No more bombing of Iraq! We must condemn new US attacks as:
Insincere ... US is being hypocritical
The US helped arm Iraq, let US companies set up its chemical weapons, and said nothing when they were used against the Kurds (till long after). At least 9 other nations, e.g., India, Israel, and Saudi Arabia, have chemical or biological weapons, yet the US isn't threatening to bomb them. UN inspectors found 550 tons of chemical weapons in Iraq; Russia has 40,000 tons, and the US has 31,000 tons of chemical weapons. The US supports numerous dictatorships that torture their people and/or illegally occupy other countries, e.g., Colombia and Indonesia.
Ineffective ... bombing is an inappropriate response
Bombing would uncover no new chemical or biological weapons. Many chemicals and facilities used in pesticides and pharmaceutical production are also usable for chemical/biological weapons -- so it's not really possible to fully remove this weapon capability from any industrialized nation. Violence sets a bad example for other nations, ultimately leading to further violence against ourselves.
Inhumane ... there is enough blood on our hands
Bombing urban areas -- even with "smart bombs " and "surgical strikes" -- unavoidably kills civilians. We should not be punishing the powerless. US bomb tonnage dropped on Iraq exceeded that of all World War II -- largely destroying Iraq's economy, and killing some 200,000 Iraqis. Through food and medicine shortages, the US-led embargo has already killed over 1,500,000 Iraqis, including some 900,000 children.
Illegal ... US ignores law when convenient
Even if new chemical or biological facilities were found, bombing them would pose a grave risk to civilians, and so would violate international law. There is no UN resolution authorizing force against Iraq. Even if there were, Iraq is being singled out, after intense US pressure on other UN members. There has been no declaration of war against Iraq; nor should there be since Iraq poses no more a threat than several other nations. The US government has artificially created the current "crisis."
sjb 2/2/98
From the: Iraq Action Coalition ... http://leb.net/IAC/ ...
Back to: Actions and Statements by Groups Opposing Sanctions