"IF THIS is not civil war, then God knows what civil war
is," said Iyad Allawi, Iraq’s former prime minister and one-time
ally of the US administration.
US
vice-president Dick Cheney and the British defence secretary John Reid
both took issue with Allawi but for many Iraqis his comment was merely
stating the obvious.
International Socialist Resistance on the 18 march 2006
Anti-War demo
Three years of occupation by the US-led coalition has been a bloody
disaster with no political solution in sight as the country fragments
and descends into sectarianism and civil war. A new constitution and a
new parliament has not united the main Shia Arab and Sunni Arab and
Kurdish communities but has only served to exaccerbate their divisions.
The exposure of secret jails and death squads operated by the Shia-run
interior ministry and then the bombing of the Shia Golden Mosque in
Samarra on 22 February have dramatically increased the tit-for-tat
sectarian killings.
Even the trial of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein is to be a PR
disaster. Instead of consolidating a ‘new Iraq’ its farcical proceedings
have symbolised the general chaos in the country.
With growing political instability the head of Israel’s Shin Bet
state security police lamented: "I’m not sure we won’t miss
Saddam."
Bush and Blair as representatives of imperialism have no easily
realisable exit strategy. Using the fledgling Iraqi police and army to
pacify the growing Sunni-based insurgency is proving illusory as these
forces are largely loyal to the Shia politicians.
Increasingly, the US is using the blunt and indescriminate weapon of
air strikes – the highest number since March 2003.
Unsurprisingly, an opinion poll in February 2006 said 70% of Iraqis
wanted a full US withdrawal in two years. But for the coalition forces
to withdraw ‘under fire’ would be seen as a complete humiliation for US
and western imperialism, seriously weakening its abilty to militarily
intervene around the world. However, remaining in Iraq will only serve
to fan the flames of armed resistance, increasing the death toll of US
and British forces (now over 2,300 and 100 dead, respectively) and
undermining domestic political support for Bush and Blair.
Bush’s popularity has slumped to the same level as discgraced former
president Richard Nixon at the time of the Watergate scandal. Only 29%
of Americans now approve of his handling of the war but all Bush could
promise is "more fighting and sacrifice".
Thousands demonstrated in London last Saturday against the Bush/Blair
occupation of Iraq. Socialist Party members, International Socialist
Resistance and Socialist Students formed a lively contingent.
This was one of many protests worldwide. In the US, rallies, marches
and protests took place across the country, including in New York,
Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, and Detroit.
For eyewitness reports see www.socialistworld.net
The Pentagon’s multi-billion dollar heist
‘BRIBERY, CORRUPTION, fraud, and mismanagement’. This was Channel 4’s
conclusion to their Dispatches investigation last week into the US
administration’s handling of Iraq’s resources.
Under the Coalition Provisional Authority’s (ie the US Pentagon) rule
– headed up by Paul Bremer – $23 billion of Iraq’s revenue from oil and
assets was put into a development fund for Iraq. This was stored by the
Federal Reserve in the US who shipped out 263 tons of US dollars in $100
dollar bills – some $12 billion in cash. Bags of cash was handed out
daily from the CPA’s basement in one of Saddam Hussein’s palaces.
Millions were simply stolen.
Paul Bremer told US contractors and other war profiteers attracted to
this enormous honey pot that they would not be subjected to Iraqi law
nor any other law. Iraq had become a "free fraud zone".
Contractors such as Haliburton (previously headed by US
vice-president Dick Cheney) overcharged for services or simply charged
for non-existent services. US security contractor, Custer Battles,
turned a $3 million contract into a $10 million. None of these
profiteers have been prosecuted.
But it was ordinary Iraqis who paid the price for this looting. All
the talk of rebuilding the health service and the country’s
infrastructure was an illusion. Basic medical equipment remains in short
supply. Newly refurbished hospitals were in ruins before they re-opened.
Of $1.5 billion spent on electricity repairs, less electricity is now
being produced than before the invasion. The same applies in the oil
industry and in the provision of clean water, despite billions being
spent.
Some $8.8 billion was spent through Iraqi ministries, again none of
this was accounted for. (Although auditors subsequently discovered that
one ministry’s payroll of 8,000 employees turned out to be only 600
people!)
Out of $23 billion only $3.5 billion was handed over to Iraq. And
having blown the country’s money George Bush has now said that
reconstruction money is coming to an end.
