giving enough exposure to what is really happening in the War in Iraq," Ansari said. "People in the U.S. are not getting to see what is really going on over there."

Begleiter said he sued Pentagon officials in an attempt to force them to release photos showing flag-draped coffins of deceased soldiers returning to the United States. He said unfortunately, there are no requirements obliging news media to offer unbiased news reporting.

"News media helped make many Americans believe erroneously that the War in Iraq had something to do with Sept. 11," Begleiter said.

William Meyer, a political science and international relations professor, said America needs to focus on "group rights" in Iraq, but it is also important to reinforce individual rights. He said he believes a polarized country like Iraq needs a centralized body to enforce its individual rights.

Meyer said 90 percent of the voting in Iraq is conducted along ethnic lines. One-third of Iraq consists of Sunni Muslims, around 15 percent consists of Kurds and more than 50 percent is represented by the Shia Muslims. Iraq must be kept whole and each group should be a shareholder in a "new" Iraq, he said.

Stuart Kaufman, a political science and international relations professor, compared Iraq to a brain-dead patient on a respirator, where the doctor believes the treatment is working simply because the patient is breathing.

"Iraq is dead," Kaufman said. "It is impossible to put it back together again."

He said America needs to withdraw its combat forces by a specific date but should also maintain a training contingent along with trainers and advisers in Iraq to prevent ethnic cleansing. He believes the United States should offer minorities living in mixed neighborhoods safe removal. By withdrawing from Iraq, the United States would be sending a beneficial message to the world.

"Pulling out now or 10 years from now will not make a difference," Kaufman said. "So why not do it sooner rather than later?"

Sophomore Paul Ruiz said Kaufman's presentation was astute.

"I think that Dr. Stuart Kaufman delivered a very articulate presentation outlining a reasonable U.S. strategy for withdrawal," Ruiz said.

Each of the presenting professors emphasized they were in no way demeaning the job the soldiers have been doing, but said supporting the troops is different from supporting the war.

Senior Genevieve Salem said she approved of the balanced presentation style.

"I feel like the professors tried their best to point out both sides of the issues," Salem said.