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Staring into the eyes of a soldier no older than the average UCLA student, hearing him recite the lyrics of the

Bloodhound Gang’s “The Roof is on Fire” while reminiscing about literally setting Baghdad ablaze, the chaos of this war becomes frightfully personified.

The image, from Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11,” joins thousands of other accounts, photos and video of a tumultuous Iraq. As the United States prepares to grant a small degree of sovereignty to the interim Iraqi government this week, the chaos shows no signs of slowing.

While the threads of evidence for launching the war continue to unravel, tensions in Iraq and the United States become even more strained. When the simple answers are washed away, some important questions are left standing:

Will the Bush doctrine of preemption continue to guide U.S. foreign policy? How willing is the U.S. government to dismiss the protections provided by the Geneva Convention? Most importantly, how many more will die?

The abundance of criticism regarding the present administration and the military’s actions certainly have placed these questions into the mainstream discourse. Lines stretching around street corners are filled with people paying $10 to sit in a theater in search of answers.

Had a similar atmosphere of questioning existed in March 2003 when the White House announced, “The diplomatic window has closed,” the events of the last year may have unfolded quite differently.

If there is a simplistic lesson to be learned, it is that no act should go unquestioned. Although the world has seen masses of protesters in the past year, a genuine critique was never offered by those in a position to do so – the majority of U.S elected officials and the media. Decisions that put so many human lives at risk should be able to withstand the most intense analysis, but hindsight has shown that it rarely occurs.

Though most students will admit to not having all the answers, it is even more frightening to know that apparently no one else does, either. It is becoming increasingly clear there is no plotted pathway toward a positive outcome in Iraq.

If the future of this war is uncertain, transferring power to the Iraqis based upon a time line set before such atrocities as the Fallujah lynchings, the abuse at Abu Ghraib and numerous hostage beheadings has proven how narrowly focused this administration is.

Handing over power amid instability could prove more dangerous than preemptive warfare. It is an action that only will breed more violence, targeted assassinations and more disdain for the United States.

Occupation is never easy, especially when leaders follow arrogant dreams and citizens fail to hold them accountable.

Although June 30 likely will bring even more death, the changing atmosphere of American dialogue and the slowly regained support of the international community offers some hope. America must ensure Iraq doesn’t truly become the threat that President Bush assured the world it was a year ago.

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