On Wednesday, November 6, 2003, Yuba College’s Professor Neelam Canto-Lugo hosted CSUS history professor Henry Chamber’s “Crossing Borders, Building Bridges” presentation “Views on Iraq and the Real Reasons We Went to War.”
Professor Chambers teaches Middle Eastern history at Sacramento State University and throughout his career has traveled extensively to Palestine, Gaza, Israel and other countries in the Middle East.
Chambers opened Wednesday’s presentation at Yuba College to a near capacity of 120 students in room 521. He stated that Bush’s administration does not want to allow any presentations on national television that implies anything contrary to what Bush is doing in Iraq.
“No credible person is allowed a voice,” said Professor Chambers. “The only forum that presents truth concerning Iraq is presented on PBS.”
Chambers focused on a growing new way of thinking, which has flourished among Arab commentators in recent months, saying that the traditional goal of establishing a Palestinian state alongside the state of Israel is unrealistic.
Chambers laid out several reasons not usually expressed by Academe. “Who’s responsible for the debacle we are going through? Who botched the occupation?” asked Chambers.
Chambers passionately expressed his condemnation of Rumsfield, Wolfowitz, Pearl and Bush’s “ad hoc stupidity.”
“No signs of weapons of mass destruction anywhere,” noted Chambers. “Should we allow adhoc stupidity when the issue is Mid-East dominance to exploit and to create a client state of Iraq?”
Chambers said that the current Iraqi conflict is not another Vietnam. “We are in a different situation. This is an ideological war,” said Chambers. “We are a colonial power-the moral center of the world.”
David Rubiales, Yuba College history professor, was asked in an interview if Iraq was another Vietnam.
“Not yet,” said Rubiales.
He continued, however, to note that “there are no signs of weapons of mass destruction anywhere in Iraq, when this was the issue (used by the Bush administration) to go to war.”
Comment Policy: Comments are welcomed and encouraged. However, the editorial board reserves the right to edit or delete, without notice, any comments submitted to the blog. For more details, see our full Comment Policy.