March 20 marks the second anniversary of the start of the criminal war on Iraq. Today, Iraq lies in ruins; its own people have become prisoners of war and terror. The war and occupation has brought neither freedom nor democracy. The elections have done nothing to change this.
Already more than 100,000 Iraqis have been killed, almost as many as perished in the recent tsunami disaster. Iraq's infrastructure has been devastated and its environment polluted for thousands of years through the use of depleted uranium weapons.
The Iraqi people's resistance to the occupation is proof that the invaders have no legitimacy.
Following the military invasion, designed to secure strategic US economic and political interests, another began — a corporate invasion.
US companies, such as Halliburton and Bechtel, were awarded millions in reconstruction contracts, while qualified Iraqi businesses were sidelined.
Halliburton was awarded contacts by Saddam Hussien's regime worth over $US70 million while US Vice-President Dick Cheney was CEO of the company. While Cheney has consistently maintained that as the company's CEO he maintained a firm policy that Halliburton would not do business in Iraq, a number of executives have claimed there was no such policy. Halliburton, like many other US companies got around the legal restrictions on dealing with Iraq by operating through subsidiaries. Bechtel, another major US corporation has been awarded 184 contracts out of 279 in Iraq by USAID.
John Howard's government, a key part of the "coalition of the willing", is complicit in this murderous endeavour, with Australian troops an important part of the occupying forces.
A number of greedy capitalists in Australia were quick to take advantage of the destruction in Iraq. It wasn't long before Woodside announced plans to move into the war-torn country. Woodside CEO Don Voelte has announced that "the board has taken the view that countries like Iraq are special cases. There are just a few countries that have a capacity that if opened up to Western-style contracts we would certainly want to be there."
And then there is Worley. The Newcastle office of Worley was the subject of protest by 40 demonstrators in October. They were protesting against a $1 billion deal the company had struck to restore and maintain the oil infrastructure in northern Iraq. Worley and many other companies are likely to experience an economic upturn as a consequence of the murder and destruction in Iraq. Shareholders will be pleased.
These corporations must be held to account, not only for stolen profits, but for making this war possible with their investments, weapons, lobbying, political contributions and media.
The Australian and US governments are currently crowing about their generous contributions to help victims of the tsunami disaster. However these pale in comparison to the amount of money they have wasted causing death and destruction in Iraq. The US has committed just US$350 million to relief efforts in Asia while it spends US$1.585 billion every week in Iraq.
Howard has committed only $1 billion to Indonesia (half of which is a loan), having already spent the same amount in Iraq (with more to come).
On the second anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, the Socialist Alliance calls on all progressive people to join with the global movement for peace in demanding immediate withdrawal of the occupying troops, genuinely free and fair elections, and an end to the corporate pillaging in Iraq. Our money should be spent on untied aid and reconstruction, not on destroying the lives of Iraqi people.
[Issued by the Socialist Alliance national conveners.]
From 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly, March 9, 2005.
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