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An Unconvincing Pantomime: The Liberation of Iraq

ZeroZero | 10.04.2003 10:04

Comment on the supposed 'liberation' of Iraq, and scenes of rejoicing in the streets.

So we see scenes of joy in the streets on the BBC: just what Blair needed to save his neck. Will this moment of euphoria last, or was it a temporary coup, a brief moment of triumph similar to that experienced by the anti-war movement on February 15th?

Its claimed that those celebrating the invasion were mostly Kurds; some question whether incentives were handed to the crowd. What seems most likely is that a small minority joined what amounted to little more than a staged publicity stunt, and found it highly exciting. After all, who wouldn't? Regardless, the crowd didn't number into the tens of thousands in a city of 5 million. And those people in the North of Baghdad who were celebrating - they were chanting that "Saddam was the Enemy of God"....Bin Laden must be laughing out loud.

The most likely situation is that Iraqi's are simply relieved and excited that the constant bombing has now largely ended. Unless of course, they ended up dead, maimed, or missing loved ones. Others may rejoice that Saddam's regime has finally ended. But the fact of the matter is that the regime has only just started, and this time its leaders aren't even Iraqis.

The basis for the occupation will soon appear through the dust and debris of the invasion. People will start to question the motives of the invasion itself. A feeling of humiliation may creep in, seeing that a small minority of civilians (backed and encouraged by imperialist aggressors) have given some credence to the idea that Iraqi people wanted liberating through death, bombing, eventual exploitation. And all that after ten years of sanctions that ended up killing thousands and impoverishing the entire country. They will feel ashamed of these traitors, and many will feel ashamed of themselves. Britain and the United States helped install Saddam, and then they came and bombed the country to remove him. Even to the least politically conscious individual, the contradictions and hypocrisy of the actions of Blair and Bush will become impossible to ignore.

Even if some Iraqis are keen on the invaders - perhaps they were persecuted by his regime, or wanted power for themselves, and couldn't with the iron grip of Saddam prevening them - they will soon start asking some serious questions: Why has the US decided to impose the Dollar on the country? Why has the US ignored the war crimes and criminal regime of the Israeli Government? When will the Brits and Yanks get out of the country? Why are the US and UK working with Saddam's former henchmen, putting them back in power (like they did ex-Nazi's after WW2 in Eastern Europe); aren't they accessories to the enemy? Why are all the contracts for rebuilding going to companies from the invading countries? How many people died, and how many are going to die from unexploded munitions, jittery occupiers and Depleted Uranium? What kind of criminal system is going to be imposed when the US talks of executing Saddam in the States, and shipping countless freedom fighters to Camp X-Ray where they get tied up, drugged and psychologically tortured? Is the US level of incarceration (2 million in prison) going to be applied to this Middle-Eastern country as well? How about US and UK levels of inequality? Why the constant reference to installing a 'free market' - didn't supporters of the war laugh when anyone mentioned the word "imperialism"?

These people aren't stupid and they will soon start resisting the occupation, just as the Palestians do to the ethnic cleansing, apartheid and massacres carried out by the Israeli government and its supporters. This honeymoon period - if we can even call it that - won't last long.

Blair and Bush must be brought to account, and the Iraqi people must rise up against their occupiers, throw them out, and create a grass-roots self-government, not another dictatorship that for the time being, is friendly to the West. The fact that Bush and Blair have no interest in seeing a real democracy in Iraq will quickly become apparent. After all, if we had real 'democracy'in the 'UK' we wouldn't have gone to war in the first place.

ZeroZero
- Homepage: http://www.pcworks.demon.co.uk

Comments

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hmm

10.04.2003 11:12

I have to say I don't think it helps our cause to claim that the celebrations of the fall of Saddam are staged. It's pretty implausible! If I was an Iraqi I'd be out there celebrating. I'd be worried about what happens next but I'd still celebrate for now.

