Airstrikes are usually the first step in a confrontation such as the one in Serbia, Scott Bennett, assistant professor of political science, said. This move is fairly cheap, but historically airstrikes alone have not brought about the desired results.

However, Bennett cited World War II, Vietnam and Iraq as past situations in which airstrikes did not bring about the desired political change. But airstrikes signal that NATO does care about Kosovo and can also damage Serbian forces, he said.

NATO began airstrikes Wednesday afternoon as promised after Serb leaders did not sign a peace agreement. President Bill Clinton, who addressed the nation later that night, said America has a responsibility to work with allies to end the tragic conflict raging in Kosovo.

"It's relatively safe as far as military operations go," Bennett said.

The airstrikes sparked some discussion in Penn State classrooms, including Bennett's Political Science 418 (International Relations Theory) class.

Pelin Tumen (junior-international politics), a student in the class who returned to her native Turkey for spring break, said her country's TV stations dedicated themselves to broadcasting daily accounts of the escalating conflict.

Human rights abuses and threats to neighboring countries are two arguments for U.S. involvement, Bennett said. Serb forces have been involved with ethnic cleansing in the past and this is like a "trump card" for taking military action.

But one Penn State professor did not share Bennett's view.

"It's absolutely unjustifiable," Philip Jenkins, professor of history, said of the airstrikes.

Serbs have been portrayed as demon figures, but both Kosovars and Serbs have been victims of ethnic cleansing, Jenkins said.

Pennsylvania senators agreed the president should have alerted the public about the operations days ago, but had mixed feelings about the strikes.

"Congress and the American people deserve to know the risks involved with supporting a bombing campaign of Serbian military targets," U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., said in a press release prior to the president's speech.

The airstrikes do not make for a sound foreign policy, Santorum added.

Although there have been reservations about the operation, the Senate authorized the attacks despite some opposition, U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said in a press release.

Senators are behind the men and women in the armed forces in the operation aimed at averting further massacres and ethnic cleansing, he said.

If these air strikes do not bring about change in the next few weeks, NATO and the U.S. will be faced with another decision -- whether to deploy ground troops, Bennett said.