[Peace-discuss] Fwd: What's Ahead for Iraq?

[Jay Mittenthal]

>To: mitten at life.uiuc.edu
>From: Campaign of Conscience <conscience at topica.email-publisher.com>
>Subject: What's Ahead for Iraq?
>Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 07:50:05 -0700
>Reply-To: <conscience at afsc.org>
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>
>Campaign Update
>  In This Issue: 12 June 2003
>•   Stay Tuned to the Big Picture
>•   Report: The Unproven Case for War
>•   Aftermath: The Human Face of War
>•   AFSC Examines Conditions in Iraq
>•   Help Remove the Debt
>•   AFSC Health Kits
>  Stay Tuned to the Big Picture
>Many people in the international community, the media, and the U.S. 
>Congress are challenging the pretexts for war against Iraq. Iraq's pursuit 
>of weapons of mass destruction is now seen as an exaggerated threat. We 
>have not seen adequate concern for the people of Iraq and their safety.
>
>On May 22, 2003, the UN Security Council legalized the occupation of Iraq 
>by approving Resolution 1483. The United States and United Kingdom, 
>referred to as the "Authority," were given control over Iraq’s resources 
>and a mandate to govern Iraq until a new government is established.
>
>Most Iraqis are grateful to the United States for deposing the regime and 
>understand the necessity of the U.S. military presence. However, as U.S. 
>tanks and Humvees step up patrols on Saddoun and Karata streets, some 
>Iraqis ask: "When will we have the promised security? What comes next?” 
>The occupying powers have shown little commitment to a broadly democratic 
>process that uses Iraqi voices.
>
>In this newsletter and at the AFSC website (see below), watch for reports 
>from our staff in Iraq, providing eyewitness accounts and analysis of 
>on-the-ground realities.
>
>The AFSC's humanitarian relief focuses on water projects and delivery of 
>emergency medicines: We link these efforts to advocacy campaigns to change 
>U.S. policy. One component will be grassroots education to encourage 
>participation in the 2004 election.
>
>To do this, we need your support.
>
><http://conscience.c.tclk.net/maaa91aaaYzena3FWSZe/>Go to AFSC website
>  Aftermath: The Human Face of War
>The Human Face of War is an alternative information web site, created and 
>updated by the AFSC. It focuses on the humanitarian crisis caused by the 
>war on Iraq. Although President Bush has declared that “major combat” has 
>ended in Iraq, the war continues. Check these pages for updates on AFSC 
>relief efforts in Iraq, political commentary, and eyewitness accounts from 
>our staff.
>
>Some issues we will track: Will the U.S. military occupation remove the 
>measures that damaged Iraq’s economy under sanctions? What initiatives 
>will be employed to address Iraqis’ fears of occupation and mistrust from 
>years of sanctions?
>
><http://conscience.c.tclk.net/maaa91aaaYywra3FWSZe/>See our latest report
>  Help Remove the Debt
>The people of Iraq face a crushing debt, estimated to be $65 billion to 
>$120 billion. In addition, the United Nations-controlled sanctions 
>compensation fund could demand an additional $50 billion to pay for damage 
>Iraq caused during the 1991 war.
>
>To address this, Working for Change has launched a letter-writing campaign 
>on behalf of Jubilee USA. It calls for eliminating the debt incurred by 
>the government of Saddam Hussein.
>
>“This will go a long way towards rebuilding a nation broken by decades of 
>sanctions and war. Debt cancellation for Germany was a significant part of 
>the Marshall Plan, which helped them [Germany] to become a strong and 
>prosperous democracy post-WWII and can aid Iraq as well. If Iraq is ever 
>truly to be a peaceful and prosperous democracy, its citizens must be 
>allowed to start anew. . . ."
>
><http://conscience.c.tclk.net/maaa91aaaYywBa3FWSZe/>Send a letter to 
>Treasury Secretary Snow
>  Report: The Unproven Case for War
>A report from a project of the Fourth Freedom Forum and the Joan B. Kroc 
>Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame 
>describes the controversy sparked by failure of U.S. and British forces in 
>Iraq to find evidence of weapons of mass destruction: "Two contending 
>explanations have been offered for why the Bush administration made 
>apparently questionable claims about weapons of mass destruction. The 
>first alleges an intelligence failure. The best analysts in the CIA simply 
>had no foolproof way of discerning what Saddam had. They gave the 
>administration a wide-ranging set of estimates, from benign to worst-case, 
>and,.. the president’s advisors adopted the worst-case scenario. The 
>second claim, more odious in form and substance, is that the 
>administration inflated and manipulated uncertain data to make the case 
>for war to the American people and the world community.”
>
>The Fourth Freedom Forum is a useful source of information about policies.
>
><http://conscience.c.tclk.net/maaa91aaaYyw0a3FWSZe/>See the full report
>  AFSC Examines Conditions in Iraq
>Last month three staff members traveled in Iraq to assess needs and 
>recommend next steps. They found dire conditions, with urgent need for a 
>coordinated international response. They also saw cause for hope in 
>actions of individual Iraqis and religious groups, and in the emergence of 
>civil society. Sadly, the enormity of need threatens to overwhelm positive 
>developments before they can take root and grow.
>
>This summary of findings and recommendations builds on observations of 
>Tareq el Bakri, Middle East regional AFSC coordinator in Amman, Jordan, 
>and Rick McDowell and Mary Trotochaud, Iraq country representatives, who 
>will be establishing an AFSC presence in Baghdad. Beginning this month, 
>AFSC will have two Quaker International Affairs Representatives (QIARs) 
>based in Amman, Jason Erb and Noha Bakr.
>
><http://conscience.c.tclk.net/maaa91aaaYyxja3FWSZe/>See AFSC Trip 
>Assessment Report
>  AFSC Health Kits
>Thank you to everybody.
>
>The collection of health kits -– destined for Iraqis affected by the war 
>-- is a tangible people-to-people campaign. The number of people touched 
>by this effort is represented not only in kits collected but the ripple 
>effect of collective action. A letter from Amherst College highlights 
>this: "424 Amhurst College students did not eat at the dining hall on 
>April 16th, contributing their fees to the Iraq Relief Kit Fund.”
>
>A Girl Scout troop in Nashville, Tennessee, gathered kits to satisfy 
>service requirements of the club. Faith communities held fundraisers, and 
>a great number of schools' classroom projects featured kits collection.
>
>I am happy to report that almost 20,000 kits were collected and sent to Iraq.
>
><http://conscience.c.tclk.net/maaa91aaaYyxla3FWSZe/>See delivery report of 
>emergency medicines
>Campaign Updates are edited by Peter Lems and Melissa Elliott
>AFSC Iraq Peace Building Program
>1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102
>phone: 215-241-7170; fax: 215-241-7177
>  <http://conscience.c.tclk.net/maaa91aaaYyswa3FWSZe/>Join the Campaign of 
> Conscience on the web.
>
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