The end of the Ba'ath regime is in itself a good thing. Why feel uncomfortable with that? It doesn't justify the invasion or the thousands of deaths and injuries. It doesn't justify continuing imperial occupation. It doesn't justify the awarding of fat contracts to Bush's mates. It doesn't justify continued double standards on Palestine. It doesn't justify continued funding and arming of other repressive regimes. It doesn't justify heightened anti-Muslim racism here. And it won't justify the next war.

kurious oranj


the dollar

10.04.2003 11:12

interesting to find america imposing the dollar. ties in with these points made before war began.

Although completely suppressed by the U.S. media and government, the answer to the Iraq enigma is simple yet shocking -- it is an oil currency war. The real reason for this upcoming war is this administration's goal of preventing further Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) momentum towards the euro as an oil transaction currency standard. However, in order to pre-empt OPEC, they need to gain geo-strategic control of Iraq along with its 2nd largest proven oil reserves. This essay will discuss the macroeconomics of the `petro-dollar' and the unpublicized but real threat to U.S. economic hegemony from the euro as an alternative oil transaction currency. The author advocates reform of the global monetary system including a dollar/euro currency `trading band' with reserve status parity, and a dual OPEC oil transaction standard. These reforms could potentially reduce future oil currency warfare.

 http://www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/RRiraqWar.html

Iraq to use the EURO instead of US dollar
Iraq, Economics, 10/10/2000

The Iraqi central bank has expressed its readiness to buy the European currencies according to its official rates. This measure came after Iraq has announced giving up dealing with the US dollar and to use the EURO instead of it in order to withstand the US position against Iraq.

The Iraqi cabinet last month decided to give up dealing with the dollar in buying and selling operations and to use instead other currencies including the EURO. The Iraqi ministry of commerce informed all companies and establishments Iraq deals with the need to give up using the US $ and to submit their the bids in other currencies especially the EURO and that the Iraqi commerce ministry will not accept any bids from companies and establishments calculated in US dollars.
 http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/001010/2000101002.html

Jordan Times
Thursday, October 26, 2000

Jordan to ditch dollar in trade dealings with Iraq

BAGHDAD (R) — Jordan has decided to stop using the US dollar in trade dealings with Iraq and replace it with the euro or another European currency, the state news agency INA reported on Wednesday.

The move is in response to Iraq's decision, announced in September, to stop trading with the US currency, head of the Jordan's Trade Centre in Baghdad Ma'an Al Azizi told INA.

Announcing that decision, the official Iraqi news agency said it had been taken to confront “daily American-Zionist aggression” against Iraq.

 http://www.jordanembassyus.org/10262000005.htm


Iraq is a European Union beachhead in that confrontation. America had a monopoly on the oil trade, with the US dollar being the fiat currency, but Iraq broke ranks in 1999, started to trade oil in the EU's euros, and profited. If America invades Iraq and takes over, it will hurl the EU and its euro back into the sea and make America's position as the dominant economic power in the world all but impregnable.

It is the biggest grab for world power in modern times.

America's allies in the invasion, Britain and Australia, are betting America will win and that they will get some trickle-down benefits for jumping on to the US bandwagon.

France and Germany are the spearhead of the European force -- Russia would like to go European but possibly can still be bought off.

 http://crayfish.ucsd.edu/peter/Heard.htm

un


dollar-euro

10.04.2003 11:29

I agree with 'un', I've read that euro-dollar stuff and it definately looks fishy, too much so to be a coincidence. I don't know how much up the scale of importance that was, but I expect it was in the least a secondary objective.

hj


the 'crowd' around the statue

10.04.2003 11:30

the 'crowd' around the statue
the 'crowd' around the statue

the long shot of the statue they did'nt show on TV

fg


heh now that Iraqs been ‘liberated’ when are

10.04.2003 12:31

did I hear right on the news? donald rumsfeld compare the war on Iraq to the revolutions in eastern europe. I wonder how long it will be before history starts getting re-written, and the US bombing the hell out of iraq becomes, just a revolution that the Yanks “helped along a little”

and

heh now that Iraqs been ‘liberated’ when are us Yanks and Brits gonna get liberated?

tewqo