With the war in Afghanistan seemingly over, the White House might now release the full wrath of its military monster onto the impoverished people of Iraq. Actually, the United States never stopped bombing Iraq after the Gulf War. Since Jan. 17, 1991, the United States has dropped the equivalent of seven nuclear bombs on Iraq. On the first day alone, the onslaught included 300 tons of depleted uranium shells, plus internationally banned radiological, biological and chemical weapons.
On Aug. 6, 1990, at the urging of the United States, the U.N. Security Council imposed sanctions on the people of Iraq. The United Nations claimed these sanctions were intended to pressure Iraq to stop manufacturing weapons and depose of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
In reality, sanctions were intentionally used by the United States to destroy the Iraqi people's water supply and spread disease throughout the country. Defense Intelligence Agency documents discovered by Thomas Nagy clearly outline a policy of terror unleashed upon the people of Iraq.
According to Progressive Magazine, Defense Intelligence Agency internal documents said, \Iraq depends on importing specialized equipment and some chemicals to purify its water supply, most of which is heavily mineralized and frequently brackish to saline."" The Defense Intelligence Agency goes on to state that, without domestic sources of both water treatment replacement parts and some essential chemicals, there will be ""a shortage of pure drinking water for much of the population. This could lead to increased incidences, if not epidemics, of disease.""
Unable to purchase ""dual-use"" items such as chlorine, used to purify water and sanitize operating tables, disease has devastated the people of Iraq. A 1999 U.N. report revealed that infant mortality rates in Iraq have skyrocketed, hospitals cannot get needed supplies and only 41 percent of the population has regular access to clean water. Between 1991 and 1996, 500,000 Iraqi children died, mainly due to diarrhea, pneumonia and malnutrition.
The so-called U.S. ""oil-for-food"" program, implemented in 1996, has done little to stop the genocide of an entire generation. UNICEF has found that ""32 percent of children under five, some 960,000 children, are chronically malnourished'a rise of 72 percent since 1991. Almost one quarter of Iraq's children are underweight'a level twice as high as those found in neighboring Jordan or Turkey.""
The grim toll on Iraqi children has left U.S. heads of state with little remorse over their tragic loss of life. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright commented in 1996 that the death of Iraqi children was ""a very hard choice,"" but, ""we think the price is worth it."" Large American defense contractors have certainly benefited from the bombing. Every cruise missile costs approximately $1 million, and the Pentagon used hundreds during the Gulf War'a quarter billion dollars in cruise missiles alone.
The White House says it wants to overthrow Hussein because U.N. weapons inspectors are being barred from entering Iraq, but President Bush claims the right to deny any weapons facilities from being inspected in the United States. Ironically, just last July the United States withdrew from the Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention. This action effectively disabled all international efforts to establish worldwide protections against biological weapons.
The White House might have an unstated reason for demonstrating its dominance in the Middle East. U.S. military occupation of the Persian Gulf has greatly benefited big oil interests. A large part of the Pentagon's annual $900 billion budget is devoted to keeping Middle East oil prices within a range that American energy companies consider appropriate. Pentagon expenditures amount to a 30 percent subsidy of oil market prices, according to Noam Chomsky's 1996 book, ""Profit over People.""
The death of hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis is not justifiable for any reason. Rather than deflect attention away from the nation's recession by fueling another war, the Bush White House should address domestic issues like growing unemployment and poverty. It is time to end the sanctions and stop the bombing.
For more information, visit http://www.iacenter.org/usplan.htm.
Sarah Turner is a senior majoring in sociology. Her column runs every Wednesday in The Daily Cardinal.
