A
Bull in a China Shop:
A Call
for an immediate withdrawal from Iraq
Last November, many Americans were celebrating the new Democratic
majority in the House and Senate. Outrage and concern over the
Iraq War had forced Democratic and Republican candidates to address
not only the government’s decision to go to war, but also
the handling of the war since 2003. More often than not, candidates
who advocated a change in course were elected. These results clearly
challenged the Bush administration policy of “staying the
course.”
But rather than heeding the voice of the people, on Jan. 11 President
Bush dismissed overwhelming disapproval of the war, ignored military
advisors' skepticism over a “surge” in forces, and
announced an increase of 21,500 troops in Iraq.
Demonstrations against the announced surge immediately sprung
up throughout the nation. With only one day’s notice, 70
protesters marched through downtown Traverse City. Two weeks later,
hundreds of Traverse area residents gathered – in solidarity
with protesters around the country – to call for an end
to the war and to demand Congress move toward cutting off funding.
Over 500,000 marched in Washington DC. A protest in San Francisco
turned out 5,000 demonstrators. In Los Angeles, thousands took
to the streets. In Seattle, more than one thousand people turned
out to protest – including First Lt. Ehren Watada, the first
commissioned officer to face prosecution for refusing to serve
in Iraq.
Frustration and anger among anti-war activists continues to mount
on both the national and local level. Watered-down nonbinding
resolutions aside, what is missing from the dialogue in Washington
is a demand for the withdrawal of U.S. forces. Immediate withdrawal
must become the subject of debate everywhere, for the sooner it
occurs the better for all sides of the conflict. Although possible,
it is highly unlikely that America’s situation in Iraq is
going to improve. It surely cannot get much worse for the Iraqis.
According to a Pentagon report, the number of weekly attacks has
nearly doubled in two years time, averaging 792 per week in late
summer. As of this writing, 3,133 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq
and 23,500 have been wounded. And although most of the media is
focused on sectarian strife and the resulting civilian death,
last August a Defense Intelligence Agency report found that 70
percent of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) targeted U.S. forces,
20 percent targeted Iraqi security forces, and only 10 percent
targeted civilians. Further, a poll conducted by the British Ministry
of Defense found that between 45 and 65 percent of Iraqis support
armed attacks against the occupying forces. In a recent three
week period, five U.S. military helicopters were shot down by
the Iraqi resistance.
These numbers – and the fact that wars are rarely won by
an occupying force once faced with an armed, dedicated, and organized
indigenous resistance – indicate that there’s a high
likelihood the U.S. will be forced out of Iraq in defeat.
So, if we can not “win” this war, how much longer
will we throw our citizenry into an unending meat grinder? How
much more money will we spend on military adventures while our
healthcare system remains nonexistent and our schools under-funded?
How much longer will Iraqis have to live under occupation and
how many more must die? If the U.S. will ultimately withdraw,
why not do it now?
The most common criticism to immediate and absolute withdrawal
of American troops is that it will bring chaos to Iraq. Of course,
this ignores that the current dysfunction in Iraq has much to
do with fifteen years of devastating sanctions spearheaded by
the U.S., the aftermath of depleted uranium and remnants of unexploded
munitions used by the U.S. in 1991’s Gulf War, and the saturation
bombing conducted by British and U.S. forces in the months leading
up to the 2003 invasion.
The current situation remains grim. Lancet research suggests
as many as 650,000 Iraqis have died as a result of the invasion.
Unemployment is estimated at 60 percent while Kellogg, Brown &
Root hire thousands of foreign workers for Iraqi jobs. Employed
Iraqis earn $150 per month on average. The cost of fuel and electricity
– when they are available – has gone up 270 percent
in one year. Parents keep children home from school. One million
Iraqis are refugees in Jordan and Syria.
Indeed, there is chaos, and there will be chaos with or without
a U.S. presence. However, it is the U.S. who has taken the lead
in destroying Iraq’s infrastructure from 1991 through 2003
and then subsequently mismanaged its affairs since the 2003 invasion.
It’s also the U.S. who fueled sectarian divisions in the
draft Iraqi constitution, invited the fringe fundamentalist Shia
and Iran-backed parties into the political discourse, and first
armed, trained, and funded the militias for counter-insurgency
operations. The U.S., it seems, is much like a bull in a china
shop – the only solution is to kick it out and send it the
bill.
The call for withdrawal is gaining support. On Feb. 14, the Boston
City Council voted 8-3 in support of a resolution calling for
the immediate withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Iraq and Afghanistan
and the reallocation of funds from the Pentagon back to communities
where they can be used for AIDS, jobs, housing, healthcare, and
education. Similar resolutions are pending in other cities. PollingReport.com
found that 63 percent favor a withdrawal of U.S. troops by the
end of 2008. Meanwhile, 40 percent say the efforts to bring stability
to Iraq are going very badly, 46 percent say the situation in
Iraq is going to get worse, and 47 percent think the U.S. is unlikely
to succeed in Iraq. A vast majority believe the U.S. military
cannot do much about fighting between Iraqi factions.
With these very realistic projections there is no justifiable
reason to delay the inevitable. Withdrawal is the honest answer
to a dishonest war that should not have been waged and an occupation
that is making things worse by the day.
Marian
Kromkowski is an attorney, mediator, and co-founder of Mideast:
Just Peace – an educational/activist group providing a voice
for the Palestinian resistance, anti-occupation Israelis, and
Americans who oppose current U.S. policies in the Middle East.
She is also a co-founder of Traverse for Peace.
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