Link to this page: http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/issue/485/2365
From The Socialist newspaper, 3 May 2007
Pressure mounts for troops withdrawal
REFLECTING THE over-whelming public mood in the US to end involvement in Iraq, the Democrat-controlled Congress delivered a rebuke to president George Bush.
Last week, both the House of Representatives and the Senate voted through a Bill which timetables a withdrawal of US troops and establishes new 'benchmarks' to assess the progress of the Iraq government.
To date over 3,200 US troops have been killed in the Iraq war and occupation, which has also cost Americans over $400 billion. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been killed since March 2003 and the country has descended into violent sectarian civil war, with over two million people forced to flee their homes.
But Bush remains unmoved and has announced his intention to veto the Bill. He accuses the Democrats of "withholding money for our troops" and "handing al-Qa'ida a victory".
However, the $124 billion Bill actually provides more money for the Pentagon than Bush had sought!
Meanwhile, the US-organised reconstruction of Iraq continues to be a costly, monumental failure. Billions of dollars have simply disappeared - siphoned off by contractors and officials, while ordinary Iraqis continue to suffer unemployment, poverty and a crumbling infrastructure.
According to the World Health Organisation, 80% of Iraqis lack access to sanitation, 70% lack regular access to clean water and 60% lack access to the public food distribution system.
As a result of these failings, diarrhoea and respiratory infections now account for two-thirds of the deaths of under fives.
US inspectors have revealed that of eight reconstruction projects declared to be a success just six months ago, seven are no longer functioning properly. These projects include a maternity hospital and a newly built water purification system.
Dave Carr
Why not click here to join the Socialist Party, or click here to donate to the Socialist Party.
In The Socialist 3 May 2007:
2007 election analysis: Time for a new workers' party
Scottish Elections: Labour rocked as SNP wins
Socialist Party election campaign
NHS cuts... privatisation... widening wealth gap
Campaign for a New Workers' Party conference
Socialist Party NHS campaign
NHS: A matter of life and death in Swansea
Socialist Party workplace news
PCS: Fighting for jobs, pay and services
Socialist Party editorial
Widening wealth gap needs working-class response
Socialist Party election campaign
Packed election rally for Scotland's Solidarity
Irish election - Socialist Party takes on the establishment
New Labour panics and resorts to lies
Yorkshire ISR and Socialist Students day of action
Global Warming
Alternative energy: Winds of change?
Education
Socialist Students
Seattle students walkout against the Iraq war
Pressure mounts for troops withdrawal
Socialist Party Marxist analysis
Russia April 1917: Lenin returns from exile
Comment
Women must have the right to choose!
Socialist Party news and analysis
What 'public-private partnerships really mean
Oppose legal aid contracts tooth and nail
Socialist Party workplace news
Remember the dead but fight for the living
Home | The Socialist 3 May 2007 | Join the Socialist Party
Join us today!
Printable version
email to friend
