On 24 March 2008, four days after the world had observed the 5th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, the American death toll in that country rose to 4000. The White House described it as a ‘sober moment’.
The media also reported that the number of Iraqi soldiers killed since 20 March 2003 stands at 12,000. The figure for civilian deaths in Iraq as a direct consequence of the military occupation by the US and its allies varies from source to source. One source puts it at 90,000 while another source estimates that the total number could be between 104,000 and 223,000. A British polling institute suggests that the total number of civilian deaths could be as high as 1.2 million.
Whatever the actual figure, there is no doubt at all that it is the Iraqi people who have suffered most from the unjust, immoral occupation of their land. It is not just the colossal loss of lives that is shocking. Unemployment is high. Essential goods and services are in short supply. Crime is rife. Corruption is rampant, as Iraqi President, Jallal Talabani himself admitted in conjunction with the fifth anniversary of the invasion.
As in past anniversaries, groups and individuals from all over the world have used the occasion to urge the US and its allies to withdraw their troops from Iraq. The International Movement for a Just World (JUST) lends its voice to this collective plea for an end to the occupation of a sovereign, independent nation — an occupation which will go down in history as one of the greatest tragedies of our time.
It is quite conceivable that if either one of the two democratic candidates — Barrack Obama or Hilary Clinton — gets into the White House, there may be a withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. But that will only mean the end of the US led military occupation of Iraq. The real occupation, as we have emphasized a number of times before, is the occupation of the nation’s economy, politics and culture. This is why the US Administration is still pushing hard for effective control of Iraq’s oil through American and Western companies.
It is this occupation — an occupation which is designed to transform Iraq into the major client state of the US in the Middle East —- that activists the world over should seek to end through their campaigns.
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar,
President,
International Movement fir a Just World (JUST)
27 March 2008