Albayaty Abdul Ilah Advisory Committee BRussells Tribunal 6/15/06

The U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq is a military, economic, moral and cultural disaster for Iraqis, Americans, and the world.

The Bush adminstration is continuing on its destructive course, changing tactics but not strategy.
U.S. military failure has been demonstrated by the inability of the most well-funded, sophisticated armed force in the world to defeat the resistance of a small country and its poor people. Technology can level entire neighborhoods, but it cannot break the human dignity of the Iraqi people. Americans can develop their presence in Iraq, but they cannot destroy the belief of Iraqis that they have the right to live as any other people in the world. They will not bow to Americans, even if they stay for centuries. In this regard, we should remember that Iraqi Christians have defended their ancestral culture for more than 4000 thousand years, and that the Palestinian people have defended their land since the 100 year.

Occupying Iraq is an economic disaster, because the costs of the war for the US have increased beyond any economic gain it would have from controlling Iraqi oil. Whatever the motive for invasion, and whatever control the U.S. may exert on Iraq’s resources now, it is only temporary. This is because no Iraqi [EXCEPT SOME INDIVIDUAL PROFITERS!] can accept oil plans imposed on them by military force. Our fathers struggled for the nationalization of our oil.

When this was accomplished, Iraq proved capable of directing oil production and sale and using the profits to develop and advance Iraq. Why would Iraqis accept the handover of contracts and profits to U.S. oil companies while they suffer in poverty? Why would Iraqis allow foreign oil companies to control the quantity, price, and profits of their oil? The US is running after a mirage.

The occupation is a political disaster because noone in the world can argue that the US is playing a progressive [liberating] role. The Iraq war proved that the US isn’t working for peace, development and progress. What the U.S. administration wants is an empire, which it has no right–nor ability–to impose on the world. We see now the hesitation of other governments to support the U.S. occupation.

There is mounting resistance to U.S. policies from the national and progressive movements around the world–especially the youth movement–and the rising struggle in the Arab and Muslim world.

The occupation is a moral and cultural disaster for the US as well. Following the huge human suffering of World War II, the world– Americans included–established international laws and human rights declarations that set the standards for civilized societies.

However, the adventurist U.S. neo-conservatives and imperialists are trying to destroy this civilization and replace it with the rules of the jungle.

How can the world–Americans included–be identified with such brutal and savage enterprise like the war and occupation of Iraq? The U.S. administration has succeeded in nothing but destruction, bloodshed, and lies. The occupation is a disaster for the United States, but for Iraqi society, it is an utter catastrophe. With the aid of its allies, the US has destroyed all that Iraqis built in modern times.

We will need 15-20 years after the end of the occupation to restore what Iraq achieved since the first world war. It should come as no surprise that Iraqis will continue struggling against the occupation in order to restore their society. Resistance is the only road to true liberty, democracy, dignity and achieving their interests, both as individuals and as a people.

Albayaty Abdul Ilah, member Advisory Committee BRussells Tribunal
[Dr. Dhafir is the sole honorary member of the BRussells Tribunal Advisory Committee.]