War with Iraq would Fan Anti-American Sentiment and Distract U.S. from Pressing Issues Elsewhere

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- According to Paul D. Senese, assistant professor of political science at UB, a war with Iraq will only fan anti-American sentiments in the Arab world, revive the "A" word -- arrogance -- and rouse more hatred of Washington among Arab Muslims.

"If the U.S. effectively eliminated Saddam Hussein there would be similar problems that would arise in his place," cautions Senese, an expert on international security and American foreign policy. "And it would raise the question of whether the U.S. would attack other leaders or countries when it doesn't like what's going on in the world."

Moreover, Sense says a war with Iraq would be "very inconsistent" with the U.S. war on terrorism and would distract the U.S. from more pressing international issues.

"In the long run, America's relationship with China is much more important than anything going on in the Middle East," says Senese, "We've crippled the al-Qaeda and improved homeland defense to the point where one could make the argument that the U.S. is more secure than it was before."

"China is the most likely challenger to the U.S. in all ways -- economically, politically, militaristically," he adds.