Ending the U.S. bombing of Afghanistan as a source of Osama bin Laden's propaganda war was the subject of a symposium held Tuesday in the Memorial Union to observe the birthday of the United Nations, Oct. 24, 1945.
Kathy Schwarz, president of the Greater Phoenix Chapter of the United Nations Association of the United States and ASU professors Nemi Jain and Jason Jarvis from the Hugh Downs School of Communication addressed a crowd of about 100.
Other topics of consideration at the symposium were hate crimes and human rights.
Schwarz said the U.N. was actively involved in feeding civilians and refugees in Afghanistan, often under dangerous conditions, just as it has done in other countries for decades.
"The recent bombing of another Red Cross food warehouse in Kabul has made relief efforts extremely dangerous," Schwarz said.
According to Schwarz, the U.N. is an affordable political forum for small countries with limited financial resources. Sending an ambassador to scores of nations is out of their reach, whereas a single ambassador to the U.N. is doable.
Jarvis told the audience that working through the U.N. would make it easier for Middle Eastern countries to cooperate with the anti-terrorist demands made by the U.S.
"Countries like Iran would be able to come onboard with the coalition," Jarvis said. "That way, they could get political cover and not be seen as working with the U.S."
Jarvis said economic sanctions against Iraq were a failure and were causing the starvation of millions and provided fuel for bin Laden's rhetoric. Using the U.N. to prosecute Osama bin Laden would steal away his foundation of propaganda, he added.
"You can't bomb Afghanistan back to the Stone Age," Jarvis said. "They've been there for years. It's more pragmatic to look for nonviolent solutions so that Osama bin Laden can't say, 'Look at what the evil Americans are doing.'"
Jain warned that the U.N. should not be used as an instrument of convenience for the U.S.
"The U.S. has used the U.N. as a puppet. When it serves the United States' purpose, it is supported. When it doesn't, the U.S. refuses to pay its dues."
Jain said a majority of the social and political unrest is due to poverty.
Jain added that there are contrasting economic conditions between the U.S. and the Middle East that create a barrier to cultural understanding.
"When you are well-fed and have a roof over your head, the world looks good," Jain said. "If you don't have those things, it's a very different world."
Jarvis said the tension between Pakistan and India over Kashmir is a potential quagmire for the U.S. should either side take advantage of political destabilization brought on by U.S. military action.
"What I want to know is: What's the end game? We are playing around with unstable governments next to four major nuclear powers, two of which are in a conflict," he said.
Reach Victor Allen at victordallen@cs.com.
