Members of the Tufts Coalition to Oppose War in Iraq (TCOWI) will join with others tomorrow to rally against the war. We do so as the U.S. death toll in Iraq reaches 1,200; the worst month for U.S. troops since the beginning of the invasion we had been told would be a "cakewalk."
Nineteen months into the war, U.S. forces, seeing their heaviest urban fighting since World War II, destroyed the city of Fallujah, but in the process only expanded a decentralized, determined insurgency that obviously has growing popular support. In November, 135 U.S. soldiers died in Iraq, the highest figure since April. We will be there demanding the withdrawal of the forces.
But, you say, "How can we just ... leave? Won't there be chaos?" First of all, the illegal invasion itself produced chaos, and it is not getting any better. Iraqi infrastructure, already devastated by war and sanctions, was further damaged during the invasion and basic services still have not been restored. Child malnutrition is twice the level it was two years ago. Over 40,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed, and intelligence analysts argue that the continuing presence of U.S. troops and the anger it produces are the principle causes for the insurgency.
The administration justified its occupation of Iraq on the basis of charges that have now been thoroughly discredited. There were no weapons of mass destruction threatening Iraq's neighbors or the U.S. Now that this is clear, the pro-war crowd insists that "everybody," including foreign intelligence services and the CIA, "thought Iraq had WMD." But the fact is, their own intelligence made it very clear that Iraq was not a military threat, and so they augmented it with a lot of disinformation spun out from the Office of Special Plans. Similarly, there are no substantial Saddam -- bin Laden ties, as the Sept. 11 bipartisan report made plain. The effort to link them through the mysterious al-Zarqawi fails upon analysis.
The sole lingering justification for the invasion and occupation is that it "brings democracy" to Iraq, just as Bush wants to bring it to the whole Muslim world -- as though "free and fair elections" were a Bush specialty. So far the U.S. has only produced a puppet, powerless regime, headed by a longtime CIA operative and thug. Receiving orders from the world's largest embassy, with 140,000 occupation troops responsible for security, they implement edicts set down by the outgoing U.S. procurator, Paul Bremer.
Elections will be held in January despite Bush's original plans to maintain a formal occupation for several years, only because the Shiite leadership strongly demanded them and because some in the administration think they might diminish the violent resistance. Bush has vowed to pull out of Iraq only after the country is a stable democracy. That is not likely to happen under U.S. occupation, and Bush is unlikely to withdraw the troops unless military losses and a vigorous antiwar movement here at home force his hand.
While bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. continues to build cases for attacking Syria and Iran, also targeted by the neoconservatives for "regime change." Both are accused of aiding terrorism, although there appear to be no meaningful al Qaeda links or connection to Sept. 11. Both are accused of having weapons of mass destruction, and administration officials accuse Iran of attempting to develop nuclear weapons.
They express disappointment that the International Atomic Energy Agency issues a report concluding that there is no evidence that Iran, a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, is attempting to produce nuclear weapons. This is because they want to bring a case against Iran before the United Nations., have the body apply sanctions to Iran, and get a resolution that might justify U.S. action.
Even the United Kingdom, one of the few countries to endorse the Iraq war, is alarmed at the U.S. approach, and has worked with France and Germany to affect a peaceful resolution to the problem of Iran's nuclear program. Much of the world understands that the U.S. leadership wants to control oil-rich Southwest Asia for long term strategic reasons, and so is seeking excuses to do so, as its bellicose rhetoric creates anxiety and hostility around the world.
Our call for withdrawal from Iraq is a call for sanity, an end to the lies used to justify endless imperial expansion, at the cost of the troops' lives, Iraqis' lives, domestic needs, international respect, and real national security. Join us on Friday in opposing war and empire.
TCOWI's points of unity:
1. We demand the immediate withdrawal of the troops.
2. We consider the war on Iraq a crime.
3. We demand a cut-off of funds for the war.
4. We oppose expansion of the war into Syria or Iran.
5. We oppose reinstitution of the draft.
Gary Leupp is a professor of history and member of TCOWI<$><$>
