Questions for Reflection/Discussion

1. What issues are at the root of the proposed U.S. military intervention in Iraq?

   1. Who will benefit from this war?

   2. What forces are moving countries to join the U.S.-led  coalition?

   3. What might this conflict have to do with Western control of Iraq’s energy resources?

    

2. What are the economic and ecological implications of this war

   1. for Iraq and the Middle East region?

   2. for countries in the Global South?

   3. for the U.S. and other countries in the North? 
      

3. What are the implications of military intervention in Iraq for the political situation in the Middle East?

   1. How will it impact Arab/Muslim sentiment toward the West?

   2. What effect will it have on terrorist activities?

   3. How will it nurture religious fundamentalism?
      

4.  Who is influencing decision-making in the Bush Administration?

   1. What are the links between the corporate world and the Administration?

   2. What are the backgrounds of decision-makers;  how might those backgrounds affect their judgment?

   3. What ties do decision-makers have to ultra-conservative think tanks;  the Heritage Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Hoover Institution, the Cato Institute, and the Hudson Institute?
      

5. Who are the decision-makers in other countries that are backing the war?  What forces are influencing them?
   

6. What role is public opinion playing in supporting or opposing military intervention

   1. in the United States?

   2. in Great Britain and other coalition partners?

   3. in France, Germany, and other dissenting countries?

   4. in the global South?
      

7.  What role is the media playing in promoting the U.S. Administration’s agenda?

   1. Who are the "experts" who appear as guests on various news programs?

   2. What kinds of words are used to describe the actors in this conflict?

   3. Why is dissent in the U.S. and elsewhere so underreported?

   4. Why is there virtually no coverage of opinions about the proposed war from Africa, Asia, and Latin America?
      

8. What are the race, class, and gender issues at play in this crisis?

   1. Who will actually pay for this war and how will they pay?

   2. Who will be sent to fight in this war?

   3. What will the impact of this war be on women and children in Iraq and elsewhere?
      

9. How is First World overconsumption related to the proposed war?