[Peace-discuss] The US war on Iraq (fwd)
C. G. Estabrook
galliher at alexia.lis.uiuc.edu
Mon Mar 10 11:52:58 CST 2003
[A good summary (with extensive links) from the French paper Le Monde
diplomatique <http://mondediplo.com/focus/iraq/>. --CGE]
The US war on Iraq
Nothing seems capable of halting the American juggernaut. Now
in March 250,000 US soldiers, along with a few British
units, are gathered in the Gulf ready for the assault on
Baghdad. Soon after 11 September 2001 the Bush
administration decided that one component of their strategy
would be to overthrow Saddam Hussein. Men as high-placed as
Richard Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld or Paul Wolfowitz had long
advocated such action, but George W Bush's questionable
election made it difficult to realise that objective. With
11 September it became feasible. From then on Washington's
ruling view of the world was stark: "Anyone who is not with
us is with the terrorists" Bush proclaimed. The September
2002 document entitled The National Security Strategy of the
United States, which for the first time included the notion
of preventive war, confirmed the new orientation of the
hyperpower, which was convinced that its own interests were
henceforth synonymous with justice. (see documents in Part One:
United States strategy).
http://mondediplo.com/focus/iraq/r1456
This strategy was not a response to 11 September. It was
formulated in a document dating from September 2000, signed
by influential members of the current administration before
they took office, which claimed that terrorism had replaced
Nazism and communism as the new enemy of the United States.
But terrorism is not an ideology, nor is it a strategic
threat, since it does not originate from any state. It is a
useful bogeyman, adaptable to many situations and used to
discredit one's enemies. Especially when it can be
associated, in a triangle of evil, with weapons of mass
destruction and so-called "rogue states" (see documents in Part
Two: The threat of terrorism).
http://mondediplo.com/focus/iraq/r1457
President Bush has warned that the "war on terrorism" will
be a long one. It began with the Afghan campaign and the
overthrow of the Taliban. It continued with the outlawing of
hundreds of organisations and individuals, on criteria that
are vague at best, corresponding more to American fantasies
than to any serious definition of the terrorist phenomenon -
if such a definition were possible. This war has also helped
a number of governments to justify their own repressive
policies: Russia in Chechnya, Israel in Palestine, India in
Kashmir, etc. In the countries of the North, an offensive is
mounting against an "enemy within", often identified with
Muslim immigrants, or radical protestors (see documents in
Third Part: The war against terrorism).
http://mondediplo.com/focus/iraq/r1458
The United States decided on its attack on Saddam Hussein'
regime in order to destroy the weapons of mass destruction
held by Iraq. And yet, on this question, no evidence has
been offered, and certainly no proof that Iraq is such a
threat to world peace and security that war is unavoidable.
Washington's duplicity is obvious when we compare the US
attitude towards North Korea. The proliferation of weapons
of mass destruction is a very real problem, but it requires
a multilateral solution, through the enforcement of existing
treaties and stricter rules, especially on exports of
sensitive material. The United States, France, Great Britain
and Germany have much to answer for regarding Saddam's
armaments programme in the 1980s (See documents in Part Four:
Weapons of Mass Destruction).
http://mondediplo.com/focus/iraq/r1459
The first victim of the war will be the Iraqi people,
already suffering from a bloodthirsty dictatorship and
criminal sanctions. Responsible for two wars - against Iran,
then against Kuwait - the Baghdad regime has been subject to
strict controls since 1991. The United Nations inspectors
were able greatly to reduce its capacity to inflict harm,
but this was accompanied by an embargo of unprecedented
severity. United Nations experts predict that another war
inflicted on a country whose population has reached the
limits of its endurance will bring about hundreds of
thousands of deaths. And the vision of a pacified and
democratic Iraq arising from the ruins of Saddam's
dictatorship, is a pipedream - or rather a piece of
propaganda - without any relation to reality (see documents
in Part Five: Toppling Saddam).
http://mondediplo.com/focus/iraq/r1460
There are questions, too, about the broader consequences of
a new war on the situation in the Middle East, especially
the confrontation between Israelis and Palestinians (see
documents in Part Six: War in the heart of the Middle East)
http://mondediplo.com/focus/iraq/r1461
This focus feature was prepared by Alain Gresh, Maria
Ierardi, Olivier Pironet and Philippe Rivière
We welcome your questions and comments, which should be
adressed to
Olivier.Pironet at Monde-diplomatique.fr
> US strategy
http://mondediplo.com/focus/iraq/r1456
> The threat of terrorism
http://mondediplo.com/focus/iraq/r1457
/ United Nations documents on terrorism / "Rogue
States"
http://mondediplo.com/focus/iraq/r1462
http://mondediplo.com/focus/iraq/r1466
> The war against terrorism
http://mondediplo.com/focus/iraq/r1458
/ The US intervention in Afghanistan / Al-Qaida /
The "anti-terrorist" offensive against civil liberties
http://mondediplo.com/focus/iraq/r1465
http://mondediplo.com/focus/iraq/r1468
http://mondediplo.com/focus/iraq/r1472
> Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
http://mondediplo.com/focus/iraq/r1459
> Toppling Saddam
http://mondediplo.com/focus/iraq/r1460
/ A computerised war / Military intervention and
oil-related issues / UN Inspections: a painstaking
mission / War and post-war scenarios / Iraq in the
run-up to a military strike
http://mondediplo.com/focus/iraq/r1467
http://mondediplo.com/focus/iraq/r1463
http://mondediplo.com/focus/iraq/r1473
http://mondediplo.com/focus/iraq/r1475
http://mondediplo.com/focus/iraq/r1476
> War in the heart of the Middle East
http://mondediplo.com/focus/iraq/r1461
----------------------------------------------------
See the French version:
L'empire contre l'Irak
http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/cahier/irak/
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