Iraq: The Next Afghanistan
By Philip Adams
The
Australian
06 December, 2003
As
George W. Bush sinks slowly in the West, lets look at what hes
achieved at other points of the compass. Afghanistan? The US-appointed
president, previously an associate of the Bush family in the oil industry,
needs a Praetorian guard of Americans to keep him safe in Kabul.
Elsewhere in the
country, the warlords are back in business, the opium poppies are blooming,
heroin sales are booming and the country is returning to the same level
of corruption and dysfunction that brought about the rise of the Taliban
in the first place. Little wonder theyre regrouping in the south
and south-east, preparing for another tilt at power. And dont
be too surprised if many in Afghanistan, embittered by Americas
hit-and-run policy in regard to their long-suffering country, welcome
them back. Meanwhile, bin Laden remains safe and well.
Iraq? The war-damaged
sewerage system still oozes muck into the drinking water, adding to
the growing crisis in public health. The looted hospitals remain desperate
for the most basic drugs and medical equipment. The oil pipeline, intended
to provide cashflow to rebuild the country, has been set ablaze time
and time again. While Washington has foisted on the Iraqis a wide-ranging
program of privatisations (allowing 100 per cent ownership by foreigners
who are free to repatriate 100 per cent of the profits), theres
no great rush to claim these spoils of war.
Not with security
deteriorating - with the UN, the Red Cross, Care Australia, local religious
leaders, members of the governing Council as well as American and Italian
troops being targeted.
The escalating attacks
come from anyone - Saddam loyalists, Islamic factions, al-Qaida
blow-ins and other militant groups crossing the borders. Anyone and
everyone with a grudge against the US is operating in Iraq. And Bushs
response? Increasingly desperate manoeuvrings to bring some of his demoralised
troops back home to make things look better for his re-election campaign.
The US never released casualty figures after Gulf War I.
The death toll,
this time round, is again being censored and talked down. (Incidentally,
US networks are no longer permitted to film returning coffins.) However,
respected NGOs in Europe and Britain insist that 50,000 Iraqi troops
and 10,000 civilians have been killed, with at least a further 40,000
injured.
Lucky Australia
- thus far, not one fatality. But weve been party to a slaughter
of the innocents that should make every one of us feel deeply ashamed.
Oh, and like bin Laden, Saddam Hussein is still alive and kicking.
As for Iraqs
alleged stockpile of weapons of mass destruction, we have witnessed
the biggest failure in intelligence in modern history; or been misled
with the biggest lies foisted on Western democracy. Or both. Its
now clear that only one man was honest about WMDs in the run-up to the
war.
Not Bush. Not Blair.
Not Howard. It was, of course, Saddam Hussein, who denied having them.
Youll recall that he was backed up by many among the weapons inspectorate,
by those familiar with the devastation in Gulf War I and by observers
of the powerful effects of ongoing sanctions. We now learn that there
were desperate back-door attempts by Baghdad to prevent the conflict.
To cut deals on almost anything and everything Washington wanted. But
what Washington wanted most of all was a war. The war in Iraq was guaranteed
to lead to political miracles throughout the Middle East. Having been
welcomed by cheering crowds, the Coalition of the Willing would inspire
peace, freedom and democracy everywhere from Syria to Iran. At least
the mess in Iraq has discredited the neo-Cons neo-imperial fantasies.
Meanwhile, countless
new terrorists have been recruited. Saudi Arabia, the principal provider
of volunteers and finance for September 11, is now a target of terrorism
itself - as is Turkey. And the promised outbreak of peace between Israel
and the Palestinians has failed to materialise. The road map
is in ruins, and Sharon and Arafat, the Tweedles Dum and Dee of that
endless crisis, are consolidated in power.
Iran? Itd
be a stretch to say its behaving itself because of the war in
Iraq. In fact, the Iranian people have been involved in a process of
reform that owes nothing to the US and everything to the courage of
its own people.
The Bush administration
- condemned by almost the entire membership of the UN and supported
only by Blair and, God help us, Howard - has been revealed as dangerously
delusional. The world is in no way a safer place and Australia no way
a safer nation.
Howards job
is to protect Australians from terrorism. Instead, hes got us
far, far higher on the terrorist hit list. Instead of protecting Australians
in Bali, instead of arresting Willie Brigitte as he plotted to blow
up a nuclear facility in a Sydney suburb, Howard had us charging off
to the other side of the world for a war that was none of our business.
At the same time, he was wasting immense military resources rounding
up a few desperate refugees fleeing countries like, yes, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Madness. All Howards posturing at war memorials cannot deflect
from the simple fact that hes put Australia, quite unnecessarily,
at greater risk.
Though shouted down
at the time by the Conservative chorus, this column predicted much of
what would happen in Iraq - as did the writings of the like-minded.
As did the millions who marched against the war. Yet Howard still talks
as though the Coalition of the Willing has been entirely successful.
If this is success, try to imagine failure.