OFFICE OF NEWS AND MEDIA RELATIONS (215) 204-7476 Fax: (215) 204-4403 E mail:news at news.main.temple.edu
A LOOK AT THE WEEK AHEAD September 13 - September 20, 2002
WAR WITH IRAQ HAS BEEN PART OF BUSH'S PLAN SINCE TAKING OFFICE
President Bush's U.N. address earlier this week leaves little doubt that the administration plans to take action against Iraq with or without international support. And while the president's speech was especially blunt, the message was nothing new, says Temple political science professor Geoffrey Herrera.
"The Bushies have made it clear since the 2000 election campaign that getting rid of Saddam Hussein was one of their foreign policy priorities," says Herrera, who teaches the course "Post-Cold War Security." "Despite the rhetoric of urgency, this has been something they have wanted to do for quite some time and the war on terror serves as a pretext. So, with American military might preeminent, and strong public support for the foreign policy of the administration, the war would have to be judged as likely."
However, Herrera adds that the campaign to "make the case" to the American people and the rest of the world has been one of the most bizarre episodes in American foreign policy that he can recall. "The military is opposed to war, significant sections of the Republican Party are opposed to war, most of the Democratic party is opposed to war, and our allies are--with the partial exception of Great Britain--opposed to war. Nevertheless, the administration charges forward even as they appear to convince no one."
Reach Dr. Herrera through the Office of News & Media Relations, 215-204-7476.
===== Kevin Dean Buffalo, NY ICQ: 8616001 AIM: KDean75206 Buffalo Activist Network http://www.buffaloactivist.net http://www.yaysoft.com
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