2008 Woodie Awards
Democrats Forum: Beyond the Sound Bites
Kimberly Hartman
Issue date: 10/2/06 Section: News
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Last Tuesday, September 19, Rollins College was host to a forum on the Iraqi conflict entitled "Beyond the Sound Bites."
The forum was sponsored by the Rollins College Democrats, Central Florida for Democracy, Amnesty International at Rollins, and Eco-Rollins. An estimated 350 Rollins students, faculty, and community members were in attendance.
The first forum of its magnitude to take place at Rollins in recent history, it featured a panel of four speakers: Peter Galbraith, a former ambassador during the Clinton administration; Lawrence Korb, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress; Ujjayant Chakravorty, Professor of Economics at the University of Central Florida; and Dr. Stephen Day, an Adjunct Professor at Rollins College. Lauren Rowe of the Channel 6 News moderated the event.
The evening began with remarks from Shannon Post, class of '07, President of the Rollins College Democrats. She was followed by Nancy Jacobson, Chair of Central Florida for Democracy, and Gerard Bell, Capt. USAF (Retired), who coordinated the event.
Chakravorty was the first panelist to speak. He presented an economist's perspective on the conflict, conducting a cost/benefit analysis on United States' military involvement in Iraq.
In his estimation, the direct and indirect costs of the war amount to about two-trillion dollars. The United States has a $13 trillion economy.
Chakravorty also estimated that the benefits of U.S. involvement may have been negative, since the conflict has caused America to lose global "street cred" and has made Iran a more powerful and dangerous enemy.
The second panelist to speak was Stephen Day. Day discussed polls showing that a growing majority of Americans disapprove of U.S. involvement in Iraq, but commented that President Bush "doesn't govern by polls" because he does not care what Americans think.
Stephen Day also claimed, among other things, that U.S. involvement in Iraq has hurt our international reputation, citing a 2003 poll showing that only one-percent of Jordanians viewed the U.S. favorably.
The forum was sponsored by the Rollins College Democrats, Central Florida for Democracy, Amnesty International at Rollins, and Eco-Rollins. An estimated 350 Rollins students, faculty, and community members were in attendance.
The first forum of its magnitude to take place at Rollins in recent history, it featured a panel of four speakers: Peter Galbraith, a former ambassador during the Clinton administration; Lawrence Korb, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress; Ujjayant Chakravorty, Professor of Economics at the University of Central Florida; and Dr. Stephen Day, an Adjunct Professor at Rollins College. Lauren Rowe of the Channel 6 News moderated the event.
The evening began with remarks from Shannon Post, class of '07, President of the Rollins College Democrats. She was followed by Nancy Jacobson, Chair of Central Florida for Democracy, and Gerard Bell, Capt. USAF (Retired), who coordinated the event.
Chakravorty was the first panelist to speak. He presented an economist's perspective on the conflict, conducting a cost/benefit analysis on United States' military involvement in Iraq.
In his estimation, the direct and indirect costs of the war amount to about two-trillion dollars. The United States has a $13 trillion economy.
Chakravorty also estimated that the benefits of U.S. involvement may have been negative, since the conflict has caused America to lose global "street cred" and has made Iran a more powerful and dangerous enemy.
The second panelist to speak was Stephen Day. Day discussed polls showing that a growing majority of Americans disapprove of U.S. involvement in Iraq, but commented that President Bush "doesn't govern by polls" because he does not care what Americans think.
Stephen Day also claimed, among other things, that U.S. involvement in Iraq has hurt our international reputation, citing a 2003 poll showing that only one-percent of Jordanians viewed the U.S. favorably.
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