Nutrition and Health Situation in Iraq

'A bankrupt policy'

Letter to the Editor of the Guardian Weekly, England, by Dr. Peter L. Pellett responding to a Washington Post editorial reprinted in the Jan. 7, 1996, issue of the GW

Sir,

While dismay in certain circles at the exposure of child deaths in Iraq as a consequence of the economic embargo is understandable, nevertheless the Washington Post Editorial (Guardian Weekly, 154 1: Jan 7) is breathtaking in its hypocrisy. The argument appears to be that sanctions are blameless—resisting them is the evil. To condemn Saddam Hussein for not giving in to the sanctions is to profoundly misunderstand the Iraqi character. Let us acknowledge reality. The embargo was intended to hurt and in this, because of the almost single-product (oil) economy in Iraq, it had been enormously successful.

Sanctions are designed to produce deprivation and poverty and thus it is not surprising that, in consequence, they bring about widespread malnutrition and increased mortality especially in the already vulnerable. In theory, with sanctions operating quietly in the background, economic distress throughout Iraqi society will cause a popular uprising and a regime reviled by the West is replaced simply and cheaply. The first part only is true and as team leader of the recent UN/FAO mission referred to by the Washington Post, I must emphasize the reality of the disaster in Iraq. While the team visited all areas of Iraq including the North this letter mainly refers to the majority of the country. There is, of course, suffering and deprivation in the North but the problems, causes and solutions differ. In the main part of Iraq, all sectors of society except the power-elite and the new wheeler-dealers are affected, indeed, the whole infrastructure including agriculture is crumbling.

Relief activities by both the UN and by NGOs certainly help but the amount provided, compared to the need, is minimal. The greatest humanitarian relief, however, comes from the Government of Iraq (GOI) itself in providing a daily food ration of some 1100 kcal (it was 1600 kcal until 1994) as well as baby milk (about 50% of needs) for infants, which is almost free of cost. Thus, this is also an enormous income subsidy in the face of hyperinflation and a 5,000 fold increase in food prices. The prevention of absolute disaster is, however, at the cost of a colossal drain on currency reserves and the future collapse of such an unsustainable system cannot be ruled out. In nutritional and health terms, the five years of sanctions have moved Iraq from an almost 1st world status to that of sub-Saharan Africa. Of course, selling of additional oil for humanitarian purposes would alleviate the situation and in our report we urged the GOI and the Security Council to come to an agreement. Even were this to occur it could never be a complete solution. Painless sanctions are a contradiction in terms and child deaths especially in the poor and vulnerable are an inevitable consequence of economic pain. Having seen the effects of the embargo in Iraq both in 1993 and the summer of 1995 as well as comparing this and the prewar situation, malnutrition, beggars, crime, street children, a collapsed health care system, hyperinflation, and widespread suffering are the new realities.

I cannot believe that continued sanctions are the answer. After five years the policy seems practically and ethically bankrupt. The question must be whether our humanitarian principles should support the continuation of these actions which literally are killing people. The incessant trumpeting of "human rights" at the same time as we continue to approve the sanctions seems to be blatant hypocrisy. Finally let me emphasize that this letter is written on a personal basis and is in no way officially endorsed by the UN Agency which supported the mission nor by the University of Massachusetts.

Peter L. Pellett
Professor of Nutrition
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003
Team Leader, UN/FAO Mission to Iraq, August 1995

International Action Center Anti-Sanctions Project 39 W. 14th St., #206; New York, N.Y. 10011.

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