As fighting in Iraq appears to near an end, most Dartmouth students seem fairly satisfied with the military course of the U.S.-led conflict.
In telephone interviews conducted by The Dartmouth, almost all students -- even those who oppose American involvement -- said they believe the war in Iraq has gone well from a military standpoint. Most students also described American and civilian casualty figures as equal to or lower than their pre-war expectations.
"I think it was pretty much expected that there would be U.S. and civilian casualties," Diwakar Mitr '04 said. "We knew, for example, the Iraqis would try to use civilians as a defensive shield."
Some College undergraduates were concerned, however, that coalition troops may face a more difficult struggle to restore government in the months ahead. Two leaders of Why War, a College anti-war group, said they thought the war has gone well militarily, but that further challenges lie ahead.
"We have to keep in mind that war is only the first step. Whether or not Iraq can turn into some kind of democracy is just as important a test," Why War co-coordinator Clint Hendler '05 said.
Other students questioned the effect of American military intervention on world opinion.
"I think the war's not going well in that it's showing the world that we can use unilateral force and conquer a nation without the support of the U.N.," Alice Jia '06 said.
College undergraduates were divided over whether coalition forces would find nuclear, biological or chemical weapons in Iraq. Most students told The Dartmouth they believe there are weapons of mass destruction in the country. Generally, responders expected that Iraqi forces possessed chemical weapons, but were less sure of the existence of Iraqi biological or nuclear weapons.
Many students, however, did not expect that troops will be able to locate any weapons of mass destruction.
"I think Saddam Hussein knows better than to let the U.S. find weapons of mass destruction," Kiwon Yoo '05 said.
A few students expressed great doubt that Iraq possessed nuclear weapons.
"I don't think they'll find nuclear weapons ... I don't think economically Saddam Hussein had much of an ability to produce new nuclear and biological weapons," Why War co-coordinator Alex Kirigin '06 said of Iraq's weapons program.
Students were also unsure that coalition forces would be able to locate Saddam Hussein.
"They couldn't find Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan," Mitr said. "I think it will be very difficult to find Hussein."
