We all knew it. We all experienced it. We all weren’t surprised by it. And by ‘We’ I mean Iraqis who went through the successive years of mayhem since the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003.
The information in the 391,832 U.S. military documents that were released yesterday by the Whistle-blower website WikiLeaks did not come as a surprise to me. You shouldn’t be surprised either. Iraqis have been talking about this over and over for years on blogs, newspapers, TV and radio stations and through human rights organizations.
The Iraqi people have been frequently complaining since ever about torture conducted by the Iraqi police. They have said it nonstop that the foreign security contractors have been killing civilians haphazardly, and sometimes for no reason. Shiite militias controlled the streets of many cities in Iraq and appeared to be well trained by Iran to kill and torture.
Many thought we were exaggerating or saying things that are not supported by facts, but now our words are finally backed up by evidence! I’m happy these WikiLeaks documents finally came out. However the questions remains: Now What?!
The U.S. government apparently knew all about the killings of innocent Iraqis, Iran’s training of Shiite militias and Iraqi security forces’ abuse and rape of teenagers in prisons. Nevertheless, they decided not to take actions, not to intervene!
So what will the United States do in response to the that? Apologize to Iraqis? I don’t think so. Even if they do, will this bring back the lives of the thousands of civilians killed in the war? It won’t. Will it make Iraq safer? It won’t either. Will it change the current miserable political situation there? Not at all.
As an Iraqi, I don’t need an apology. I need justice. I need to see those who committed crimes against my fellow Iraqis get what they deserve. As for the Iraqi torturers, I don’t see them being brought to justice anytime soon, simply because they are under the same sectarian government that let this happen under their watch. We need a new government. We need new people to run the country and make this happen. Iraqis made their choice in last March elections, but the sectarian powers are refusing to give it to the moderates who were elected. Until this happens, I don’t think justice will ever be achieved in Iraq.
Hey B - quick question ...
ReplyDeleteRewind to 2003 - if you were leading the US, what would you have done differently if you felt Saddam had to go (you may feel his evil wasn't as bad as 'this' evil)?
Interesting piece as always.
Thanks, Avram! Evil is evil. It's always bad, be it better or worse than this.
ReplyDeleteIf I were leading the US, I would have:
- started by not disbanding the entire Iraqi police and army forces. Not all of them were criminal Baathists.
- not disbanded civilian Baathists from their jobs. Again not all of them were criminals. People were forced to join the party in order to get a job
- made sure prisons, like Abu Ghraib, were not used as chambers of tortures
- Listened to real Iraqis in the red zone, not those who had not visited Iraq in decades
- Won the hearts and minds of Iraqis not by using guns but by building and reconstructing what was destroyed during the invasion
- Employed Iraqis, not foreigners, to work in post-invasion new Iraq
And the list is long…
All of this could have prevented:
- the rise of insurgency which led the Americans to hire private security contractors who committed crimes against Iraqis and were never brought to justice for that.
- the well-trained former Iraqi army and police from joining the insurgencies for revenge. This could have also prevented the sectarian war which led to have Iran intervene and support Shiite militias with training and weapons.
And also, the list goes on and on…
Thank you Bassam! you said what many Iraqis wanna say we need justice, we need to see those who committed crimes against my fellow Iraqis get what they deserve.
ReplyDeleteعاشت ايدك
The released documents show the daily life of the conflict, as U.S. soldiers have experienced it. In addition, it appears from the thousands threat analysis, attack reports and arrest records but also reconstruct exactly how has unfolded, the Islamic brother struggle between Shiites and Sunnis, how society brutalized, such as abductions, executions and torture of detainees routine was. Even activists from neighboring Syria, Iran and Jordan mingled the documents revealed in this war. It is shown again and again. A war benefits no one. Only the people suffer.
ReplyDelete- started by not disbanding the entire Iraqi police and army forces. Not all of them were criminal Baathists.
ReplyDeleteSome of them disbanded themselves by deserting. Keeping all as was might have caused issues with the Kurds. Also, there was always the question of loyalty. This was a thorny issue which didn't have a good solution.
- not disbanded civilian Baathists from their jobs. Again not all of them were criminals. People were forced to join the party in order to get a job
I tend to agree with this. I think the problem might have had to do with the overreaction of some Iraqis to "Baathists" in general. I think there were those who felt a deeper cut was necessary to start with a clean slate. It is questionable whether or not all those who felt this way had pure motives.
- made sure prisons, like Abu Ghraib, were not used as chambers of tortures
Agreed.
- Listened to real Iraqis in the red zone, not those who had not visited Iraq in decades
The question here was whom to trust?
- Won the hearts and minds of Iraqis not by using guns but by building and reconstructing what was destroyed during the invasion
Hmmm...except without security this was rather difficult. Not to mention the deliberate sabotage committed by locals for their own reasons.
- Employed Iraqis, not foreigners, to work in post-invasion new Iraq
In a perfect world this would have been a good idea. The problem lay with trust again.
Lynnette in Minnesota
More tears and grief are shown for those precious pets who have died-either tragically or not than will ever be shed for human beings who experience the most awful atrocities in this world.
ReplyDeleteThe more I read about what has happened and still happens in Iraq and elsewhere in this world the more I feel that a small piece of my own soul has been lost forever.