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An
anti-war rally in London, March 20, 2004
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The
opposition to the war and occupation of Iraq has intensified
rather than diminished during the past year. Hundreds of marches
and demonstrations are taking place on March 20, 2004, the first
anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, to re-emphasize a worldwide
sense of outrage and concern for the future of the Iraqi people.
One
of the central reasons for the intensification of opposition to
the war is an awareness of the illegitimacy of the invasion and
continued illegal occupation of Iraq. An even more pressing
reason for increased activism is a realization that, possibly,
the invasion of Iraq is indicative of an even more sinister
agenda on the part of the United States and its allies to create
a new imperialist empire.
There
are many who believe that anti-war activism is a vital component
in alerting the world to the intentions of those nations that
manipulate war and intimidation for self-gain. This is even the
case from within the United States; the allegation that the US
is the “greatest terrorist state” is being uttered, not only
from quarters of the Middle East, but also by ordinary citizens
within America itself. Many view the attack on Iraq as a
catalyst that has increased, rather than decreased, the problem
of global terrorism.
It
has become obvious to many that the occupation of Iraq has
little, if anything, to do with the liberation of the country
and more to do with politics, profits and lucrative contracts.
The rhetoric of “democracy and freedom” as the ostensible
reason for the Iraq war has worn thinner with each passing day.
With the absence of weapons of mass destruction and the
questionable way in which the occupation of Iraq has been dealt
with on all levels, sentiment throughout the world has
increasingly hardened against US and UK involvement in Iraq.
The
continual assurances by the Coalition Provisional Authority
(CPA) and US administration that things are improving in Iraq
have become almost laughable to those commentators and
journalists on the ground. Felicity Arbuthnot, freelance
journalist and researcher on Iraq, underlines the appalling
conditions that still prevail in the country.
It
has worsened at every level. Iraq’s thriving female work force
- Iraq had vast, secular swathes, unusual in much of the Middle
East - now cannot drive or shop without a male (usually armed)
escort.
Mike
Zmolek of the National Network to End the War Against Iraq also
states that,
“At
least 10,000 Iraqi civilians have died who would not have died
if the war had not happened; some put the figure as high as
55,000. The insurgency has surely slowed the pace of
reconstruction and it has likely diverted a significant portion
of the $87-billion dollar package for reconstruction in Iraq and
Afghanistan from civilian efforts to war.”
The
seemingly endless list of appalling conditions in areas of
health, education, security and the life of every Iraqi citizen
are already well documented and need no repetition here.
While
the situation in Iraq itself is a cause for internal alarm and
censure, the increase in activism can also be understood in
terms of the broader implications of America’s perceived
intentions. Mike Zmolek, Outreach Coordinator for the Grassroots
Peace Network (National Network to End the War Against Iraq),
states that:
The
US is trying to run the planet according to its dictates, making
the UN, in Bush’s words, “irrelevant.” There is a serious
danger that the US war machine will keep moving forward with
more invasions, possibly Syria (now facing stiff US sanctions)
next, or North Korea.
Criticism
and anti-war activism has also increased among members of the
Coalition. Spain, with its recent change in government, has
moved away from its support of the occupation of Iraq, while in
Australia, many are criticizing their government’s
“criminal” involvement in the Iraqi invasion.
It
is a pertinent fact, however, that a large part of the increased
dissent and objection to the invasion of Iraq is coming from
within America. “This is a bitter situation for Americans who
abhor war. Many or most of the US’s soldiers believed they
went to Iraq to liberate Iraqis from oppression. Many are now
bitter about the lies, and about being forced to stay longer
than they were told. It is not the soldiers who are insisting
upon prolonging the occupation or keeping the UN out, it is the
plutocrats in Washington; yet they are the ones killing and
being killed in this guerilla war,” Mark Zmolek says.
Voices
of dissent are not only emanating from anti-war organizations in
the US, ordinary concerned and patriotic American citizens are
equally alarmed and appalled at the obvious lies and deceit of
their own government. According to a recent survey, most
Americans now feel that the invasion of Iraq was not worthwhile 1.
More significantly, more and more Americans are openly critical
of the war and can see through the miasma of governmental
rhetoric. One of these citizens is Jack Dalton.
Dalton
describes himself as just an ordinary citizen exercising his
constitutional rights. He is a Vietnam veteran, disabled from
exposure to the infamous “agent orange” chemical during the
Vietnam War. Jack Dalton is no radical but is “a conservative
Republican” and a “constitutionalist” who is very
concerned about the direction that the governing body of his
country is taking.
He
is concerned at the profound effect that the decision to invade
Iraq has had on his country and on the meaning of democracy and
freedom of speech in America. These are, in Dalton’s view,
being sorely eroded by the influence of the Bush
administration’s lies and propaganda. He describes his home
town of Portland, Oregon as “Orwellian” and people in the US
being “too frightened to speak out” - an untenable situation
for the world’s greatest democracy.
As
he explains, a situation has been created by the
neo-conservative governing body in the US in which there is a
lack of transparency between the governing body and the people,
and a lack of public insight into the actions of the governing
body carried out in the people’s name. Like many other
inquiring and concerned Americans, he states he is “ashamed”
of being associated with the Machiavellian activities of the
Bush administration.
He
is also under no illusion as to the true reason for the invasion
of Iraq. The need for oil as well as Iraq’s change to the Euro
was, in his view, part of the impetus that motivated the
invasion. “What sealed Saddam’s fate was that in November
2000 he switched from petrodollars to the Euro. The Euro is the
only thing that threatens the US monopoly on trade through the
US dollar.” This, combined with the desire for military bases
in the Middle East, were the real reasons for war.
Dalton
points out that the neo-conservatives have created a situation
in Iraq which is “Vietnam all over again”. He is forthright
in his estimation of the Bush Administration and their role in
Iraq. “This is definitely an imperialistic empire expansion by
some of the worst terrorists that the world has ever seen -
George W. Bush and company.” While Jack Dalton says that he is
deeply patriotic, he is appalled by the actions of the US
Government:
My
own country has become the biggest terrorist state the world has
even known. We have got people who have literally been convicted
of human rights crimes and war crimes, in decision-making
positions within this federal government.
He
states that, ironically, the US is starting to resemble the old
Soviet Union in its inhibition of freedom of speech and human
rights. “This country is slowly being turned into a police
state,” he says. He claims that, “America is in a twilight
zone where things seem normal but aren’t.”
Dalton
says that people in the US are afraid to speak out and discuss
their fears and misgivings. “People in this country are
getting scared as hell.” This is very far, he feels, from the
principle of a democratic country. The result is that people are
being “propagandized to the point of becoming “a nation of
sheep.” He states that he is ashamed of calling himself an
American, “because of what the governing body of my own
country has and is currently doing to the people inside this
country, to our Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and everything
that we hold dear.”
One
year later, criticism of the war on Iraq has not abated. In
fact, the volume of dissent has been turned up considerably. One
central aspect, however, has changed since 20 March 2003. One
year ago, many people, especially in the US, believed their
government’s rationale for going to war. Now, these reasons
have been proven false, and what is being revealed is the true
nature of the Bush administration’s intentions and
motivations. More and more people are becoming aware of the lies
and deceit, and, hopefully, dissent against the continued US
intrusion into Iraq, or any other country, will increase in the
future.
Gary
Smith is a freelance journalist and researcher based in South
Africa. His special field of research is the situation in Iraq.
You can reach him at gary@imaginet.co.za
[1]
“Iraq,” Polling
Report.com
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