Politics in the Dorm Lobby

A couple evenings ago I had the opportunity to hear and ask questions of Devin Hagerty, an Assistant Professor here at UMBC specializing in international relations. He’s the “faculty buddy” of my residence hall, and thus took time out to have an informal question and answer session on the Middle East and all its various issues. It was a pleasure to hear from someone honest enough to say “I’m just not sure” when confronted with difficult political and moral questions, such as the possible war in Iraq. Nicer still, he’s an Independent of my school: anti-partisan, rather than a third party blowhard (see post below).

He had some interesting points, including positing that while a ground war in Iraq would likely be relatively quick, once the war moved into urban areas causalities would likely rise on both sides exponentially. This, obviously, would not sit well with the American public, many of whom look back to the “clean” Desert Storm operation as endemic of modern war. Hagerty also had a grimly realistic view of our “regime change” initiative: that it would require an investment of seven to ten years and billions of dollars to be successful, and the U.S. has a miserable track record of installing new governments, post-WWII Japan. These practical reasons form a better basis for an argument against war in Iraq than sensationalized moralism.

All told, it’s nice to be able to pick the brain of a foreign affairs expert right in the lounge of your dorm."