ONE REASON for Labour getting ‘a good kicking’ in the 10
June elections was opposition to Blair’s war and occupation of Iraq.
Blair lied about Saddam Hussein’s regime possessing
launch-ready weapons of mass destruction in order to stage the war and now,
the coalition forces are becoming bogged down trying to keep a lid on an
increasing Iraqi insurgency. In the Netherlands and in Italy too, the
governing parties received a mauling in the polls because of the ‘Iraq
factor’.
Meanwhile, in Iraq, the ‘transition to sovereign
democratic government’ isn’t going to plan – the plan of the occupying
powers that is. On the contrary, political discontent and violence is
growing, while ‘reconstruction’ grinds to a halt.
Assassinations of transitional government officials and
suicide bombing attacks aimed at killing foreign workers are amounting to
more than one a day. This insurgency could increase further after the 30
June handover to a supposed Iraqi civilian government – as Iraqis’ hopes for
a better life are dashed by the continuation of the US-led occupation.
Coalition troop deployment figures in Iraq will remain
high. Tony Blair is also likely to despatch a further 3,000 British troops.
As US military spokesman Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt said: "I don’t
think you’re going to see much difference on 15 July than you saw on 15
January. We will not be pulling out of the cities. We will not be
relocating. We would certainly like to see more and more Iraqi security
forces at the lead."
However, this could turn out to be wishful thinking.
During the recent armed uprisings in Falluja and Najaf many local police and
paramilitary units either switched sides or went home. The recent bloody
fighting between US marines and insurgents in Falluja witnessed half the new
Iraqi army rebelling against their US masters.
Eventually, a ceasefire was only secured after the
insurgents were incorporated into a new Iraqi army unit led by a former
general of Saddam’s Republican Guard! The beleaguered US forces in Baghdad
are increasingly withdrawing into fortified bases and now have even less
contact with Iraqis.
The social conditions facing ordinary Iraqis are
appalling. Without proper security, kidnapping by criminal gangs is a
fast-growing and lucrative venture. And while the US stooges of the
transitional regime enjoy fat salaries and luxury cars many Iraqis are
unemployed and have to queue for hours for petrol in their oil-rich country.
The electricity supply in the capital has actually
fallen from 12 hours a day to six hours – this when temperatures reach
between 300 and 400C.
