Iraq War: 4,000 US deaths vs the Flip Side

Today marks the day that the number of US deaths in Iraq exceeds 4,000. But there is also a flip side to this tragedy on the Iraqi side as outlined in the article by Faruq Zaida, a former Iraqi ambassador. We do not hear this reportage from any of the US media outlets. Excerpts from Faruq’s article are reproduced below.

Saddam Hussein was a dictator, and Iraqis did want true democracy, a good life, and a change that would elevate and advance their country, which once had great wealth and thousands of highly-qualified professionals.

But the line that US soldiers are in Iraq to save the Iraqis from dictatorship, liberate the country, and propel it forward is a big lie. They are there to protect US greed for oil and for establishing strategic military bases. They are not there for the Iraqi people.

The real reason for the US invasion and occupation of Iraq, as cited by Alan Greenspan, former Federal Reserve chairman, was to secure and control Iraq's oil. The actions of the US government under the Bush administration have resulted in genocide; their greed to steal Iraq's oil has led to the country's destruction.

US actions and imposed sectarian policies have created the "killing fields of Iraq." More than 1.2 million non-combatant civilians have been killed, according to British polling agency ORB. In what the UN has called the biggest civilian displacement catastrophe in both the 20th and 21st centuries, 2.5 million Iraqi civilians, including the majority of the educated middle class, have sought refuge in Syria and Jordan, while two million have become refugees inside Iraq.

Prompted by a political process that was introduced and enforced by the Bush administration, Iraq has become a war-torn nation with a society that has been ripped apart by sectarian fighting.

Women's rights, which were the most protected among developing countries, have severely deteriorated to such an extent that most can no longer leave their houses. They are forced to wear a veil - even Christian women - and have stopped working in government offices or attending schools and colleges.

The Iraqi education system, which comprised advanced university and college levels, was among the best in developing countries. Now, it is one of the worst. Most teachers have fled the country; those who remain are constantly under the threat of student abuse, according to the UN. Many students do not attend for fear of kidnapping and they shun religious rituals which are now carried out on campus grounds during study hours.

The US embassy in Baghdad's report on corruption, issued last September, concluded that "currently, Iraq is not capable of even rudimentary enforcement of anticorruption laws." Compared to other developing countries, Iraq had one of the best and finest professional civil service staffs. These professionals were able to keep the country from collapsing during the 13 years of harsh economic sanctions imposed on Iraq. Most of these qualified people have now fled to neighbouring countries. Hundreds others have been assassinated.

The medical services sector is perhaps one of the most harmed by the invasion and occupation. Before the war, hospitals and doctors, though impeded by the imposed sanctions since 1991, provided a better health system than those of other developing countries. Now, the medical system is completely shattered. According to the Ministry of Health's 2007 official report, more than 18,000 doctors have fled the country since 2003.

When electricity, water and sanitation infrastructure were destroyed in the 1991 Gulf War, they were completely restored in less than one year. Today, after five years of war, the public services are nearly non–existent, although more than $140 Billion have entered the Iraqi government's coffers since 2003.

Most of the destruction was caused immediately after the fall of Baghdad in April 2003, when the US army allowed rioters to loot and burn government buildings.

Five years ago, Iraq was free from drugs. Iraq today is rampant with drugs and drug addicts.

As my cousin Ranganath pointed out, this begs the question:

“Where is the national and international outrage on this catastrophic humanitarian crisis? How can any religious person tolerate this?”