The School of the Americas (SOA) and the War on Iraq
Once again, the US government is demonstrating what its foreign policy is truly about. The war against Iraq has been another illustration of the policy that seeks to unilaterally dominate the geopolitical scene in a way that is self-serving and, ultimately, self-defeating.
SOA Watch/Northeast (NE) is committed to closing the School of the Americas/Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (SOA / WHISC) and working for a just U.S. foreign policy in Latin America. But our actions and efforts extend beyond the Americas. Our demands include an end to the oppressive U.S. foreign policy, in Latin America and beyond, that enables the existence of such an institution as the SOA and that rationalizes overwhelming military might and war as a diplomatic tool.
Prior to the 1991 Gulf War nearly all urban residents in Iraq, and 70% of rural residents, had access to clean water. Nearly 95 % of Iraqis had access to health care. Iraqi social services were among the most comprehensive and generous in the Arab World, and the populace enjoyed one of the highest per capita food availabilities in the region. But during the war electrical grids, water treatment plants and sanitation facilities were targeted and destroyed. Since 1991, the US has led the way in strangling Iraq's civilian population through comprehensive sanctions that prohibit the import of materials necessary to rebuild basic systems of infrastructure that allow for health and well being. The UN has reported that over 500,000 children (under the age of 5) died as a direct result of the sanctions. Bombing in the north and south “no fly zones” by US war planes, which occurred two to three times per week for the last 12 years, has killed many civilians and instilled psychological terror in those living in these regions.
In spite of the outcry of millions of people in the US and around the world, and even by US allies in the UN Security Council, the Bush administration pressed forward with war against Iraq. Under the guise of the “war on terrorism,” the US invaded a nation that they had formerly propped up, supported and supplied with chemical and biological weapons. It called for peace and security in the region, but implemented its war plan with a policy of “shock & awe”-- in a country where 50% of the population is under the age of 18. The result is over 3,500 (documented) Iraqi civilian deaths, and thousands of others--many who were forced to fight--whose deaths are yet to be accounted for.
This war has also exposed a new generation of Iraqis and U.S. soldiers to depleted uranium (DU). Many experts believe that the ingestion of DU by U.S. soldiers during the Gulf War is the cause of Gulf War Syndrome and the now soaring cancer rates in Iraq.
To date, there is still no electricity throughout much of the country; hospitals have been looted of supplies and medicines, uncollected garbage is piling up, and cholera, dysentery, and diarrhea is rapidly increasing. The only government office buildings left unscathed (and protected by US soldiers) during the US invasion were the Oil Ministry buildings. While the Iraqi people wait in line for days for a few gallons of gasoline, and children continue to die from malnutrition and lack of potable water, the Bush administration continues to block humanitarian aid groups from doing their jobs. The failure of the Bush administration to plan for the post-war has meant disaster for the people of Iraq, and for any foreseeable semblance of stability in the country.
If we are unable to engage in constructive methods to address conflict at home or abroad, then the destructive nature of our actions will haunt the remnants of any future left for the next generations. For decades to come we will undoubtedly reap the consequences of the diplomatic bridges we have burned. Anti-U.S. sentiment and threats of reprisal against Americans is at an all-time high, yet our government insists that these wars and policies will result in greater safety.
The wars we have observed in Afghanistan and Iraq are not isolated; they are a continuation of a foreign policy that has for generations reared its ugly head throughout Latin America. We act in support of the Iraqi people who have suffered tremendously over the past 12 years at the hands of a dictator, by the U.S./UN sanctions, and the destabilizing affects of U.S. economic interests and military intervention. Unfortunately, it is also a reality that our sisters and brothers in Latin America have known for far too long.