(Fwd) 9-11peace: The US vs. Iraq

["Gianni Zampieri" <zampieri.gg at libero.it>]

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From:           	"Eli Pariser" <bulletin at 9-11peace.org>
To:             	<9-11peace at complete.org>
Subject:        	9-11peace: The US vs. Iraq
Date sent:      	Wed, 5 Dec 2001 07:54:17 -0500
Send reply to:  	bulletin at 9-11peace.org

THE US VS. IRAQ
Read online, subscribe, or unsubscribe at:
http://www.9-11peace.org/bulletin.php3


CONTENTS
---------
1. Introduction: America's Other Most Wanted Man
2. Featured Actions
3. The Gulf War
4. The Continuing Devastation
5. Bombs Without War
6. Sanctions
7. The Next Target in the War on Terrorism?
8. Saying No to War in Iraq
9. Islam Follow-up
10. Get Involved
11. About the Bulletin


INTRODUCTION: AMERICA'S OTHER MOST WANTED MAN
---------------------------------------------------------
The fact that the US still doesn't have Osama bin Laden,
dead OR alive, doesn't seem to be deterring the Bush
Administration from looking towards America's other most
wanted man: Saddam Hussein.  There is little or no evidence
that Iraq was involved in any way with the attacks on
September 11, and there is a strong possibility that an
attack on Iraq may threaten the international coalition
carefully assembled by the States after 9-11.  Despite this,
the push to take the "war on terrorism" to Hussein's
doorstep is gaining momentum.  The pretext for this war may
be the anthrax attacks in the States, or it may be weapons
inspections.  Either way, the move towards a major military
action in Iraq seems to betray an American self-interest
that has nothing to do with September 11, and everything to
do with a long history of conflict between the two
countries, which in turn has a lot to do with oil.

Of course, the US war on Iraq is already happening.  It
never ended.  The Gulf War might be over, but that hasn't
stopped the States from periodically bombing the Iraq for
the last eleven years, while at the same time enforcing
harsh economic sanctions.  Although these American policies
have resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of
Iraqi civilians, and haven't done anything to help rid the
world of Saddam Hussein, they are still in place.

This week, we try to shed some light on this situation by
taking a look at the long and shameful history of the
conflict between the US and Iraq, starting with US war
crimes during the Gulf War and ending with the war on
terrorism.  We expose the true nature of the UN sanctions
and how they have decimated a people, and outline the
ongoing bombing campaign that the Bush Administration
probably doesn't want you to think about too much.  While
none of the information we provide below is secret, much of
it may as well be.  Let's make it public.

Next week: Consumerism and War


FEATURED ACTIONS
-----------------
This week, we're strongly urging our 100,000 constituents in
the United States to write letters to the newspapers against
escalating a war on Iraq.  Sample letters are available at:
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=49

If you are an elementary teacher who would like to educate
your class about the Gulf War and help break down
stereotypes about Iraq in your classroom, you may be
interested in ordering this video.
http://www.afsc.org/iraq/ed/video.htm

Join the Campaign for Conscience to help Iraq.
http://www.afsc.org/conscience/activism.htm


THE GULF WAR
---------------------------------------
No discussion of America and Iraq can begin without taking a
look back at the Gulf War.

First, a clear and informative summary of the events leading
to and during the Gulf War. Read it to learn what actually
happened, and why.
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=39

Here are a few of the most infamous examples of how the US
acted in this war.

Click on the links below to read about the striking and
horrific propaganda that was used to gain public support for
the Gulf War in the first place.  Many news services,
including CNN, reported that Iraqi soldiers had thrown
premature babies out of their hospital incubators.  This was
widely cited as an example of Iraqi atrocities in pro-war
speeches, and helped sway public opinion.
http://www.globaled.org/curriculum/cm18a.html

However, although many Americans probably still don't know
it, the baby incubator story simply wasn't true.
http://www.globaled.org/curriculum/cm18h.html

Worse than the made-up violence of the Iraqi soldiers,
however, was the real violence of the American soldiers, who
slaughtered retreating Iraqis who had surrendered and were
trying to head home.
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=40

In fact, the actions of America during the Gulf War were so
horrific that America's leaders, including George Bush Sr.,
Dick Cheney, and Colin Powell, were cited for war crimes by
an International War Crimes Tribunal.
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=41

What was the final judgment of this tribunal? Guilty.  Not
that it seems to have made much of a difference.
Recommendations of the tribunal are also included in this
article.
http://deoxy.org/wc/warcrim3.htm


THE CONTINUING DEVASTATION
---------------------------------------------
Despite the fact that the Gulf War is supposedly long over,
US policy has continued to kill hundreds of thousands of
people in Iraq.  It may come as a surprise to the majority
of the American people, but UN sanctions of Iraq have never
been lifted, nor has the US stopped bombing the country in
all this time.  The human cost is staggering, and it has not
even accomplished the intended goal; Saddam Hussein has not
been ousted from power.

For an excellent and chilling summary of these facts, read
this letter, which Ramsey Clark, former US Attorney General,
sent to the UN security council on Feb. 28, 2001.
http://www.iacenter.org/rc_022801.htm

The answers to 10 frequently asked questions about Iraq.
http://www.scn.org/ccpi/INOC_FAQs.html

Foreign Policy in Focus's article summarizing the Iraq-US
conflict and the problems with US foreign policy there.
http://www.fpif.org/briefs/vol2/v2n51ira.html

We will now take a look at some of the specifics of the
continued bombings and the sanctions against Iraq.


