One Professor at War College Calls Iraq War an 'Error'
NewsMax.com Wires
Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2004
MONTGOMERY, Ala. A report published by Army War
College calls the Bush administration's war on terrorism unfocused
and says the invasion of Iraq was "a strategic error."
The research paper by Jeffrey Record, a professor at the Air War
College at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, said the
president's strategy "promises much more than it can deliver" and
threatens to spread U.S. military resources too thin. Record also
wrote that Saddam Hussein's Iraq did not present a threat to the
United States and was a distraction from the war on terrorism.
Record is a visiting professor at Army War College at
Carlisle Barracks, Pa. The paper was published last month by
Army War College's Strategic Studies Institute.
Lt. Col. Merideth Bucher, public affairs officer for Army
War College, said Monday it was not unusual for students, mostly
higher-ranking officers, at the war college to be exposed to
critical thought that might be contrary to national policy.
She said students were often exposed to speakers with varying views.
The director of Strategic Studies Institute, Douglas
Lovelace Jr., said it was founded by President Dwight
Eisenhower to take a critical independent analysis of military
issues from an academic perspective.
"Dr. Record is a noted national security specialist. It's not
at all at odds for us to analyze a given mission and arrive at a
conclusion that seems at odds with national policy," Lovelace
said. He said in the past the institute had released studies
analyzing U.S. policy in Haiti, Afghanistan and other hot spots.
Democrat
Record could not be reached immediately for comment Monday
through Army public affairs offices, and he did not immediately
respond to e-mails from The Associated Press. He is the author of
six books and is a former legislative assistant for national
security affairs to Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Georgia, and former Sen. Lloyd
Bentsen, D-Texas.
Record's report concludes that the war on terrorism is too
widespread and should focus on al-Qaeda and other terrorist threats
to the United States.
"The United States may be able to defeat al-Qaeda, but it
cannot rid the world of terrorism, much less evil," Record writes.
© 2003 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
© 2003 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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