American opinions about the war in Iraq have varied greatlysince the beginning of the conflict. Some people have argued thatthere is no excuse for the United States to march into a countryunprovoked. Others have pointed to the abuses suffered under SaddamHussein's regime.
However, since the U.S. occupation of Baghdad, some views of thewar may be changing, according to Kenneth Holland, U of M politicalscience professor.
"The war has undergone a major transformation in many Americanminds," Holland said. "It appears to be a war of liberation now,similar to World War II in which we liberated Germany from Hitler.Nearly all Americans can stand behind a liberation effort."
The change in opinion may be credited to the revelations madeabout Saddam's regime just this week, including pictures of privatetorture chambers in Saddam's palaces.
A U of M criminal justice major who supports the war and whowishes to remain anonymous said there might be another reason forthe more favorable opinions toward the war.
"They found chemical weapons, how about that?" she said. "Peopledon't like the idea that Saddam might use chemical warfare."
Whatever the reason for the change in outlook, even coverage ofanti-war protests has virtually disappeared from the news in recentdays.
Holland said this war would probably go down in the historybooks as a direct result of the events of Sept. 11, 2001.
"This war would not have ever happened if 9/11 hadn't takenplace," Holland said. "It created the opportunity to builddemocracy and capitalism in the Middle East."
Holland said the growing resentment of younger Arabs againsttyrannical regimes shows that some Middle Eastern countries may beready for westernization.
"The goal is to help the Iraqi people build a democracy, whichwould be the first Arab country in history to have a democracy," hesaid.
Holland went on to say the main objective now is to make sureSaddam Hussein is dead.
"People aren't afraid of a dead man. All we need is a deadSaddam," he said.
