name: Yuram Abdullah Weiler

5th Anniversary in Iraq

20 March, 2008

Someone became angry with me for canceling an appointment on 19 March 2008, the 5^th anniversary of the US invasion and occupation of Iraq, due to my emotional state after listening to “Winter Soldier” testimony and contemplating my actions in protest of the War. What follows is a slightly edited version of the text of my response.

 

I am truly sorry to learn that your son is serving in Iraq.  My deepest hope is that your son, along with all the other brave men and women serving their countries will return home safe and sound. In addition, I hope that we can all work together towards ending this unjust and illegal war.  It is precisely because I feel compelled to work full-time towards this objective, that I find it difficult to pursue other endeavors at this time.

 

Insanity characterizes the contradictory nature of US foreign policy that has led to the current war in Iraq.  Americans should not loose sight of how the war started in Iraq nor of the historical context behind it, as the US supported the tyrannical leader Saddam Hussein, from his rise to power in 1968, throughout the 8-year war with neighboring Iran and up to his occupation of Kuwait in 1990.  In 1953, CIA operatives in Iran overthrew the government of the democratically elected prime minister, Dr. Mohammad Mosaddegh, and installed in his place the vicious and autocratic Shah Mohammad Reza, who ruled with US support for 25 years until ousted in 1979 by the Islamic Revolution.

 

During the bloody Iran-Iraq war from 1980 to 1988 in which half a million people were killed, the US supported both sides of the conflict, with direct military aid to Saddam Hussein and by sale of weapons to Iran.  Next in 1990, the Bush Sr. administration first gave Saddam a green light to annex Kuwait, then reversed itself and condemned him, organizing an international coalition lead by the US to drive out Iraqi forces. 

 

After the Gulf War, the US encouraged popular revolts in the south of Iraq, the Shi’a responded to the call and tens of thousands of them were slaughtered in Saddam’s brutal suppression of the uprisings.  Then through the United Nations, the US imposed harsh economic sanctions on Iraq, established no-fly zones over it and periodically bombed the country, killing hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and causing many more to flee.  Finally, war president Bush gave Saddam the 48 hour ultimatum to leave and ordered the invasion of a sovereign nation with “Shock and Awe” on 19 March 2003, 5 years ago today.

 

The Iraq war and prior US policy has affected me personally as well.  Initially, I watched in horror and disbelief at the buildup to the invasion.  Then. my neighbor’s son was deployed to Iraq. Most recently, a member of my extended family was killed in Basra.  During the regime of Saddam, one of my closest friends from Najaf was imprisoned and tortured in Abu Ghraib while his father fled to Iran only to die after being interrogated by the Savak, the Iranian Shah’s secret police.  Despite these horrible experiences, my friend insists that the US invasion was wrong and cannot bring peace to Iraq.  Only the complete and unconditional withdrawal of US occupying forces can bring peace.

 

And the cost of this war in Iraq is phenomenal.  The Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz has put the price tag at over one trillion Dollars.  According to the American Friends Service Committee, we are spending $720 million a day, $3 million each hour and  $500,000 each minute on this atrocity.  And how many lives have been lost?  Over a million according to various surveys and reports.  And for what, to bring democracy to the Middle East?  To keep the “homeland” safe from terrorists?  Or to assure profits to US-owned multi-national oil companies?

 

Given the magnitude of these numbers, I would consider myself less than human if I did not do everything in my power to help end this illegal and immoral war in Iraq and bring everyone’s sons and daughters home.  So I must speak out and protest.  Even if it means being called unprofessional.  Even if it means being called un-American and unpatriotic.  Even if it means risking everything I have including my life.

 

May all of our sons and daughters come home safe and sound, and may it be soon.       

 

Yuram Abdullah Weiler

2008-03-20

Posted by yuram 16:21 | Iraq , United States | Comment(3) | Permalink