Though the war has officially ended, UCLA students and faculty
are still concerned with the future of Iraq and the effectiveness
of American occupation.
“The major fighting is over, but there are still minor
conflicts in cities and towns from people who are resisting the
American invasion,” said Armen Karakashian, a third-year
electrical engineering student.
During wartime, UCLA was the setting for numerous political
discussions and anti-war protests. Since the war has cooled down,
so has the debate and opposition to the conflict, but many students
and faculty fear the battle will continue.
Los Angeles has one of the largest Iraqi populations outside of
the Middle East, and the war in Iraq has directly affected many
local residents.
First-year undeclared student Jordan El-Saden is of Iraqi
descent and has many relatives living in Iraq.
“I don’t know how any of them are doing,” he
said.
Like many other Iraqi Americans, El-Saden said he is glad Saddam
Hussein has been removed from power, though he fears the conflict
is far from over.
But not all Iraqis are happy about Saddam Hussein’s
removal.
“As weird as it seems, some people liked Saddam,”
said first-year design student Kayvan Mottahedeh.
Mottahedeh added that many Iraqis preferred Hussein to a
U.S.-supported Iraqi government, which he said will eventually
fail.
Students and faculty said Iraqi citizens will resist American
ideologies, making it difficult for them to help the Iraqi
government.
“That whole area in the Middle East isn’t ready for,
or open to, a democratic government,” said fourth-year
biochemistry student Gabe Gomez.
Volker Hartenstein, a professor of molecular, cell and
developmental biology, said Iraq will be filled with conflict until
coalition forces leave.
“It is an invasion right now; it is colonization of Iraq.
… The only way in which there will be peace is if they
withdraw,” he added.
Hartenstein said Hussein was demonized to justify the war.
“He never posed a threat, he was just made into a
threat,” he said.
Whether the former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is dead or
alive is not a major concern for many students.
“Saddam is probably dead, but it doesn’t matter. I
don’t think he will be in power again,” Gomez said.
UCLA psychology Professor Thomas Minor said U.S. forces failed
in their mission to kill Saddam Hussein this year, just as they did
over 10 years ago.
Minor said Hussein will likely be replaced by a ruler who treats
the Iraqi people as poorly as Hussein did.
“It appears the government the Iraqis want is a Shiite
government. If they have democracy, I don’t know how (the
United States) can prevent (another dictator),” he said.
Some said Saddam Hussein was evil and needed to be removed,
while others said the conflict could mark the beginning of American
imperialism.
“I think the weapons of mass destruction claim was a cover
to get (Saddam Hussein) out of power,” Gomez said.
Second-year political science student Mary Vardazarian said the
war with Iraq was a stepping stone to U.S. world domination.
“Iraq is a starting point to create paranoia over how
dangerous other countries are,” she said.
Vardazarian added, “I think we are going to bomb other
places: Syria, Sudan, Saudi Arabia.”