As the strikes on Afghanistan continue, a majority of students contacted by The Dartmouth say they continue to support military action, and few report that their interest in the war is waning.
Most students who spoke with The Dartmouth believed that the United States' actions in Afghanistan have been both effective and necessary.
"We can't take a diplomatic approach with terrorists," said Chris Amery '04. "I think we've been pretty effective."
Greg McSweeney '04 voiced similar sentiments. "The strikes have been fairly effective. We need to take out the Taliban and al-Qaeda," he said.
Others, though, worried about recently reported civilian casualties.
Noa Gafhi '05 found her support for the strikes wavered when she heard about the recent civilian deaths.
"I still think the strikes are a good idea, though," she said.
Students who reported being opposed to military action since Sept. 11 continued to wonder if strikes could be effective.
"I'm unsure that we're doing the right thing," Ben Correa '04 said. "I don't know that we're actually going to root out any actual terrorists this way."
David Peranteau '04 worried that only structural changes in American foreign policy, not military strikes against Afghanistan, can successfully weaken al-Qaeda.
"We're attacking the supply side of terrorism, rather than the demand side," he explained.
A majority of those interviewed students said that they were monitoring the news more closely than usual as well.
About two-thirds of the interviewed students receive most of their news about the situation in Afghanistan from the Internet.
Students also mentioned television, notably CNN and the print version of the New York Times as important sources of news.
Cnn.com, yahoo.com and nytimes.com were the sites students most frequently mentioned.
Other students reported that figures such as professors and roommates have shaped their views of the situation.
Peranteau mentioned that talking with his government professor, Allan Stam, has helped him reach his views on the situation with Afghanistan.
Likewise, his roommates -- two of whom are Pakistani, one of whom is Indian -- have also provided him with an important perspective on the conflict.
