University community reacts to U.S. bombings of Afghanistan

The Frist Campus Center television area was packed yesterday afternoon as University students watched the news of the U.S. attack on Afghanistan. Many in the audience watched news reports with grim and worried expressions on their faces.

As the campus community discusses terrorism in world affairs, students and professors are reacting to the current events in very different ways.

"Of course I didn't want us to attack," Ann Marie Brennan GS said, "but I thought that it was a necessary evil."

Brennan also said she is concerned that it is not being made clear to Americans that the war on terrorism will not come to an end soon.

Danielle Shrader-Frechette '02 said she is worried about the way the United States is responding to the terrorist attacks.

"I was afraid of attacking because I worried that [President] Bush doesn't understand our foreign policy in the Middle East," she explained.

However, other students, like Chris Connolly '04, said America is responding appropriately to the attacks.

"I'm happy that we're taking action. I think we're doing it intelligently," he said. Connolly noted that this attack on Afghanistan is not simply an act of national defense but also a "humanitarian action."

"I think we've been patient for a long time," he added. "We proved them wrong by being patient and playing our cards right."

Other students have not yet decided what they think of American actions.

"I had very mixed feelings about it," Lindsey Tripp '04 said. "I think the whole situation . . . is just going to bring the issue to the front of a lot of people's minds."

Despite varying reactions, many students agree the terrorists attacked the United States to provoke a reaction that would ultimately serve the terrorists' cause.

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"They expected us to overreact . . . to piss off the rest of the world," said Shrader-Frechette. "I'm not sure we overreacted though."

Near Eastern Studies professor Michael Doran further explained the possible underlying motives of the terrorist attacks.

"Terrorists don't attack you to hurt you," Doran said yesterday. "Terrorists attack you to make you respond. I want to get [Osama] bin Laden, but I am concerned that we might play into his hands if many civilians are killed."

Doran explained that there is great friction between Islamic radicals like bin Laden and mainstream Muslims.

"Osama Bin Laden wants to bring the U.S. into the battle so we can help him . . . attack his enemies," Doran explained. "He wants to depict this as the U.S. and Britain against Muslims and innocent Afghans."

Doran also said he is concerned about what the response from the Middle East will be to American bombings in Afghanistan. He said he is most worried about the reactions of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

"I'm waiting to see what the response will be," he said. "It's a serious political problem for the United States. The U.S. has to fight a political war."