Waves of Chaos, by Alain Gresh (Le Monde Diplomatique, Sept. 2003)

   Submitted by Siriel Admin on 2003 Sep 1 - 1:21pm 

   [Themes:  | Afghanistan | Iraq | •Imperialism & Neocon. | •Untruthful Propaganda | ::Justice & Human Rights:: ]

Version française

An excellent summary, very informative and honest, especially about the situation in Iraq (but of elsewhere also) and about the effects of the unilateral and violent policies pushed by the Bush II administration.

:: Excerpts and link to the article here >

The human rights violations and widespread insecurity are “in large part the result of decisions, acts, and omissions of the US government, the governments of other coalition members, and parts of the transitional Afghan government”. The report also denounces Allied forces’ collaboration with warlords responsible for the worst abuses. (Ref.: report by the American organisation Human Rights Watch, “Killing You Is A Very Easy Thing For Us”, published in July).

Kabul and Baghdad have electricity cuts in common. In Baghdad, five months after the fall of the Iraqi regime, basic needs are still not being met. The inhabitants of both cities watch with amazement as US troops go on duty with their futuristic uniforms and equipment, advanced technological resources and efficient logistics that provide them with plentiful food and bottled water. They wonder why these supermen are incapable of connecting water supplies for everybody else, getting the phones to work, and guaranteeing electricity supplies.

The Pentagon seems incapable of restoring order, security and basic services, and is now administering Iraq as a colony. It does not understand the Iraqi people’s resistance. It mistakenly attributes this resistance to supporters of the ex-dictatorship. It has failed to understand people’s suspicions. Why should they complain when the US has successfully rid them of a tyrant? The answer is that the Iraqis know the part Washington played in their sufferings. They are still waiting for an apology for the support the US gave Saddam Hussein in the 1980s (let alone apologies from the French). They have not noticed anyone expressing any regret for the passivity of the Allied armies during the insurrection of spring 1991, nor for the deadly sanctions on Iraq, nor for the thousands of civilian deaths in 2003, particularly those that resulted from cluster bombs and napalm.

There has been much talk of US losses in Iraq since the official end of hostilities. But who spares a thought for hundreds of Iraqis killed in law and order operations? Or those who died as a result of handling unexploded munitions? Or the 5,000 or more prisoners detained without trial, most of whom had no connection with the crimes of the previous regime? In a report published on 23 July, Amnesty International denounced the “torture and mistreatment” of these prisoners. It reports that some have died in prison because of fire from coalition forces.

Emphasis added by Siriel Admin.
Le Monde Diplomatique offers this article for free at:

http://MondeDiplo.com/2003/09/01gresh