Amy McDonell
You might remember, some two-and-a-half years ago, US President George Bush standing triumphantly on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln, announcing the "end of major combat operations" in Iraq. According to Bush, Iraq was a free nation, well on the way to becoming a Western-style "democracy".
Fast forward three years and we can see exactly how much freedom the Iraqis are enjoying. The British medical journal the Lancet estimated in 2004 that more than 100,000 Iraqis have died due to the war and occupation. There are thousands of Iraqis being held without charge in US custody, many being subjected to torture. Whole cities have been heavily bombed, and the Iraqis face daily terror from occupation forces. It's little wonder, then, that a secret poll conducted by the British military revealed that 65% of Iraqi citizens support military attacks against the occupying forces, and less than 1% believe that the presence of occupying troops is helping to improve security in their country.
Poor George probably thought things couldn't get any worse. The disastrous occupation of Iraq — with the deaths of more than 2000 US soldiers — is fuelling a political crisis inside the US, and for the first time since the invasion, a majority of US citizens now favour an immediate withdrawal from Iraq. Despite this crisis, the oil-thirsty warmongers have Iran firmly in their sights as the next target for "regime change".
So, whatever happened to those elusive WMDs? Remember British PM Tony Blair claiming back in 2003 that Saddam Hussein could launch an attack on Britain using chemical and biological weapons within 45 minutes? This claim came in handy for the British Labour government trying to sell the Iraq war to a highly sceptical public. No wonder his government suffered such a backlash in the British May 2005 general election! Despite the fact that Tony's crew were re-elected, their majority was slashed: the British public obviously didn't appreciate being lied to.
Later in 2005, Blair's standing plummeted further when many Britons saw the clear connection between Britain's role in the invasion of Iraq and the July 7 London bombings. Protesters held placards at demonstrations that read "These were Blair's bombs".
Blair and Australian PM John Howard have more in common than just their warmongering. Blair, like Howard, has introduced draconian new "anti-terror" laws aimed at silencing dissent. In both Britain and Australia, Arabs and Muslims have been the target of state-sanctioned vilification.
As luck would have it, Blair will be swinging by Australia sometime in March to address a joint sitting of federal parliament in Canberra. Anti-war activists are planning to give him a fitting reception by organising protests as part of a series of national and global anti-war rallies planned for March.
March 20 marks the third anniversary of the illegal invasion of Iraq, and over the weekend of March 18-20, rallies will take place around the world to demand the immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq and to oppose attacks on Iran. These actions will be important stepping-stones toward the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum to be held in Sydney in 2007, which Bush will be attending, and where Resistance and other anti-war activists are planning to give this killer the welcome he deserves.
Resistance has played a central role in mobilising young people against the Iraq war, including organising the 2003 Books Not Bombs student strikes against the invasion. We'll continue to be out on campus, high schools and in the streets urging students and youth to stand up against war and imperialism. To get active in the anti-war campaign and help us make these protests as successful as they can be, get in touch with your local Resistance branch.
From Â鶹´«Ã½ Weekly, February 8, 2006.
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