Peace fair has international focus
Campus Times
March 14, 2003
Reina Santa Cruz received the anti-war flyer handed out by Mauricio
Terrazas, a La Verne resident and anti-war activist, who took the initiative
to come to the University to recruit students for the anti-war resolution
that will be presented to the La Verne City Council.
For three days last week, the University of La Verne Peace Fair promoted
diversity, education and peaceful alternatives to war and violence.
Associated Student Federation Forum President Kim Reed facilitated the
Hunger Banquet, the fair's first event, which was co-sponsored by Oxfam,
a hunger relief program.
"Their vision is empowering people who are oppressed, working from
ground up," said Debbie Roberts, director of the University's peace
studies program.
The ULV Peace Fair is an annual event, but the tone of this year's fair
given the state of world affairs was decidedly more urgent
that that of past years.
Students participating in the Hunger Banquet represented three distinct
economic groups at one of three meals served:
The first was at a dining table with and a nice meal the second group
sat on the ground with rice and water and the third group was given even
less.
"You get to learn how tenuous your own economic class is,"
Roberts said.
Through this, students can understand how the global system works and
how they want to contribute to the system, she said.
For another Peace Fair event, Gitty Amini, professor of political science,
spoke to a crowd of more than 50 about the history of the Middle East and
U.S. policy.
"We decided to have a teach-in about the impending war with Iraq,"
Roberts said.
Amini told the audience about how Iraq's history has contributed to
the current problems they are having with the United States.
She started her talk with a history of the Middle East, explaining that
until 1920 the region of Baghdad used to be known as Mesopotamia.
In the 20th Century, Iraq was still not a separate entity; first it
was controlled by the Ottomans and later by the British, who gained control
during World War I.
Amini said that most people in the Middle East are Arabs. The exceptions
are in Iran, where there are Persians; Israel, where there are Jews and
Turkey, home of the Turks, she said.
During the post war era, the main idea was to unite all Arabs into one
nation, Amini said.
By the early 1960s, the Arabs ran the province, which they had taken
by revolt from the British in 1958.
Saddam Hussein came into the pictore in the early 1970s.
His cousin Ahmad Hassan al-Bakr became president, and Hussein eventually
beame vice president in 1973.
From 1973 to 1974 OPEC was at its peak, and the United States was the
main target, Amini said.
Since the United States supported Israel in the Yom Kippur war, members
of OPEC refused to sell oil to the United States.
Under the Baath party, the party under which Hussein still rules, it
was believed that being anti-Israeli was one of the responsibilities of
the Arab nation.
Hussein became president of Iraq in 1979 and cleared out any governments
who were disloyal to him.
Hussein targeted Iran as a problem nation due to the Islamic Republic
it had established.
Iran and the southern region of Iraq, which followed the Islamic republic,
called to revolt against Hussein.
Hussein cut in half the Irani military in an attempt to consolidate
power. In 1980, Hussein took advantage of Iran's weakness and declared war.
Iraq was supported by the United States because of the radical version
of Islam that was established in Iran.
The war ended in a stalemate in 1988.
In 1990 Iraq faced a severe war debt, and Hussein claimed that he did
not get any support from his neighbors. Also, he claimed that Kuwait was
unfairly drilling into the oil fields. These were just excuses for Hussein
to take over Kuwait.
In 1991, the United States led a coalition to force Iraq out of Kuwait.
In the early 1990s there were economic sanctions and weapon inspections,
but in 1998, inspectors were expelled.
Nobody was watching what Hussein was doing, Amini said.
In November 2002, the United Nations Security Council sent inspectors
to Iraq.
There was heated pressure by the United States, Amini said.
President Clinton was more interested in the Palestine-Israeli problem,
Amini said.
Toward the end of the Clinton administration, there was a warm relationship
between Iran and the United States, Amini said.
Bush shifted everything, said Amini.
"He goes for a tougher variation of dual containment," she
said.
Rather than waiting for a threat, the United States is going to identify
the threats.
Amini said there are two reasons why Bush wants this war with Iraq.
One has to do with the Sept. 11 attacks and making sure the United States
is not seen as a passive victim. The second reason is the belief in the
positive role the United States could play in the world.
"My fear with this coming war is that it has already begun,"
Amini said.
Roberts, who facilitated the fair, said this year's event followed a
different format than fairs of the past, which consisted primarily of booths
and keynote speakers.
The focus has always been to make students aware of current events,
she said.
"When you are educated you are better able to make your own decisions,
you can think critically," said Roberts.
Other events of the three-day fair March 4, 5 and 6 included an interfaith
panel including representatives from Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam
and Baha'i.
"All of those traditions have a strong basis in peace making, a
loving God and compassion," Roberts said.
On March 5, ULV students joined schools around the country with a walkout
to protest the pending war.
After the walkout some students went to the Cabaret Theatre to watch
a "Reflections on War" performance.
ULV students also performed excerpts from the "Brecht Fest"
they had prepared for since January.
"Throughout January the impact we wanted to have on people is that
war is not the answer," said sophomore theater major Christina Massengale.
After the performance, students and faculty sat around in a circle to
express their feelings about the performance and the current situation with
Iraq.
"Our purpose was to unite at ULV and share each other's voices,"
said sophomore Samantha Chung, one of the performers.
