WAR ON IRAQ

The New Barbarians

Prakash Karat

FOURTEEN days into the war, the Anglo-American invading forces have met with stiff resistance as they move ahead. The determined and courageous fight put up by the Iraqi armed forces and militia combined with the hostile reception of the people to the invaders have derailed the plans of the Pentagon for a rapid campaign leading to the capture of Baghdad. The Pentagon has decided to induct 1,20,000 more troops to revive the stalled ground offensive.

The American-British forces, misleadingly called the “coalition forces” as there are no other countries’ troops on the ground, are increasingly dependent on the aerial bombardment by missiles and planes to subdue the opposition. The American soldiers do not want to fight a conventional war on the ground and are trained to rely upon the massive firepower provided by aerial attacks. This has led to an increasing number of atrocities on the civilian population. The gruesome massacres are passed off as collateral damage.

ATTACKS ON CIVILIANS

In the space of a few days, a residential area in Shaab district was hit by a missile, which led to the death of 15 persons. This was followed by a second and more horrible attack on the Al Shuala market in the suburb of Baghdad in which 62 persons were killed, many of them women and children who were blown apart by  cluster bombs.  In another gruesome attack, 33 people died in a bombing raid by cluster bombs in the town of Hilla in Babylon district.

For the American troops, all Iraqis irrespective of their sex or age are targets for shooting. Seven women and children traveling in a van were shot dead at a check post near Karbala. On the same day, another van carrying 15 people of a single family were killed at Hindia after it was struck by a rocket.

  Such premeditated attacks on civilians, targeting helpless women, children and elderly people, should fall into the category of war crimes as per the standards set by the western powers themselves. If Slobodan Milosevic and the Serbian generals are being arraigned at a war crimes tribunal in Geneva, by the same standards of the West, Bush, Blair and all the top leaders of the US-British axis would have to face trial for war crimes. By international law, this is an illegal war, a war of aggression and occupation against an independent and sovereign nation.

VULTURES DESCEND ON OIL FIELDS

The occupation of Iraq and the spoils of war are already on the agenda.  On March 25, the Bush administration demanded that the revenue from the oil-for-food programme sponsored by the United Nations be made available to the US to buy humanitarian supplies for Iraq. The oil-for-food programme was in operation for the last seven years whereby Iraq is allowed to export a certain quantity of oil, the proceeds of which are then through the United Nations allocated to buy essential supplies, such as food for the people of Iraq. Since the suspension of this programme, 8 billion dollars have accumulated in the UN escrow account.  The United States wants to lay its hands on this money belonging to Iraq. After killing the Iraqi people and destroying the country, it wants the Iraqis to pay for the US plans for reconstruction of the country which will be highly profitable for the American corporations. Russia and Syria objected to the UN secretary general’s draft resolution to revive the oil-for-food programme, which was seen as a backdoor way to help the US grab the funds which belongs to Iraq.

Within days of the US invasion of southern Iraq from Kuwait, the oil vultures have begun descending on the oil fields. The US army announced a contract for fighting the oil-well fires to an American company, Kellog Brown and Root, which is a subsidiary of Hallburton. Incidentally,  Dick Cheney, the US Vice President used to be the head of Halli Burton.  Soon after, the USAID awarded the contract for rebuilding the Umm Qasr port, the only Iraqi port, to an American company. The contract worth 4.8 million dollars have been awarded to Stevedoring Services. The British companies have expressed dismay at this decision, since British troops were used to secure the port after bitter fighting. The US authorities have finalised a 21-month contract for rebuilding Iraq’s roads, bridges and infrastructure for which tenders would be put out. They will be cornered by American companies. All that the allies like Britain and supporters like Italy and Spain can hope for are sub-contracts.

The spectacle of mass murder and the horrific scenes of destruction in the past few days have blown to smithereens all the justifications for this war. The “liberators” are being seen as conquerors by the Iraq people. The Shias have not risen in revolt against Saddam Hussein or welcomed the invaders with open arms. After a fortnight, the Pentagon has had to admit that they have found no weapons of mass destruction.  The only weapons for mass killings are those of the United States such as depleted uranium bombs, cluster bombs and fuel injection bombs.

THE HINTS ARE CLEAR

What is being witnessed in this ugly spectacle is a return to the days of old-style  colonialism. Bush and his cohorts are not known for reading history, but the likes of Tony Blair and Jack Straw must be aware of how Britain behaved with the people of the Middle East after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the First World War. Iraq and Jordan were created by the British, set up with monarchies and saddled with corrupt and brutal governments. As far as Iraq was concerned, it was the Iraq Petroleum Company which mattered to the Anglo-American ruling classes as their oil companies controlled the Iraqi concern, which pumped out oil from Iraq. In 1958, the July upheaval took place which overthrew the British puppet regime and truly established Iraq as an independent state. The Anglo-American reaction to this revolution was of horror and outrage. They indulged in sabre-rattling  and mobilised troops for a possible invasion.  In 1958 too, as at present, they could not find local collaborators. Further, the Soviet Union firmly reminded them not to embark on another imperial adventure and backed this up with troop mobilisation in Central Asia and recognizing the new government. The new colonialists know they have no such counterforce to fear.

The American rulers are getting increasingly aggressive. The hints are clear. The next targets will be Iran and Syria. Rumsfeld, the defence secretary, attacked both countries for helping Iraq. This was followed soon after by Colin Powell, secretary of state, warning Iran and Syria of grave consequences if they promote terrorism. While Syria was accused of direct support to terrorism, Iran was charged with terrorism against Israel. Powell was speaking at a pro-Israeli meeting. The rightwing hawks in the Bush circle are making no bones about what Iraq means –-- the beginning of the remaking of the world where the US has total domination and control.

Despite the heroic fighting being put up by the Iraqi forces, it is a one-sided battle. The massive firepower of the US and British forces will lay waste the land, taking a toll of thousands of lives.  But the occupation of Iraq will lead to the second phase of the struggle, the fight against the occupying forces. The Americans have planned to put in place a military regime for at least two years. For the people, who have fought every inch against the invading forces, the next step would be a protracted fight against the occupation.  We have already seen the tactics of the Iraqi armed forces, to harry the enemy lines, and  engage in guerilla and hit-and-run operations. Against the imperialist occupation , the Iraqi resistance will continue. If the Americans and the British face the prospects of heavy casualties in the war of occupation, the post-war period will see more casualties. Even in Afghanistan, where the Americans fought a much weaker Taliban army, the combined forces of the West and its client regime have still not been able to establish full control.

In the meantime, the battle for Baghdad looms ahead. Everyday brings new horrors from the military machine of the US. Iraq, as we knew it, is being obliterated. Not only are people dying, but along with them the monuments and the cultural artifacts  of the earliest human civilisations are being ground to dust. The centres of the Sumerian and Assyrian civilisations of Mesopotamia are under siege. Truly, the new barbarians have arrived. Unlike the marauders of the past, these barbarians are equipped with the technology to destroy human civilisation itself.