BOMBS WITHOUT WAR
---------------------------
This article summarizes American actions in the Gulf War and
since, including the various bombing campaigns, such as
those in 1993, 1996, and 1999.
http://www.fpif.org/briefs/vol6/v6n01iraq.html

1998 Foreign Policy in Focus article stating reasons why the
continuing bombing of Iraq should be stopped
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=42

Although the 1999 bombing campaign in Iraq barely made the
news, it did happen.  This article includes a timeline.
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=43

This article describes a Conscience International trip to
Iraq, where American citizens met the family of a 13 year
old shepherd boy killed in a senseless US bombing of
civilians in a field in 2000.
http://www.commondreams.org/views01/0222-08.htm


SANCTIONS
-----------
Four days after the Iraqi army invaded Kuwait in August of
1990, the United Nations imposed a trade embargo on Iraq.
The sanctions have still not been lifted, and this year
marks the eleventh anniversary of this devastating foreign
policy.

The leaders of America, from the Gulf War to the present,
have described these sanctions as a non-violent alternative
to war that will eventually lead to the downfall of the
dangerous Saddam Hussein.  However, the reality is that this
"non-violent alternative" has actually taken hundreds of
thousands more lives than the Gulf War itself.  The victims
of these sanctions are the innocent people of Iraq, and
especially Iraqi children.  According to UNICEF and other
organizations, as many as 5,000 children die each month as a
result of the malnutrition and lack of medicine that are
largely a result of the sanctions.

The inhumanity of these sanctions led to the resignation of
Denis Halliday, the head of the UN humanitarian programme in
Iraq in 1998.  He stated publicly that he could no longer
administer "an immoral and illegal" policy.  His successor
and the head of the World Food Programme also resigned over
this issue.

When questioned about the human cost of these sanctions, and
specifically the death of a half million children, Madeleine
Albright said in a now infamous television interview:
"It’s a hard choice, but I think, we, think, it’s worth it."

This great, well-referenced article by Voices in the
Wilderness, exposes the top lies about sanctions.
http://www.nonviolence.org/vitw/mythsand%20realities3.html

UN subcommittee report on why UN sanctions of Iraq are
illegal.
http://www.scn.org/ccpi/UNreport.html

UNICEF report on the mortality of children in Iraq since the
sanctions were imposed.
http://www.unicef.org/newsline/99pr29.htm

This article calls the sanctions against Iraq the "Silent
Hiroshima".
http://www.commondreams.org/views/080600-105.htm

Despite the sanctions, Iraq is (not surprisingly) still
allowed to sell oil to the Western world, including the
States, through the Oil-for-Food Program - and this program
has just been extended.
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=44

This article exposes the inadequacy of the Oil-for-Food
Program mentioned above.
http://saveageneration.org/thecrisis/

Recently, there has been some discussion of changing the
sanctions on Iraq to make them "smart".  This article
explains why "smart sanctions" will not work.
http://www.nonviolence.org/vitw/pages/173.htm

Despite the sanctions, a small number of brave people have
traveled to Iraq, bringing medicine and food, as part of the
Iraq Sanctions Challenge.
http://www.iacenter.org/iraqchallenge/isc4_why.htm


THE NEXT TARGET IN THE WAR ON TERRORISM?
-----------------------------------------
In one of our previous bulletins, we noted that one of the
major stories that the media was not reporting was the
movement within the Bush administration, led by such
important policy makers as US Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld and Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, to
make Iraq the next target in the war on terrorism.
Unfortunately, as the Northern Alliance gains more control
over Afghanistan, the Bush administration seems to be
discussing this option more frequently and more openly.

MSNBC article stating reasons the "hawks" want to attack
Iraq - and why they aren't very good.
http://slate.msn.com/?id=2059126

President Bush's recent implications that Iraq may be
attacked.
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=45

A former CIA chief suggests Iraq may be involved in terror
attacks - specifically anthrax.
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=46

This despite the fact that the FBI now believes that the
anthrax tainted letters were the work of an American
individual or group.
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=47


SAYING NO TO WAR IN IRAQ
-----------------------------
Despite the ever-more-frequent hints that Iraq may be next,
well-known peace activists aren't the only ones saying "no"
to a possible war in Iraq.

Colin Powell is not the only government or ex-government
official who disagrees with expanding the war to Iraq.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11995

Nelson Mandela says that the US should not attack Iraq.
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=48

CNN.com article describes how other countries feel about
attacking Iraq. Support for the action is not exactly
wide-spread.
http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9801/30/iraq/

Even the Iraqi opposition group INC doesn't necessarily
agree with a military action against Iraq.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/30_11_01/art20.htm


ISLAM FOLLOW-UP
--------------------------
Due to the large numbers of requests for this information
after last week's bulletin on Islam, here is an excellent
link on women and Islam.  You can find articles on Islam and
genital mutilation (which is actually a cultural issue, not
an aspect of the Islamic religion) and issues of concern for
Muslim women.
http://www.mwlusa.org/welcome.html

We would like to note that we are not Muslims ourselves, and
if you have any questions about the religion we suggest you
contact your local mosque.


GET INVOLVED
-------------
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We apologize if you have sent us an email and we have not
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of 9-11Peace.org.


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-------------------
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