George Wolfe said he and Ball State's Center for Peace and Conflict Studies are disappointed that President Bush felt the need to go to war with Iraq.
Wolfe, director of the Center, said the Bush administration did not work hard enough to find an alternative to war.
"It's a matter of being creative and willing to find solutions," Wolfe said.
Finding non-violent alternatives to conflict is what the center strives to do everyday, Wolfe said.
The center was created in 1988 in response to concerns over the nuclear arms race. As fear of a nuclear war diminished, according to the center's Web site, the center shifted its focus to finding and studying peaceful solutions to world conflict.
Wolfe said he felt that war broke out with Iraq because the president was impatient to find an alternative.
"There are always non-violent strategies that work over time," Wolfe said.
Continued United Nations weapons inspections and peaceful protests could have created changes in Iraq without violence, Wolfe said.
"I guess Bush feels non-violent solutions take time. I don't know why he is being so impatient," Wolfe said. "It's unfortunate we still have animalistic instincts."
The Bush administration did not give enough evidence to prove that Iraq posed a real threat to the United States, said Carmen Siering, meeting coordinator for PeaceWorkers, a new group that strives for peace through strong leadership and action.
"I'm always going to say that war is not an option," Siering said. "I understand that in the real world you need to defend yourself, but Bush has not made the case (that) we are in imminent danger."
Siering said the money used for war with Iraq could be better spent by continuing weapons inspections.
"We're heading down the wrong path," Siering said.
Both Siering and Wolfe agreed that changes need to be made in Iraq, but peaceful protests by the Iraqi people would be better than war.
"Sometimes you have to create a wedge for a politician to bring about change," Wolfe said.
The Iraqi people need to find a way to force Saddam to step down, such as using worker strikes or some other political weapon, Wolfe said.
At times, citizens just need to wait for the right political and social climate to take action, Wolfe said. And sometimes, Wolfe said, change can only be made after a leader dies.
No one can determine with certainty whether the war with Iraq is legitimate, but critical thinking is vital to look at the situation realistically, said Kevin Smith, assistant chairman of the history department.
One way to do this is to use the Just Theory of war, Smith said.
Five criteria are needed for a nation to go to war under the theory, Smith said.
The first point is war should be declared by a legitimate authority, Smith said.
Second, a nation must have a just cause. War without a reason is wrong, Smith said.
Third, a nation must have a right intention. War should not be fought just for the sake of battle, but also to do good in the world, Smith said.
Fourth, war must be the last resort to solve a conflict, Smith said. And last, Smith said, a nation must be sure they have a reasonable chance of succeeding.
Besides these five criteria, however, Smith said it is necessary to think of the situation in Iraq from Saddam's viewpoint.
"You have to put yourself in the mind of Saddam," Smith said. "People are taking him at face value. There's a tendency to doubt the president, but to take other leaders at face value."
Smith said he thinks Saddam himself created the idea that continued inspections would have averted war.
"If you were Saddam and recognized that Americans were more determined (to fight), you would maintain the belief that if you continued inspections, it would be enough," Smith said. "That's exactly what he's done. He banked on the U.S. going alone."
Saddam counted on the U.S. not receiving wide global support for the war and used it to his advantage, Smith said.
"If Saddam was being sincere, they (anti-war protesters) would be right," Smith said.
However, a critical eye should also be turned to the Bush administration, Smith said.
Smith said he was suspicious of the administration's motives when Iraq was immediately linked to Al-Qaida after Sept. 11. The move suggested to Smith that Iraq has been a target for a while, he said.
But Smith said Americans should still respect Bush.
"It's very easy for us to say there is no threat and we are overreacting," Smith said. "But we are not the ones who took the oath of office. It's Bush's responsibility."
Siering said she will always hold out, though, for a peaceful solution to world conflicts.
"I have to believe there is a peaceful solution and we can find a way around war being the only way to solve something," Siering said. "We must honor each person's dignity and make sure every individual is listened to and has an opportunity to participate fully in society.
"Once we recognize each person's worth, a lot of conflicts would go away."
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