U.S. Strikes Will Affect Life at UNC

As you probably know, the U.S. military attacked alleged terrorist camps and Taliban strongholds in Afghanistan on Sunday.

President Bush made it clear that these attacks are only the beginning of a massive effort to destroy the infrastructure of terrorist organizations and the Taliban government that supports them.

"We are supported by the collective will of the world," Bush said.

It seems almost frivolous to ask how this action relates to the UNC campus. But that's what I'm going to do, because you're expecting me to write about the University, and in the wake of Sunday's events, I can't quite bring myself to talk about Carolina Dining Services.

So how will the campus react to the bombings and, perhaps even more importantly, to the continued military action that we'll be watching on television in the days to come?

Already some students and groups have begun responding to the attacks. Students United for a Responsible Global Environment, for example, sent a delegation to a peace vigil held Sunday afternoon outside the Federal Building in downtown Raleigh.

There they stood, these students, as a protest against Bush's decision. It is easy, when one's country goes to war, to feel like one has to do something.

This was certainly something to do. Whether it could be considered effective depends on what the goals of the protesters were.

If they were interested in showing their opinions, a laudable goal in itself, then they were successful. But they should not stop there - if you oppose the attacks, do something to try to change what's happening. Because if bringing about a change was the goal, I'm afraid standing in front of a building in North Carolina with a candle isn't going to accomplish much.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure what would be likely to accomplish much in the short term. At this point, the United States is committed to a war. Whether violence would have been the best way to resolve the problem of terrorist activity in Afghanistan or not, the decision has now been made. And backing down now would be far worse, from anyone's point of view, than pursuing the action, once begun, to its conclusion.

I myself was not originally in favor of bombing. But now that a military approach has been chosen, I find myself in full support of that approach. Only by supporting Bush's decision can we as a nation ensure that the action is as short, as sparing of civilian life and property, and as successful as possible.

So when the next few days bring more vigils, forums and protests on the UNC campus, let there be some voices speaking out in favor not of a costly abandoning of the war but rather of a quick and successful conclusion.

We can be sure campus groups from SURGE to the Campus Y's 9/11 Relief group will organize events in the next few days. It is everyone's responsibility as citizens of a democracy to attend these events, to seek out ways to support the country while encouraging policy-makers to minimize the destruction and loss of life, to bring the war to an end as quickly and efficiently as possible.

The place to start, of course, is at home. Leaders from Bush down have emphasized that this is not a war against Islam - citizens must continue to guard against potential anti-Islamic or anti-Arabic violence in our community, as we have been doing since Sept. 11. It is important to remember who is the enemy in this action - and who is not.

The main response on campus will probably be an attempt to keep informed.

Some professors are already planning to use class time to talk about recent events, while television lounges, like on the day of the terrorist attacks on the United States, likely will be crowded for a while.

The best thing for us at UNC to do now is to know exactly what is happening in Afghanistan. Only thus can we be prepared to give informed support to the nation as it becomes needed.

Columnist Geoff Wessel can be reached at vrooom@email.unc.edu.