About 65 people crowded into a small basement room at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church last Sunday morning to discuss war. This was not a secret meeting of military intelligence, but instead, the first session of a planned series of Middle East affairs forums organized by Paul Merry, a lay minister and member of the Personnel Committee, at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church. 
     Featured speakers Khalid Emara, an Egyptian diplomat and Fellow at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, and Wellesley resident Alan Henrikson of Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, spoke candidly regarding the U.S. government's role in a possible war against Iraq. 
     Emara said every reason the U.S. has stated for wanting to attack Iraq is shortsighted. He said he doesn't think Iraq is a threat to the United States and that trying to establish a democracy there wouldn't be as easy as U.S. leaders seem to think. 
     "After Sept. 11, I thought that it was a time for the world to reflect and to address the root causes of what we [in the Middle East] had been seeing for the past few decades with the rise of extremist ideas and a fundamentalism that knew no boundaries of religion or countries," he said. 
     But, this window of opportunity came to a close with the solemn announcement of a war on terrorism, he added. America's attitude was something that just seemed wrong to Middle Easterners, according to Emara, because instead of trying to understand the reasons why Sept. 11 occurred, the government only wanted to root out who was responsible and punish them.
     Henrikson also condemned the idea of striking Iraq, and criticized the notion of remaking the Middle East. 
     He recommended patience rather than violence because, he reasoned, Saddam Hussein will not live forever.
     "We're being patient with Cuba," he said. "Castro will not live forever either."
     Despite their beliefs, both speakers agreed that the military operation would probably be quick and successful, but the aftermath of trying to democratize Iraq would be a different story. They cited different reasons why making such an effort would be hypocritical for the U.S.
     "Our last election was not exactly a model of democracy," said Henrikson, regarding the 2000 presidential election.
     And Emara wondered how we could expect the people we had just been bombing to embrace our type of government.
     Fred Wright of Wellesley asked Emara if Middle Easterners were grateful for what the U.S. military operation achieved in 1991 during the Persian Gulf War.
     Emara said Middle Easterners appreciated America's effort then, but this time it's different because war is being contemplated as a first resort rather than a last resort. 
     Susan Herz of Natick asked what we can do, as concerned citizens, to make President Bush listen to reason.
     Henrikson and Emara were not optimistic about getting Bush to listen because he rebuffs any anti-war protests. 
     Emara said Bush has been acting in a manner that has not consistent with America's best leaders, saying that with leadership comes the responsibility to lead with concept, rather than force.
     Paul Merry, the organizer of the forum at St. Andrew's, found Emara's talk so enlightening, he is trying to get a representative from Turkey to speak to the community for the March forum he is currently organizing. 
     "We were delighted to have Mr. Emara [speak at the forum] because I don't think we're getting that point of view in the main line of information we're hearing," he said.
     Merry is hopeful his forums can make positive social change.
     "As far as what impact [these forums] will have, that depends on what the president and his advisors are planning," Merry said. "I don't know to what extent we're able to influence the administration, not that I think we have that capability, but we can certainly try to make ourselves heard."