Despite his influential status in the international community, Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix's arrival on campus drew less controversy than recent speakers, including author Eric Schlosser and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
During U.N. weapons inspections in Iraq from late 2002 to early 2003, Blix's reports on the status of weapons of mass destruction there were key to the international community's reluctance to get involved in a war in Iraq. The United States ignored Blix's conclusion that there was not substantial evidence of weapons of mass destruction in March 2003 and invaded Iraq unilaterally.
"He obviously played a significant role but not a determining role in the end," said Elspeth Rostow, a professor and former dean in the LBJ School of Public Affairs.
Students and faculty arrived an hour before the speech for a book signing of Blix's "Disarming Iraq" at the LBJ auditorium.
Joseph Livingston, a graduate student in Middle Eastern studies who attended the lecture, said Blix's influence is important to his understanding of the United States' role in Iraq.
"Currently, our nation is embraced in a controversy over the process by which we became an occupier of a foreign nation," Livingston said. "Hans Blix was a central figure in shaping the way the international community perceived the threat in Iraq."
Sachiv Mehta, vice chairman of the College Republicans and government junior, said Blix's credibility is marred by the fact that the "U.N. is an entity that has no legitimate power."
Mehta said Blix's criticism of President Bush's actions in Iraq further challenged his credibility because the Clinton administration also believed Iraq was holding weapons of mass destruction.
"Using the U.N. was a measure that had no use - it's almost like [Blix] is speaking with no credibility, because he has no authority behind what he's saying," Mehta said. "I think the central point is that there was bad intelligence."
While John Grube, chairman of the Distinguished Speakers Committee and government sophomore, was busy negotiating Prime Minister Barak's visit to the University, he said he was pleasantly surprised when Barak's agent told him Hans Blix would be visiting the following week.
Both Blix and Barak are represented by the Harry Walker Agency, which acts as the middleman between the University and the speaker.
Inviting Blix would have cost about $30,000, Grube said.
But Blix reduced his honorarium, which was sponsored in part by the Swedish Studies Excellence Endowment Fund in honor of his Swedish nationality, said University event coordinator Joey Walker.
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