By Akeem Mellis
Economics Professor Martin Melkonian discussed the negative effects of the war in Iraq in an International Lecture Scene event on Tuesday called “Can We Abolish Nuclear Weapons?” The event was supposed to host guest speaker Johnathan Schell, a correspondent for The Nation magazine and author of the book, “The Fate of the Earth,” and the “The Seventh Decade,” but he fell ill with pneumonia, and he could not attend.
Melkonian spoke about the economic implications of the war in Iraq which will mark its five-year anniversary next week.
“The cost [of the War] has not been fully appreciated by the Pentagon,” Melkonian said, as he laid out the costs of the conflict, which he says will cost the United States more than a trillion dollars, according to a book he cited that detailed the war costs. “But when you factor in the supplemental funding…military expenditures sour past $1 trillion. All this money can have alternative uses.
Those “alternative uses” could be better spent on weaning the U.S. off foreign oil, delivering better medical care for citizens, and lowering the cost of products like bread and milk, Melkonian said.
“This country would be a much better place to be in,” Melkonian said.
When Melkonian took questions from the audience, the topic shifted toward economics, touching on the possibility that China could further interfere in the U.S. economy, and how the governmenty spends and makes money, including selling arms to other countries.
Melkonian chided Congress for going along with the Pentagon spending money in their districts, saying that military companies have created a constituency that is dependent on defense spending.
As for the U.S.’s national debt, Melkonian was optimistic about it, after citing the effects of passing it down to future generations. “Which is the best way [to pay down the deficit]? It will take a generation to pay off this debt, but it can be paid off,” he said.
Most of the students who attended the lecture were mostly from Melkonian’s economics class, but they were receptive of the message, even if they heard it from him before.
“I thought it was intelligent and well-planned,” said Christopher Fink, a freshman accounting major. “He had very good points about the reasons we shouldn’t be in Iraq on a spur of the moment basis.”
“I thought he was very informative and knowledgeable,” said Brian Ritter, a second-year graduate student majoring in elementary education. “We spend so much money abroad buying foreign oil. If we spent a fraction of our money on strengthening our infrastructure, we would be reinforcing our own economic needs.”
In the end, despite the gloomy picture he painted of the economy, Melkonian seemed upbeat about the direction of the country. “No matter how far you’ve traveled on the wrong road, turn back. I think that’s what this country should do. We need to direct our resources toward peaceful purposes for future generations.”