All Things
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TheIraqwaris over. HaveyoueverseenanyfilmfootageofthecelebrationsattheendofWorldWarII?Ofstrangershuggingandkissing,ofanentirecountryjubilant,throwingonehugeparty?Inrecentdays,thepresidenthasbeengivingsomesoberspeechesabouttheendoftheIraqwarafternineyearsoffighting.Ihavenotheardofanyspontaneouspubliccelebrations.Ihavenotseenhugebannerheadlinesinthepaper.An...
- Political Violence In Iraq
Political violence in Iraq Reports from Iraq uniformly stress the divisions in the country between Kurds, Shia and Sunni. Newspaper regularly refer to the “sectarian” divisions in the country. It leaves the American reader with a sense that Iraq is...
All Things
Thecostofwar
ThepresidenthasnotquitedeclaredvictorybutvariousgeneralshavebeenquotedinthenewsassayingthattheyleaveIraqhavingdoneagoodjob.
Noonewantstotalkaboutthecostsofwar.Themediaclaimabout4500Americandead.Noonementionsthemanymoreinjured,hauntedbynightmares,strugglingwithanxiety,andunabletofindtheirwaybackintocivilianlife.
Noonementionsthatwhatwegotforourtroubleisthatabout2%oftheIraqisregardAmericantroopsasliberators.
ButAmericanlossesare,atleast,beingmentioned.ThelossesoftheIraqipeopleareprettywellunknown.Nooneseemstobeinterested.Ittakesconsiderableefforttofindbitsandpiecesofthathorrifyingrecord.
Butherearesomepieces:
EstimatesoftheIraqiswhodiedasaconsequenceofmilitaryactionvaryfrom100,000to600,000persons.Thenumberofinjuredisusuallymultiplesofthenumberofdead.Wecouldestimatenumbersupwardof 1millionormanymore.
Manyoftheinjuredwerechildrenwhofoundandplayedwithunexplodedclusterbombs.Manycivilianswereinjuredorkilledatcheckpoints.TheU.S.ArmyexplainedthatittookthemawhiletoputupsignsinArabicfordriverstostopatthecheckpoint.Beforethatdriversjusttriedtodrivethroughandgotkilled.
AsignificantnumberofIraqisweretorturedinprisonorheldforlongperiodsoftime.
ManychildrenareleftwithPTSD,withnightmaresandterribleanxieties.Theincrediblebrutalityofwarwhichleavesadultsoldierspsychologicallydamagedhas thatmuchmoreterrifyingeffectsonchildren.
About41/2millionIraqishavebeenforcedfromtheirhomes.Almost2millionleftthecountry;theremaining2½ millionlefttheirhomesforalessdangerouspartofthecountry.Youcanjustimaginethemassivedisruptionofpeople'slives.Manyofthemcannotreturnbecausetheirhousesaredamagedorbecausetheycannotfindwork.
BeforethefirstGulfWar,SaddamHusseinhadinvestedalargeamountofoilmoney inmodernwaterandsewagesystems,inroadsandschools.AfterthemassivebombingduringthefirstGulfWarandtheperiodicbombingsinyearsbetween1991andthesecondGulfWar,andfinallyduringthislastnineyears,Iraqiinfrastructureisinruins.InBaghdadlessthanhalfthechildrengotoschool.Waterandelectricityareavailableforafewhoursaday.
TheUSgovernmentpaidParsonsconstruction– alsoinvolvedinBoston'sBigDig– torebuild142schools.Parsonstookthemoneyandbuilt20schools. (We complain about corruption in the Iraqi government.)
AccordingtotheInternationalMonetaryFund$25billionwillbeneededtorebuildIraq.AccordingtotheLosAngelesTimesseveralhundredbillionsofdollarswillbeneededtorepairthedamage.
Amongthedamagethatneedstoberepairedis removingunexplodedland minesandshellcasingsmadeoutofdepleteduranium(thatisstillradioactive).
Muchdamagecannotberepaired.NotonlydidtheUSmilitaryallowtheplunderingoftheIraqimuseums.ButUStroopsbuilttheirencampmentsontopofarchaeologicalsitesanddidirreparabledamagetoBabylonianantiquities.
Beforeofthesewarsstarted,Iraqhadmorethan1000healthclinicsandalmost200hospitals.Atleasthalfofthesearedamagedandneedtoberepairedorcompletelyrebuilt.
The Iraqi parliament is even more dysfunctional than the current US Congress. It is not clear that we have brought a functioning democracy, of any kind, to Iraq.
Thisisclearlyonlyapartofthestory.HowmanyIraqisseethe US leave andsay:“Ajobwelldone”?
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TheIraqwaris over. HaveyoueverseenanyfilmfootageofthecelebrationsattheendofWorldWarII?Ofstrangershuggingandkissing,ofanentirecountryjubilant,throwingonehugeparty?Inrecentdays,thepresidenthasbeengivingsomesoberspeechesabouttheendoftheIraqwarafternineyearsoffighting.Ihavenotheardofanyspontaneouspubliccelebrations.Ihavenotseenhugebannerheadlinesinthepaper.An...
- Political Violence In Iraq
Political violence in Iraq Reports from Iraq uniformly stress the divisions in the country between Kurds, Shia and Sunni. Newspaper regularly refer to the “sectarian” divisions in the country. It leaves the American reader with a sense that Iraq is...