Senator Chuck Hagel addresses
students concerns about the Iraq War

Last Friday Nebraska's Senator Chuck Hagel paid a visit to Mount Michael where he spent an hour answering the questions of the Mount Michael student body. The Senator discoursed on topics ranging from media coverage of the war to what comes after the war.

     Central to the comments made the senator was the essential need for gaining international support for building a stable government in Iraq after the war and the absolute need for resolving the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Likewise the North Korean Issue must be dealt with internationally rather than bilaterally.

       One of the strongest comments made concerned the Israeli-Palestinian Issue, the senator said, “If this issue is not dealt with quickly then what is yet to come is going to be very bad in the Middle East and all over the world. You, as you all go out to the world will never be safe anywhere unless we get a hold of this quickly.”

         The following is a topical rather than sequential paraphrasing of Senator Hagel's comments along with actual audio clips of his comments.

Iraq War - Audio - 4:27

      War should be seen as a last option. Once war starts it sets in Motion a number of unintended consequences. Once you start war you can’t pull back.
      While it was evident that the senator was disappointed that diplomatic efforts were not given more time. Now that we are engaged in the conflict the president and our armed forces need our full support. Senator Hagel has no doubt we will win the war and Saddam Hussein’s regime will be removed.
      The more difficult part will be rebuilding Iraq. To be successful this must be done with the use of alliances and with multinational support. The United States might have difficulty doing this alone. Unless it is done right we could see a further destabilization of the Middle East. Alliances and the world community must take an active role in stabilizing and developing a new Iraq.

Weapons of Mass Destruction & Iraq - Audio 1 2:26 - Audio 2 1:52

      We don’t know what he has. We presume he has chemical and biological weapons. If we find some are we sure we found them all? Could some possibly be snuck out with terrorist groups? It is important that we get any that there are and control them. Doing this unilaterally is dangerous without the help and support of other nations.

After the War - Audio - 1:15

      The importance of getting international involvement is very important to long-term success. Iraq must not be seen as a United States puppet. It was one of the problems we had in Vietnam. There must be support from the other Arab nations.

Media Coverage of the War - Audio 4:44

      Senator Hagel points out that the media plays an important role in democracy. It is important for citizens to be informed to make good decisions. Generally the media does a good job but sometimes they may mix reporting with opinion, which is troublesome, but if the public gets their information from numerous sources of newspapers, magazines, radio, and television people should be able to get a clear picture of events.

Resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is critical to long-term peace
Audio 1 2:33 - Audio 2 1:47

      The Arabs and Muslims from around the world see the Israel-Palestinian conflict as a critical problem. This leads them to question the motives of the United States actions. They ask whether we are there to make war on the Muslims? Is it about oil? Is it a modern crusade? Is it a war about protecting the interests of Israel? We may understand that our motives are noble but other parts of the world to do not and that is a problem for us. This is a huge problem for the United States. Until we are perceived as being more even handed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict it will be problem for the United States. While we support Israel and its democratic government it should not come at the expense of our Arab friends. It doesn’t have to be either or. “If this issue is not dealt with quickly then what is yet to come is going to be very bad in the Middle East and all over the world. You as you all go out to the world will never be safe anywhere unless we get a hold of this quickly.”

Any Comparisons or Parallels between the Vietnam Conflict and Iraq? Audio 5:38

      One difference is “We will win”. But the question is at what Cost? The cost in lives, damage to alliances and relationships, trade, and economy.
      Some parallels that they have in common is that both were unilateral actions, which is very dangerous even more so now that in the past. Another parallel is that both consist of very complicate sets of circumstances involving people, history, traditions, religion, and ethnicity.
      - It is important for the United States to see how the world sees us. Not just how we see the rest of the world.
      - It is very important to have the people (Iraqi/Vietnamese) with you or you will loose.

North Korea is the most immediate threat to our security Audio 1 4:46 - Audio 2 3:48

      North Korea is the most immediate threat to our nations security. It is important to address the North Korean threat. They have nuclear weapons and missiles that could reach the west coast. We cannot wait to address this or other security issues until the Iraq conflict is resolved. We can’t do this alone it but be addressed multilaterally with allies and the concerned nations in the region and throughout the world. We have avoided nuclear war in the past because we built multinational organizations and alliances to addresses problems and threats.

The financial costs of billions spent on war and defense in a world filled with problems poverty and despair Audio 3:07

      National security is the number one priority of a government. It must protect its citizens. But at the same time, you cannot allow all the other needs to be ignored. We must focus on the problem of poverty in the world because terrorist prey on poverty and despair in recruiting their members.

Politics, Poles, and Decision-making Audio 4:45

      You should never make decisions based on public opinion. You must make what you feel is the best decision based on what you know not on what the poles say. If you are two far out of step you get thrown out. But you can’t be intimidated in politics by what the public thinks. World opinion is important. You can’t dismiss it but it can’t be the sole ruling force in decision-making.

Protests & Loyalty Audio :52

      Speaking out is an essential part of democracy and as long as it is done in a peaceful and civil way it is a legitimate and a responsible part of being a citizen.