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The 1991 Gulf War
The war on Iraq was portrayed in the U.S. as a war without casualties. Yet,
on the first day of airstrikes against Iraq (Jan. 17, 1991) the U.S. dropped
explosives equivalent to the explosive power of the Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
Throughout the duration of the bombing, explosives equivalent to seven nuclear
bombs were dropped, in addition to internationally banned biological and chemical
weapons. (1) Also, the 1991 war on Iraq marked the first time the U.S. used
ammunition tipped with Depleted Uranium (DU). These bullets and anti-tank shells
pierce armor with the side-effect of disintegrating into thousands of tiny radioactive
particles on impact. Although the Iraq Health Ministry noted an increase in
cancer cases of over 60% since 1991, a World Health Organization study was derailed
on November 29 due to a lobbying campaign by Washington. (2)
In September 2001, an article in the Progressive magazine outlined documents written by the US Defense Intelligence Agency in 1991 specifically noting that by destroying water and sewage plants, Iraq's water supply would become contaminated and thousands would die. (3)
Sanctions
Sanctions were imposed on Iraq in 1990, banning Iraq from importing very basic
supplies. The UN sanctions committee, based in New York, continues to deny Iraq
pencils, computer equipment, spare parts, and air-conditioned trucks, all necessary
elements to sustaining human life and society. (5) The lack of these supplies
show great devastation, in many cases indicating permanent and irreversible
damage, according to agricultural and environmental studies. (6)
While estimates vary, many independent authorities assert that at least 500,000 Iraqi children under five have died since 1990, in part as a result of the sanctions and the effects of the Gulf War. An August 1999 Unicef report found that the under-five mortality rate in Iraq has more than doubled since the imposition of sanctions. (7) Former UN humanitarian coordinator for Iraq Denis Halliday has remarked that the death toll is "probably closer now to 600,000 and that's over the period of 1990-1998. If you include adults, it's well over 1 million Iraqi people." (8)
Temperatures in Iraq during summer often reach 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Air-conditioned trucks are therefore essential for shipping perishable goods, including cancer medication, surgical gloves, and foodstuffs. Yet air-conditioned trucks are practically nonexistent in Iraq, since the sanctions committee has barred them under "dual use" considerations. (9) While it is certainly true that air- conditioned trucks could be used for military purposes, they are also necessary to ship medication.
The infrastructure is so degraded throughout Iraq that medicine and even spare parts are "Band-Aids to a huge problem," according to former UN humanitarian coordinator Hans von Sponeck. (10) There are electrical shortages in every city, including Baghdad. Water and sanitation facilities have collapsed. Oxygen plants have fallen apart. Due to a deteriorating sewage system, 500,000 tons of raw sewage is discharged into fresh water bodies EVERYDAY. (11) Halliday stated that Iraq would need at least $50 billion to rebuild its agricultural, medical, and social infrastructure. (12)
After allocations are taken out of Iraq's oil revenues to finance Gulf War reparations, and UN administrative costs, and other mandated expenses, there is little money left. Iraq cannot afford to rebuild its infrastructure under the oil-for-food program. Water sanitation facilities, electrical grids, communication lines, and educational resources will remain permanently degraded until the sanctions are lifted.
While Iraq is permitted to sell more than $5.26 billion of oil every six months, these funds are not at the discretion of Saddam Hussein, but are kept in a UN escrow account with the Bank of Paris in New York City.
The Bombing War Continues
Hundreds of millions of US tax dollars are spent each year to sustain economic
sanctions. Expenses include monitoring Iraqi import-export practices, patrolling
the "no-fly" zones, and maintaining an active military presence in
the Gulf region. (13) According to the UN Office of the Humanitarian Coordinator
for Iraq, US and UK planes patrolling the "no-fly" zones have killed
dozens of innocent civilians, and injured many more. (14) For example, on January
25, 1999, a guided missile killed more than ten people in Basra when it struck
a civilian neighborhood. While the Pentagon denies any civilian casualties,
eye-witness accounts describe encounters with scores of children and families
wounded and killed when US and UK bombs missed their targets. (15)
While the US claims to be protecting northern Kurds from the Iraqi government, the US is silent when Turkey flies into Iraq, over the "no-fly" zone, to bomb Kurdish communities, because Turkey is a US ally. (16)
Iraq is Not a Threat to Peace
According to former United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) chief inspector
Scott Ritter, "[F]rom a qualitative standpoint, Iraq has been disarmed.
