This week the United States enters into the sixth year of its occupation of Iraq. For the past five years, the United States has waged an aggressive war against the Iraqi people, all in the name of corporate profit. We have come to learn the pretext used to justify the war – weapons of mass destruction and terrorism – were lies. Since the “Shock and Awe” invasion of 2003, more than 1.3 million Iraqi civilians have died and an untold millions wounded; 2 million are internally displaced while an additional 2.5 million are refugees in neighboring Syria and Jordan.
To put it into perspective, this would equate to nearly 100 million Americans being killed, wounded or displaced. It is important to note that millions more Iraqis have died and suffered at the hands of a decade long policy of international sanctions. Iraq’s infrastructure has been decimated by the might of the US military and other “coalition forces.” The occupation has destroyed what once was a united Iraqi population by creating and fueling rampant sectarian violence.
On the flip side, nearly 4,000 US soldiers have lost their lives at the hands of this war, while tens of thousands have been seriously wounded.
During the Vietnam War, the ratio of US soldiers wounded to killed was close to 2.6. However, in the Iraq War the ratio is almost 18, the highest of any US war. While hundreds of thousands of veterans return home with both physical and mental disabilities, funding for social services for veterans has been continually cut year after year. This is the reality of war, quite different from what the politicians and their media pundits describe.
This past weekend, Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), a newly formed organization of veterans who have served since September 11, held its historic Winter Soldier hearings. The event was comprised of four days worth of testimony from veterans, civilians and journalists who told of their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan.
One veteran, John Turner, began his testimony by ripping off his service medals and throwing them into the crowd. He later said, “I’m sorry for the hate and destruction I’ve inflicted upon innocent people” and “until people hear about what is happening in this war, it will continue.” The hearings left viewers without any doubt of what the real face of occupation looks like. To watch segments of the testimony, you can visit www.ivaw.org.
Northeastern University Campus Against War and Racism (NUCAWR) calls for the immediate end to the occupation and withdrawal of any foreign military presence. This war was based upon lies and was waged in the interests of big business. This is a rich man’s war in which the poor people of Iraq and the United States have paid the price. While our government, both Democratic and Republican, pay lip service to public frustration about the war, it has demonstrated no intention of ending it.
The success of the anti-war movement requires the participation of the public and this is especially true of the millions of students who have turned against the war. History has shown that our energy and impatience is a vital ingredient to social change. However, without standing up and taking action, our silence equals complicity.
With that said, NUCAWR calls on the Northeastern community to come out and voice its opposition to the war this Wednesday, March 19, from 11:35 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. in Krentzman Quad. The power of change does not lie in the hands of the politicians and corporate CEOs but in the hands of the people.
The question remains, however, if we can step up to the challenge.
– Chris Gonsalves is a senior international affairs major and member of Northeastern University Campus Against War and Racism.
