We are on the brink of war. Our country finds itself in a situation that bears striking similarities to circumstances more than a decade ago.
In 1991, President George Bush authorized Operation Desert Storm: United States forces attacked Iraq, which recently had invaded Kuwait.
Today, in 2003, we await a result of George W. Bush's ultimatum to the same leader of Iraq, Saddam Hussein.
In both situations, the University community reacted with a variety of opinions, ranging from support for the war to demonstrations for peace. Current student opinions around Grounds echo those reported in The Cavalier Daily in 1990 and 1991.
As we head toward definite action, some students expressed trust in the validity of America's course.
Graduate student Scott Woodhouse said he felt the government has the knowledge to make informed decisions.
"I guess I'm willing to accept the judgement of our government. They have a lot more access to information than we do," Woodhouse said. "We don't see all the information that goes into a decision."
While Woodhouse was willing to accept the explanation the president has provided the nation with motivations for action against Iraq, other students are more skeptical.
"The regime in Iraq is not the most democratic," 2002 College graduate Garry Gabinson said. But he said he thinks the United States also is propelled by other, less humanitarian concerns.
"The U.S. needs a war economically," Gabinson said. "Bush has an interest in gas and oil. They are trying to grab what's there."
Second-year College student Kelly Bay agreed that the reasons given by the Bush administration don't ring true.
"I see a double standard, especially in light of North Korea," Bay said.
She said she doesn't believe the war is justified.
"I think there are other means we could use. We didn't give Saddam Hussein any choice. We don't have international support," Bay said. "It seemed from the beginning that we were going to go anyway."
Bay is a proponent of allowing the U.N. inspectors more time and waiting for the formation of an international coalition before using force.
Gabinson said he also is wary of war, but for more personal reasons.
"I have lots of friends in ROTC, and I fear for their lives," he said. "I'm not for war, because a lot of people are going to be affected."
But Gabinson said he believes the United States has reached the point of no return. Hussein won't leave Iraq, and Bush can't retract his ultimatum, he said.
"After [Monday] night, Bush can't back down," Gabinson said. "We'd have to take a blow in the international scene."
Passionate members of the community have taken their opinions to a more public forum through demonstrations and protests, both for and against military action.
Bay participated in a peace march in January.
"I support what the organizations are doing. I feel like part of a world coalition," Bay said.
But Bay also wonders if such protests have had any tangible effect: "I also feel helpless," she said.
Woodhouse said he feels the protests are valuable as a form of public expression, though he said he doubts their effectiveness.
"It's their right to protest. It's as effective as any speeches," Woodhouse said. "We need to be equally accepting of their viewpoints."
At commencement of Operation Desert Storm, many students turned to public demonstrations as a venue for their opinions.
On January 16, 1991, The Cavalier Daily reported several vigils and other demonstrations against the war.
Several students "laid in bags on the ground to symbolize the 16,099 body bags purchased by the U.S. government that will be used to bring home U.S. soldiers killed should war break out," the paper reported.
According to one of the protesters, "If people don't tell other people what their opinion is on peace and war, then nothing will be accomplished."
Much like today, students saw the value of demonstrations as independent of their effectiveness.
"Demonstrations are more of a reflection of what people feel than an influence on others," a student said on Jan. 25, 1991.
In addition to pro- and anti-war demonstrations, students in the early 1990s also declared their support for those Americans on the front lines.
A student at one such vigil said, "This was not a rally for issues. This was a rally for the people who are in the Middle East."
Not all students, however, appreciated such vocalizations.
"The thing that really gets me is when people get up and complain ... grab picket signs and scar our country and its people through unethical protests," an opinion columnist wrote prior to the war, on Oct. 19, 1990.
In contrast to the current situation, most protests and other events surrounding the 1991 conflict did not begin until after the United States attacked. "The time for opposition for war was last week, last month, before the shooting began," one columnist wrote, echoing sentiments expressed throughout the period.
Many students said they felt that Iraq was a force which required intervention.
"The United States and other powers must act quickly to stop the proliferation of ballistic missle and nuclear weapons in developing countries -Eespecially those in the Middle East," one student wrote. The opinion columnist went on in his Sept. 25, 1990 column to express a fear of Saddam's potential to deploy chemical and other weapons of mass destruction.
Students also thought the United States had more than just the invasion of Kuwait as a motivation for attack. Like Gabinson, some suspected oil interests as a strong stimulus for war.
"In the long term, we have to realize that as long as we import nearly 50 percent of our oil we will always be at the mercy of world events," a letter to the editor stated on Aug. 8, 1990.
One opinion columnist took a more extreme stance.
"Americans soldiers are not suffering 120 degree desert heat and the threat of chemical warfare to defend us; they are doing it to defend a small portion of our oil supply, so that we can drive around all day in our convenient gas-guzzlers," the student said on Oct. 24, 1990.
In retrospect, many current students view the Gulf war as a more clear-cut situation, especially in comparison to the current state of affairs.
"The Gulf War was a clearer invasion of the sovereignty of another state, a much more obvious violation of international law," Woodhouse said. "The motives here are not as completely transparent."
Bay not only concurred, but she said she felt the current actions were initiating a new phase of American history.
"Preventative war is totally different [than the Gulf War]. There's no precedent for this," Bay said. "We're definitely in the history books for this one. It opens a lot of doors for other countries."
Law Prof. John Moore, who taught at the University during the Persian Gulf War, said he feels that there are strong similarities between student reactions to both situations.
"I think there is strong support in both cases," Moore said. "In the 1991 invasion, it was a case of clear aggression on the part of Iraq, and the country was overwhelmingly in support of the president. It strikes me as strong support this time as well, partly as a result of the aftermath of 9/11."
Physics Prof. Donal Day, who also taught during the earlier conflict and has participated in anti-war demonstrations in both cases, noticed some differences.
"The global reaction and peace movement is much more advanced this year," Day said. "I've never seen, prior to a war, such organized opposition. In 1991 Saddam Hussein actually invaded Kuwait, so the attitude of the public was that the [U.S.'s actions] were justified. Today, despite 9-11, people don't see that connection."
Moore said he felt that a larger disparity can be discovered in comparing the current situation with student reaction to the conflict with Vietnam, when students held large, sometimes violent protests.
Indeed, many students, both now and in 1991, demonstrated an apathy and lack of acquaintance with the state of world affairs. On Oct. 11, 1990, an opinion columnist wrote an account of indifference on the part of students passing a war-related Lawn table: "I wondered about all the students who passed with only a glance ... but so many people were focussed only on the path in front of them."
Soon students will see whether their opinions will continue to fall in line with those of 1991 students.
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