Amy McDonell
You might remember, some two-and-a-half years ago, US President George Bush standing triumphantly on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln, announcing the "end of major combat operations" in Iraq. According to Bush, Iraq was a free nation, well on the way to becoming a Western-style democracy.
Fast forward three years and we can see exactly how much freedom the Iraqis are enjoying. The British medical journal the Lancet estimated in 2004 that more than 100,000 Iraqis have been killed in the war and occupation. There are more than 60,000 Iraqis in US custody, being held without charge and subjected to torture. Whole cities have been targeted and heavily bombed, and the people face daily terror from occupation forces. It's little wonder, then, that a secret poll conducted by the British military revealed that 65% of Iraqi citizens support military attacks against the occupying forces, and less than 1% believe that the presence of the occupying forces is helping to improve security in their country.
Poor George probably thought things couldn't get any worse. The disastrous occupation of Iraq — with the deaths of more than 2000 US soldiers — is fuelling a political crisis inside the US, and for the first time since the invasion, a majority of US citizens now favour an immediate withdrawal from Iraq. Despite this crisis, the oil-thirsty warmongers have Iran firmly in their sights as the next target.
B.liar comes to Canberra
So, whatever happened to those elusive WMDs? Remember British PM Tony Blair claiming back in 2003 that Saddam Hussein could launch an attack on Britain using chemical and biological weapons within 45 minutes? This claim came in handy for the British Labour government trying to sell the Iraq war to a highly sceptical public. In fact, Blair's role in pushing the weapons of mass destruction argument was pivotal — that's why his government copped a thrashing in the British 2005 general election. Despite the fact that Tony's crew were re-elected, their majority was slashed from 166 seats to just 67. The British public obviously didn't appreciate being lied to.
Tony Blair and PM John Howard have more in common than just their warmongering. Blair, like Howard, has introduced draconian new "anti-terror" laws aimed at silencing dissent. In both Britain and Australia, Arabs and Muslims have been the target of state-sanctioned vilification.
As luck would have it, Blair will be swinging by Australia sometime in March to make an address to a joint sitting of federal parliament in Canberra. Resistance activists are planning to give him a fitting reception by helping to organise anti-war protests, part of a series of national anti-war rallies planned for March.
Stop this racist war
March 20 marks the third anniversary of the illegal invasion of Iraq, and over the weekend of March 18-20, rallies will take place throughout Australia to demand the immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq and to oppose attacks on Iran. These actions will be important stepping-stones toward the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum to be held in Sydney in 2007, which Bush will be attending, and where Resistance and other anti-war activists are planning to give this killer the welcome he deserves.
Resistance has played a central role in mobilising young people against the Iraq war, including organising the 2003 student strikes against the invasion. We'll continue to be out on campus, on high schools and in the streets urging students and youth to stand up against war and imperialism. To get active in the anti-war campaign and help us make these protests as successful as they can be, get in touch with your local Resistance branch.
From Green Left Weekly, February 8, 2006.
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