War questions must be answered

The threat of a war with Iraq has been looming on the horizon for

quite a while now. Saddam Hussein’s actions have incited the United

Nations and the United States to consider using force to suppress

Hussein and determine whether or not he is actually developing

chemical and biological weapons in the Middle East.

If war broke out, it would certainly have many drastic and

immediate consequences on all of the United States and the world. The

question we must ask ourselves in this matter is whether war is

necessary and, if it is, would it be effective and worth all the

inevitable sacrifices?

There would be many implications for the rest of the world if war

broke out in the Middle East. For one thing, no one could accurately

predict how long the war would last. It could, in theory, go on for

several months, even though many people believe that an invasion

would be quick and efficient.

Additionally, war would have many negative effects on an economy

that is already in pain. Gasoline prices have hiked yet again

recently, probably in anticipation of the possible war. Next, if the

war did drag on, then would the draft have to be implemented? This

would no doubt be very disastrous, since a myriad of young people

would potentially have to be sent off to fight.

On the other hand, however, war could be a good idea if Hussein

was developing dangerous, nation-destroying weapons. Since he has

been so secretive recently and has prevented any U.N. officials from

searching many areas of Iraq, it has been logically assumed that he

has been developing weapons for some time. If this were true, he

could quite easily start a nuclear war whenever he desired. If the

U.N. and the United States were sure that they could successfully

remove Hussein from power and prevent any further development of

nuclear weapons, then the war would certainly be worth it because in

the end it could save millions of people’s lives.

At the same time, one cannot help but wonder if there is another

way to solve this problem rather than flat-out war. For example,

couldn’t the U.N. create stricter rules for Hussein that would force

him to allow officials unblocked access to all areas of Iraq? If this

were possible, it would be much safer and would not have so many

harsh effects on the world as war. However, this policy would have to

be like a last chance for Hussein, because if he were to disobey

again, it would be obvious that he was pushing for war and did not

want to abide by the rules.

In the end, the threat of war has certainly been very strong in

the past few weeks. There are pros and cons to each possible path

that the world could take in dealing with this threat, and we must

determine which one will be the most beneficial for everyone.

* ANANTH VARMA is an senior at Estancia High School senior whose

columns will appear occasionally in the Forum section.