BY JUDY LIN-EFTEKHAR
UCLA Today Staff

Policy experts, professors and pundits speaking at an Oct. 16 forum at Kinsey Hall characterized Saddam Hussein as a crazed dictator who presents a genuine threat to international security. But how the Bush administration goes about dealing with him is the key question, said panelists at “Iraq: Assessing the Options,” a forum sponsored by the UCLA International Institute and the Burkle Center for International Relations.

A standing-room-only crowd heard the viewpoints of Dennis Ross, director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy; syndicated columnist and commentator Arianna Huffington; former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan; and faculty members Joyce Appleby of history and Amy Zegart of public policy.

'Discussion, which ranged from animated to argumentative, was moderated by Vice Provost Geoffrey Garrett, director of the International Institute. “Is Hussein really more of a threat today than he was, for example, five years ago?” Garrett asked, framing questions that lurk behind news stories. “Did Congress behave responsibly in giving the president the authority to declare war on Iraq?”

Said Ross, “From the very beginning, Saddam has sought to avoid giving up weapons of mass destruction. He already has chemical and biological weapons. Particularly, he wants nuclear weapons that he can use as a shield when he engages in regional aggression.”

Countered Huffington, “The administration is using post-Sept. 11 emotion and fear to mount a war. It is incredibly troubling that this link is being imposed on the American people. We need to trust our leaders, but there is growing distrust.”

Those in the audience voiced concerns about the potential for high war casualties and reinstatement of the draft.

Said panelist Appleby, “I am disappointed by the debate in Congress. ... We do not need to take immediate action. We need to engage in a two-step process: First, conduct weapons inspections, then decide what’s next.”

“I do believe in the democratic process,” said Ross, “but can we afford not to take on Saddam? When you find out he has nuclear weapons, it will be a different world. We cannot afford to wait until then.”