Retired Maj. Gen. Robert Dees spoke in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union on Wednesday night about the worldwide war on terror.

In his lecture “The Global War on Terror: Why bother?” Dees cited multiple reasons as to why he felt the war is worth the effort.

“Terrorism is an asymmetric form of war that puts strengths against weaknesses,” Dees said. “In our case, the weakness is probably the human spirit. Terrorism attacks our ability to keep on keepin’ on.”

The presence of threats in the world was a main point in Dees’ lecture.

“Evil empires exist,” Dees said, leading into examples of various world empires including Nazi Germany, which he compared to the beginnings of the war on terror.

“Despite the threat, France, Britain and the United States did nothing to stop the rise of the Nazis,” he said. “I would soon call the global war on terror World War III.”

Dees made it clear the war will not be a short one, saying the war on terror actually started in 1979 when Iran took 52 Americans hostages.

“This will be a long war against a determined enemy,” Dees said. He referenced how it took 43 years to resolve the cold war.

Dees stressed the fact that one of the primary conflicts of the war is within Islam, making this a holy war for some people.

“I feel that this raised some very valid points,” said Lt. Col. Lawrence Braue, chairman and professor of military science. “It gives us something to think about.”

Anita Conley, senior in dietetics agreed that appeasement will not necessarily work against this threat.

“My eyes were really opened that this affects everybody,” Conley said.

“I feel it’s inevitable for us to be involved because we are being targeted. We can’t just take the same approach as we did with the Nazis because it didn’t work then, and it won’t work again.”

Keith Weber, senior in industrial technology and Air Force ROTC cadet, said it is important for the public to be informed about the reality of war.

“These are the people who vote for our politicians, and the general was able to give a perspective from an insider that the general public and the media [do not have],” he said.

Dees will speak at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in Coover Hall for ROTC students, a lecture that is open to any members of the military. He will also speak at 9 p.m. Thursday in Curtiss auditorium for Campus Crusade for Christ.