A MATTER OF PRIDE
June 18, 2007
With information about many murders and the destruction of mosques and bridges
in Iraq being disseminated daily, it is no wonder that the majority of people
have forgotten the totality of the "mother of all battles." What occurs today is
an extension of the hostilities that began on January 17, 1991. Much of the
public of many countries wrongly believe that there were two Iraq wars vs. the
U.S. - one in 1991 and the other in 2003. The war has been raging consistently
for almost 17 years.
I mention this because of incidents that happened during the 1991 military
action against Iraq and how they differ, yet remain the same today. For
instance, the U.S. destroyed the entire electrical grid of Iraq in 1991, yet
within a few months, the system was up and running. It was repaired by Iraqis
using Iraqi materials. And, something else came into play that can not be
measured: Iraqi pride.
The 1991 bombing of Iraq was probably more devastating than the aerial campaign
of 2003. Water systems, electricity, the infrastructure: all were completely
destroyed. The U.S. has admitted that its goal was to destroy the country in
such a manner that its people would overthrow the government. To Washington’s
surprise, the Iraqis fought back and did not do away with their leaders.
You name it and it was destroyed. For instance, on February 13, 1991, television
stations worldwide were broadcasting the pictures of the Amiriyah civilian bomb
shelter that had been hit by two U.S. bombs; bombs specifically made to burrow
deep into the target.
Dick Cheney, then Secretary of Defense, took to the microphone and stated, "I
blame the Iraqi leadership for putting civilians in harm's way." Brilliant. A
bomb shelter is supposed to protect civilians, not be a magnet for bombs.
Hundreds of people died in the bombing of the shelter, yet the U.S. attempted to
blame the destruction on Saddam Hussein. Supermarkets, hospitals, clothing
factories, mosques: you name it and the U.S. bombed it.
I bring up these instances because many people have forgotten them. We must
remember that they are just as relevant today as they were then.
Now, let’s go to 2003. The U.S. again destroyed the Iraqi electrical grid. But,
it has never been fixed. More than two years after the invasion, electricity is
still a part-time luxury for many Iraqis.
The U.S. has no excuse. It is occupying the country and there is no embargo in
place. The richest country on the planet with access to the most advanced
technology can not put Iraq together again. But, in 1991, Iraq put itself
together with no outside assistance.
In 1991, the Iraqis who restructured their country had pride. In 2003, most of
the same people who performed the work more than a decade earlier were left out
under the De-Baathification program set forth by Paul Bremer. The U.S. hired its
own people to re-construct the country, but they only work for money, not pride.
The reconstruction effort of 1991, led by the Ba'ath government was nothing
short of magnificent. Ingenuity and pride prevailed.
The ongoing reconstruction of Iraq today is a fiasco. Pride does not enter the
picture. Only money paid to U.S. firms who overcharge for their services.
Let's go back to July 19, 1992 and see what the Baghdad Observer had to say
about re-building Iraq in those days. Here is the editorial for that day when
the country was undergoing an embargo, but at least was still independent and
filled with pride.
THE WRONG CONCLUSION
When the ceasefire was announced in the U.S.-led aggression against Iraq,
boastful U.S. politicians appeared on TV networks around the world to say that
they have achieved what had meant to be a deadly blow to roll Iraq back to a
pre-industrial era.
During the U.S.-led aggression, the unprecedented 30-state coalition embarked on
destroying almost all of the country’s infrastructure, including water and power
supply networks which bore the brunt of assiduous air attacks. Consequently, all
that had been the pivot of Iraq’s life system had come to a standstill. The
Western nations thought that the war succeeded in nipping in the bud Iraq’s
determination to face up to the challenges and hegemony. Hence, Iraq, they
thought, could no more stand against any future threat.
U.S. experts and technicians placed their bets and succeeded in misleading the
world into believing that it would not be less than 10 years before Iraq could
reoperate its war-torn power plants or provide its people with potable water.
But, to the 30-country coalition’s disappointment, Iraq's relentless drive of
reconstruction dubbed ill-put calculations as wrong. Within the span of less
than one year, 90 percent of Iraq's pre-war electricity generation capacity was
restored and the war-devastated oil industry came back to normal at a speed
which surprised all its enemies. What was intended to be a complete collapse
surely backfired.
Power alone will surely fail to justify U.S. actions as the world policeman. As
the battle is not over yet, determination to counterbalance the Western hegemo.