In a rare display of support on campus for the Iraq War, students and members of the community gathered in 180 PLC Monday night to listen to attorney, military officer, community leader, and Middle East expert and linguist Elan Carr. Covering topics ranging from the war on terrorism to the future of the Middle East, Carr spoke from his own experiences in Iraq as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve and Judge Advocate General’s Corps.
The discussion, sponsored by the Oregon Hillel, Alpha Epsilon Pi and Sigma Alpha Epsilon Pi, gave students and the community an opportunity to hear a viewpoint seldom expressed on campus.
“I believe that this issue is at the center of public policy discourse,” Carr said. “It’s important for people to hear about these issues.”
Inspired by Iraqis’ courage and their dedication to making a successful democratic nation, Carr said he is committed to the efforts in Iraq. He cited January’s elections as a great step
forward for the Iraqi people.
“They went to the polls, some literally crawling, and had a higher voter turnout than the U.S.,” Carr said. “We did a great thing. We helped a lot of people.”
Carr called some of the military’s mistakes “regrettable, but not fatal to the project.”
“Our military commitment in Iraq will go on for quite some time,” Carr said. “Iraq is not a purely
humanitarian effort. There are
national security interests.”
“Every life lost is a devastating loss,” Carr said. He added that “all of us are in danger if we don’t win the war on terrorism.”
In the question-and-answer session that followed, students asked questions ranging from the economic impacts of war to the media’s representation of the war in Iraq and other humanitarian efforts worldwide. Carr said the cause troops are fighting for in Iraq is a worthy one.
Sophomore Jonah Fruchter, a political science major, said from a conservative standpoint the speech was “very politicized” and a “half truth.”
“I’m upset by the fact that he’s telling the students a lot of propaganda,” Fruchter said. “He spun a lot of his answers to cite 9-11 and the threat of nuclear weapons when Iraq has none.”
Daniel Rosove, president of Alpha Epsilon Pi, said the fraternity brought Carr to campus was to provide
students with a pro-war perspective.
“Because of personal politics, I disagree with Carr,” Rosove said. “I completely respect his opinion, but it seemed too idealistic.
“It didn’t seem that the real nuts and bolts were being presented, but (the speech) was incredibly valuable.”
Freshman Jason Visenberg, a business administration student, said the speech was moving.
“I wasn’t necessarily opposed to the war in Iraq,” Visenberg said. “For all the bad, good things are being done.”
Carr said he looks forward to a
day when the nation will be a “free and pluralistic country.”
“What a tremendous victory for humanity and decency,” Carr said. “The terrorists know that if we win in Iraq, their way of life is doomed.”

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