Although NIU faculty hold different opinions on the situation in the Persian Gulf, many believe that the vital interests of the U.S. do not belong in Saudi Arabia.

J. Carroll Moody, executive secretary of the University Council, believes America jumped into active military involvement too easily.

“Waiting for a longer period of time is preferable to the massive amount of casualties which are likely to occur,” Moody said.

However, Professor Moody said he believes Saddam Hussein is a vicious tyrant. Saddam Hussein certainly ranks among history’s worst dictators, he said.

Moody said he was cautious about the outcome of the Gulf hostilities.

“People are always trying to prove something through history, but it’s not always that easy … What kind of peace will be established?” Moody said.

Another professor who was opposed to the war but now currently supports the Desert Storm troops is Professor Larry Arnhardt of the Political Science department.

“The evidence was not very clear. It’s not clear to me that the invasion of Kuwait was a serious threat to our vital interests,” Arnhardt said.

Arnhardt and Moody both said they feel the war will go farther than the liberation of Kuwait. Moody said he thinks that President Bush’s views on the war have shifted throughout the operation.

“His positions have shifted from protecting Saudi Arabia, to liberating occupied Kuwait and finally to eliminating Saddam Hussein.”

Arnhardt’s greatest fear is the unpredictability of the area. He fears that when the operation is over, every Middle-East country will feel that it has a claim to what is left of the war zone.