Ask any high school student how much they know about the impact of war, and the majority would respond that the bombing in Hawaii that initiated our involvement in World War II was devastating. Pearl Harbor is also the latest teen war movie. And, if the student is good, they might even be able to recall Ben Affleck’s lines when he finds his friend, played by Josh Harnett, dying.

Though most high school students don’t know much about the United States’ current terrorism approach, they have formed opinions. “I’m not really certain about what’s going on in Iraq, but I don’t think we should go to war because we would lose too many innocent lives,” said sophomore Matthew Rush.

There is truth to Rush’s statements. As in all wars, people may die. However, with the current situation in Iraq, war may be the only way to stop further problems.

The Bush administration has threatened Iraq with war because Saddam Hussein has failed to comply with United Nation’s demands to inspect his nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. The administration believes Hussein is a dangerous because he has used weapons of mass destruction in the past—including against his own people.

In an ideal world, an agreement could be made in which nonviolent actions could be taken to ensure peace.

The truth is Iraq is not in a healthy situation. Their oil industry, roads and water facilities are in poor condition and their political system continues to oppress its citizens. Not to mention, Iraq may be developing these war arsenals from fear of Iran. In a perfect world, the United States could offer international aid and loans to restore Iraq’s economy as long as Iraq agrees to make changes in its politics and military expansion.

However, the year 2003 does not bring such a world. There is strong evidence to suggest that Saddam Hussein supports terrorism against Israel and the United States. Hussein is known to pay suicide bombers anywhere from $10,000 to $25,000 in his support of violence. This doesn’t make him the ideal person to sit with to talk politics.

War opponents wonder why Iraq is singled out while North Korea, Pakistan, Israel and Iran—places that have been suspected to have nuclear weapons—have not been threatened with war. Hussein’s answer: he has been complying with the U.N. resolutions and Bush is launching war only to seize Iraq’s oil wealth. However, the truth is more obvious: Hussein’s history of ties to terrorist acts makes Iraq a more serious threat.

Other opponents do not believe the U.S. should patrol what other countries can and cannot do. “We cannot think that there is a universal policeman to take a stick to those who behave badly,” said Archbishop Renato Martino, an administrator of the Council for Justice and Peace and the Holy See’s former U.N. representative. The opponents also point to the fact that the United States is the only country to use a weapon of mass destruction in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and, the U.S. retains thousands of missiles while Saddam may have less than twenty.

But, the United States is the strongest country in the world—economically, militarily, strategically. Its position of power forces it to be the “universal policeman.” The United States has the responsibility to patrol which countries have nuclear weapons for the benefit of every country.

Though high school students may enjoy the bliss of ignorance as the United States prepares for war, if they don’t pay more attention they may be surprised. By the time the war with Iraq makes it as a teen movie, the world could be drastically changed.