Members of Iraq and US, a new working group comprised of faculty members, staff, students and administrators, met for their fourth weekly meeting Monday night to discuss ways to engage the Duke community in dialogue about the issues surrounding a potential war with Iraq.
The group, including notable campus leaders such as Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences William Chafe and James B. Duke Professor of History Emeritus John Hope Franklin, claims to be neither pro-war nor anti-war. It began when James Joseph, professor of the practice in public policy studies and former U.S. ambassador to South Africa, received e-mails from individuals interested in having a conversation on Iraq that was open to and representative of diverse perspectives.
During the first meeting, the group discussed three positions on a potential war with Iraq--hawks support unilateral action against Iraq, so-called owls recognize the need for multilateral force if Iraq continues to pose an imminent threat and doves oppose going to war with Iraq under any conditions. After discussing the classifications, Joseph said the group considered itself representative of all three.
The common thread during the meeting was a desire to encourage discussion about the possibility of war with Iraq between these categories.
"The first conversation could have been an end in itself, where people met [once] to talk about Iraq," Joseph said. "It was the decision of the group that as an academic community we ought to be engaging the rest of the community in the substantive issues involved."
After the first meeting, group leaders sent e-mails to various faculty members, administrators, staff members and students whom they knew were interested in Iraq's current political situation with other nations. The group includes other notable campus figures such as Kenan Institute for Ethics Director Elizabeth Kiss, Hart Leadership Program Director Alma Blount and Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture Director Leon Dunkley.
There are approximately five undergraduates involved with the group's projects. "I don't know why more students don't come," said freshman Emily LaDue, who attended her first Iraq and US meeting this week. "[The group is] really glad to have students here."
Group members decided on the name Iraq and US with the intent of being ambiguous-the title could be interpreted as referring to the United States or us.
The purpose of last night's meeting was to discuss the logistics of Iraq and US's campaign for awareness and dialogue next week. The group is organizing a series of events to take place Nov. 18 to 20, including three panels-American perceptions of Iraq, ways to resolve the conflict and the relationship between the United States and Iraq. The group is also sponsoring a video presentation and artistic events reflecting on war. Chafe is encouraging faculty members to provide space and time in their classrooms during the first part of the week to discuss issues pertinent to conflict with Iraq, Joseph said.
"Here is this critical event, primarily for policy-makers, but it seems like it would be a real mistake for us not to be partaking in it personally," Joseph said. "We believe that the debate about Iraq is really a debate about the [United States'] role in the world."
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