Four University professors spoke to about 125 students gathered in the Amphitheater last night as part of a "teach-in" looking back at the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Vice Provost for International Affairs William Quandt, Politics Prof. David Waldner, History Prof. Elizabeth Thompson and Anthropology Prof. Hanan Sabea all participated in the event sponsored by the Student Council Academic Affairs Committee. They spoke about what they considered the causes of Sept. 11, critiqued the U.S. government's response to it, and answered students' questions.
The professors warned against a simple-minded approach in fighting terrorism. All four said they opposed a U.S. invasion of Iraq.
The United States should better support democracy in the Middle East, Waldner said.
With the Cold War over, America should stop allying itself with corrupt, dictatorial regimes such as the one in Egypt, he said. Many individuals become connected with al Qaeda through fighting those corrupt local regimes.
Moreover, terrorist groups rely for shelter on some measure of popular support in Middle Eastern countries, he added.
The United States may not be able to change the minds of committed terrorists, but it can fight popular resentment toward the United States by changing American policies, Waldner said.
Thompson, Sabea and Quandt criticized what they see as U.S. leaders' use of crude emotion and oversimplified terminology to justify foreign policy.
Sabea criticized the Bush administration's use of the "language of war" and the "language of good vs. evil."
"The use of the language of good and evil strips away many important factors -- political, historical, economic, social -- through which we are capable of understanding, 'Why Sept. 11?' And what can we do about Sept. 11?" Sabea said.
Thompson said an invasion of Iraq, just like previous attempts to shape the Middle East through military force, would be counterproductive resulting in a negative backlash against the United States.
"Our only hope of changing attitudes in the Middle East seems to me to be through politics," she said.
Quandt said the Bush administration's conduct of the "war on terror" has caused its at first-impressive international support to wane.
"The kind of moral clarity that existed after the Sept. 11 attacks has eroded," he said.
Quandt added that the United States did not commit to rebuilding Afghanistan and fostering democracy there after it overthrew the Taliban government, casting doubt on whether it would do so in Iraq if it toppled Saddam Hussein's government.
Bush also lost support because he gave Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon a "blank check," or unconditionally supported his policies toward Palestinians, Quandt said.
Therefore, an invasion of Iraq should not be considered part of the "war on terror," Quandt said and it would not be worth the potential cost in human suffering.
Hussein has shown no inclination in the past to attack U.S. citizens, and there is no public evidence that he is close to developing nuclear weapons, Waldner said.
All the speakers criticized what they see as a lack of debate on the part of Congress about the prospects of an invasion of Iraq.
They also said the lack of debate could be motivated by continuing public support for President Bush and the administration's "war on terror."
The professors invited students to write to their Congressmen and demand that they take a position on an invasion of Iraq.
"People respond to events like 9/11 in different ways," Academic Affairs Committee Chairman Daniel Haspel said. "Clearly, vigils are important, but some students look for a more academic approach."
Last night's event mirrored a much-larger "teach-in" that Waldner organized in the Amphitheater Sept. 13, 2001, just two days after planes crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
About 1,200 students packed the Amphitheater for that event, Waldner said.
All four professors at last night's teach-in also spoke then.
"I feel such d
j
vu," Sabea said last night.
Waldner also organized a series of more specialized, academic panels after Sept. 11, 2001, on American foreign policy and Islamic fundamentalism.
Those panels formed valuable bonds between the University and the Charlottesville community, Waldner said.
"I think universities should be important centers for civic engagement," he said. "I think we should hold teach-ins regularly" so the community can debate foreign policy.
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