Iraq today possesses no meaningful weapons of mass destruction." While
it is certainly possible that Iraq has the seed stock to rebuild its purported
arsenal, Ritter has said that Iraq does not currently possess the capability
to produce or deploy chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons. (17)
Finally, the United States possesses, and keeps on alert, more nuclear weapons than the rest of the world combined. Many Iraqis feel that it is disingenuous of the United States -a country sitting atop the world's largest nuclear arsenal, refusing to comply with international treaties or allow its weapons programs to be inspected by international experts, being the only nation ever to drop an atomic bomb-to tell Iraq what it can and cannot produce. In 1998 and 1999, the United States bombed four countries-Serbia, Iraq, Sudan, and Afghanistan - all in violation of international law.
UN Resolution 687, paragraph 14, calls for regional disarmament as the basis for reducing Iraq's arsenal. By arming Iraq's neighbors in the Middle East, the US is contravening the same UN resolution with which it maintains arguments for sustaining the sanctions. Israel possesses more than 200 thermonuclear weapons and has violated scores of UN mandates, yet the US remains silent on the UN floor with regard to this violation of international law. (18)
While the United States claims to be encouraging peace in the Middle East by destroying Iraq's arsenal, it continues to arm Iraq's neighbors. The list of consumers of American military technology-in the Middle East and elsewhere-reads like a "who's who" of international terrorists, human rights violators, and dictators. The US supplies Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Iran with weapons and technology. All are Iraq's neighbors and could potentially threaten its borders. (19)
The Iraqi government, knowing that the United States favors Saddam Hussein's ouster and will impose sanctions until a "regime change," has no incentive to cooperate with the United States or intrusive inspections. Top Clinton administration officials - notably Secretary of State Madeleine Albright - have publicly that sanctions will remain intact until Saddam Hussein is out of office. (20) This is not stipulated under the UN resolutions enforcing the sanctions.
UNSCOM director Richard Butler removed inspectors from Iraq prior to the December
1998 bombardment of the country, contrary to what is commonly reported. The
US government claims Iraq "threw out" inspectors. In fact, the opposite
occurred. According to Butler's own records, his team of weapons inspectors
made numerous unimpeded visits the week before the December bombing. On only
a few intentionally provocative visits was he prevented from inspecting a site.
(21)
In February 1998, former weapons inspector Raymond Zilinskas stated that "95 percent of [UNSCOM's] work proceeds unhindered." He wrote in the Chicago Tribune, "Although it has been theoretically possible for the Iraqis to regain such weapons since 1991, the duplicity would have been risky and expensive, and the probability of discovery very high." (22)
Butler himself confirmed that he was in constant communication with the US military the week before the bombing. He often took his cues from Washington. Furthermore, the US government admitted (after an embarrassing Washington Post story) that it had been using UNSCOM to spy on Iraq. Iraq had previously charged UNSCOM with spying - a claim vehemently denied by the US government. (23) The ultimate irony is that Iraq pays for the entire UN operation in Iraq through oil revenues, thus financing workers to spy on behalf of the United States.
The bottom line
Additional airstrikes, ground confrontation and sanctions will not help a country
already devastated by war, nor will they bring greater peace to the region or
the world. Iraq's infrastructure needs to be rebuilt, not re-bombed. The U.S.
has the sole power to influence the UN Security Council to end sanctions. And
contrary to what our government says, NOT ATTACKING this country is an option
for peace.
Anti-War
Committee |