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As you can imagine, the response you deserve is not the one you will get only because of time/space constraints. Despite that we will try to do our best to tackle the issue, however not from a political aspect but rather the psychological one.
After having been told that you were being sent by the United States to “liberate” Iraq, it is quite natural for you to wonder why the Iraqis “look down upon” the U.S. and the Coalition forces. In responding to your question, we are not going to speak on behalf of the Iraqi people or the Arab nations. However, it is important that we at least help you understand why, as a member of the US military, you are not being made to feel welcome in Iraq.
First and foremost, you have to understand that no person of conscience in Iraq or in any Arab nation supported Saddam Hussein’s dictatorial regime. The Iraqi people know best just how brutal the regime was and some Arab nations even dealt first hand with the brutality of the regime. So do not mistake anti-American or anti-Coalition feelings to mean pro-Saddam feelings.
Second, the Iraqis have powerful memories, and what they cannot forget is the almost unconditional support that the United States gave to Saddam Hussein when he was waging a brutal war against neighboring Iran. The Iraqis remember very clearly that Saddam received untold military assistance in fighting Iran. And yet, when the Iran-Iraq war came to an end, the United States dropped Iraq as an ally.
Third, we urge you to study the genocidal impact that the sanctions had on the people of Iraq for nearly twelve or thirteen years. These sanctions were imposed by the United Nations but the United States was by far the strongest and most vocal opponent of lifting the sanctions. Over a half a million Iraqi people died as a direct result of the sanctions and the children were among the majority of the dead. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said during an interview with Leslie Stahl on the program “60 minutes,” that she thought the price of killing nearly half a million Iraqis was worth it. The sanctions were intended to punish Saddam Hussein and to remove him from power. Instead, the sanctions killed nearly half a million Iraqis and made Saddam more powerful.
Fourth, for nearly thirteen years following the 1990-91 Gulf war, the United States and Britain have maintained no-fly zones over Iraq. They have on an almost daily basis bombed locations both north and south of Baghdad. Civilian victims have either been killed or maimed as a result of these bombings.
Fifth, you have to realize that the United States especially is seen by the Iraqis and the Arab nations as waging a war against Islam and Muslim nations. Why? Well, even when the North Koreans are jumping up and down, waving, screaming, and shouting in telling the world that they currently have a nuclear program and even nuclear weapons, there has been no mention of an attack on North Korea. And yet, based simply on “intelligence” that Iraq had a nuclear program and the ability to produce weapons of mass destruction, the US/Coalition forces have not only destroyed the infrastructure of Iraq while protecting the oil fields, but also stood by as the Iraqi and Islamic heritage was stolen and destroyed.
Finally, it is proving impossible for the US/Coalition forces to attempt to persuade the Iraqis, the Arab nations and the world that the main purpose of the invasion of Iraq was to pre-empt an Iraqi offensive, complete with weapons of mass destruction. The US insisted that the UN inspectors leave Iraq so that the attack could begin, even though the inspectors kept pleading for more time. Today, there is no Saddam regime in place to deter the US/Coalition forces from conducting a thorough search of all the secret sites that the CIA said they knew about. And yet, ironically, the US keeps telling the world to be patient and to give US inspectors more time to find the weapons of mass destruction.
So much more could be said. We want to let you know that the Iraqis are not a homogenous people. Therefore, if you are still in Iraq or know military personnel who are still in Iraq, plead with them to spend time talking to individual Iraqis and getting them to share their views on the US occupation of their country. The Iraqis will be glad you asked, and in reality, you will be glad you asked.
Thanks for writing. We wish you the best.
For further guidance please refer to the following link:
◊ Iraq: The Aftermath
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