`UNIQUE ASPECTS': PERSPECTIVES ON MIDDLE EAST VIEWED

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- When historians look back on the Persian Gulf War, they will see three nearly unique aspects, says Dr. George Ketcham, a professor emeritus of history at Southeast Missouri State University.

Those aspects deal with the multi-nation coalition against Iraq, the rapid deployment of troops and military equipment, and the pitting of Arab against Arab, Ketcham said Tuesday night at a public forum on "Perspectives About the Middle East."

"I can think of no instance in history where the world has come together in such unanimous condemnation of a nation's act of aggression," he said. "The only other great coalitions that come to mind are coalitions that developed after world wars had already begun."

Ketcham and five other speakers served as panel members for the forum, which was held in the University Center ballroom on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University. The speakers addressed about 90 audience members.

Speaking along with Ketcham were four other members of the Southeast faculty, as well as a Cape Girardeau businessman and former member of the university's Board of Regents, Martin Hecht. Ketcham presented the historical perspective on the war while Hecht, a Jew, handled the Israeli perspective.

Other faculty members making up the panel were Dr. Roger Arpin of the department of mass communications, who presented the media perspective; Maqsood Choudary, a native of Pakistan and a member of the department of political science, who presented the Arab perspective; Army Maj. Roger McMaster of the department of military science, who presented the military perspective; and Dr. Gerald Stott of the department of sociology and anthropology, who presented the Jordanian perspective.

The forum, with it's question-and-answer session, covered about one hour and 40 minutes.

Dressed in military attire, McMaster told the audience that the Army has Iraq beat on military hardware. U.S. tanks can shoot twice as far as the Iraqi tanks and the United States has more helicopters, he said. Plus, he said, U.S. intelligence is much more advanced than that of Iraq's.

The media, McMaster said, has made a big deal of Saddam Hussein's war experience in light of the Iran-Iraq war that spanned eight years. At the same time, he said, the United States hasn't fought a war in nearly 20 years.

"Well, rest assured. You don't have to fight a war to win a war. You don't have to eat a razor blade to know it's not good for your health," he said.

Hecht said it was almost impossible to comprehend the miracles that have taken place throughout the world over the last few months and weeks, with the takeover of Kuwait and the setbacks of socialism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.

"I think that our generation is privileged to be living in one of the most important periods of history," said Hecht. "The great miracle will be when this war is over and when all peace-loving nations will be together and will stay together in this coalition that our president has put together."

Addressing media coverage of the war, Arpin said he didn't think reporters are providing news. Noting the existence of press pools, Arpin said the public is getting what officials want it to see, unlike the news that came out of other wars such as Korea and Vietnam.

Arpin likened military commanders and their presentations to football commentator John Madden's play analyses.

"What we are really getting is what I like to call `infotainment.'" Arpin said. "What you're getting is something that's entertaining us under the guise of information and news, when really it isn't."

Ketcham said the eventual victory in the Persian Gulf may very well be the victory of the United States. But he cautioned that the United States needs to do as much as it can to share that glory.

"We need to have a feeling in the Middle East that this is not simply one more occasion in which the West has crushed the East," he said.