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IRAQ / THE PROMISE AND STARK REALITY
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As George W Bush continues to be the unprincipled cheerleader for a failed Cheney/Rumsfeld Iraq agenda ~ a civil war is already raging in Iraq and no amount of spin can deny this stark reality.
Here are a list of the fairy tale promises of the Cheney/Bush administration and the stark realities of our costly and humiliating Iraq misadventure ~ courtesy of the today's Online Independent .
Allen L Roland
Iraq: The reckoning
What have we achieved three years on from Shock and Awe? To mark the anniversary of this bloody adventure Patrick Cockburn and Raymond Whitaker examine the coalition's record .
PERSONAL FREEDOM AND SECURITY
Iraqis have gained freedom of speech, with many new newspapers and TV channels, but the secular middle classes increasingly fear Islamist militias. Hundreds of thousands of the better-off have fled the country.
THE PROMISE:
"The future of Iraq belongs to the Iraqi people. After years of dictatorship, Iraq will soon be liberated. For the first time in decades, Iraqis will soon choose their own representative government. Coalition military operations are progressing and will succeed. We will eliminate the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, deliver humanitarian aid, and secure the freedom of the Iraqi people. We will create an environment where Iraqis can determine their own fate democratically and peacefully."
Joint statement by George Bush and Tony Blair, 8 April 2003
THE REALITY:
"Not only has the Iraqi government failed to provide minimal protection for its citizens, it has pursued a policy of rounding up and torturing innocent men and women. Its failure to punish those who have committed torture has added to the breakdown of the rule of law."
Amnesty International, 9 March 2006
THE STATISTIC:
14,000 prisoners still being held in Iraq by coalition forces at the end of November 2005.
THE ECONOMY
It seemed a reasonable assumption that Iraq's oil industry, crippled by sanctions, could swiftly be revived after the invasion, but the insurgency has wrecked those hopes. Incompetence in the Coalition Provisional Authority and lack of security have also ruined reconstruction, with basic services almost all in a worse state than before the war, despite billions of dollars in investment. THE PROMISE:
"We reaffirm our commitment to protect Iraq's natural resources, as the patrimony of the people of Iraq, which should be used only for their benefit."
Blair and Bush, 8 April 2003
"Iraq, unlike Afghanistan, is a rather wealthy country. Iraq has tremendous resources that belong to the Iraqi people. And so there are a variety of means that Iraq has to be able to shoulder much of the burden for their own reconstruction."
White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, 18 February 2003
THE REALITY:
"The US never intended to completely rebuild Iraq. This was just supposed to be a jump-start."
Brigadier General William McCoy, Army Corps of Engineers commander, January 2006
THE STATISTIC:
$9bn of US taxpayers' money unaccounted for in Iraq.
STABLE GOVERNMENT
Fears of civil war are increasing as Iraqi politicians wrangle over the formation of a government nearly three months after the election. Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, detested by Sunni politicians because of his links to Shia militias, refuses to stand aside so that a unity government can be formed.
THE PROMISE:
"Having liberated Iraq as promised, we will help that country to found a just and representative government, as promised. Our goal is a swift transition to Iraqi control of their own affairs. People of Iraq will be secure, and the people of Iraq will run their own country."
George Bush, 1 July 2003
"The Prime Minister and I have made our choice: Iraq will be free; Iraq will be independent; Iraq will be a peaceful nation; and we will not waver in the face of fear and intimidation."
Joint Bush and Blair statement, 16 April 2004
THE REALITY:
"Almost three years after the invasion, it is still not certain whether, or in what sense, Iraq is a nation. And after two elections and a referendum on the constitution, Iraq barely has a government."
Conservative US columnist George Will, March 2006
THE STATISTIC:
86 days since the Iraqi people voted on 15 December 2005, without a government being formed.
DAILY LIFE
The coalition authorities admit that much of the insurgency is fuelled by a lack of economic opportunity. While the occupation has brought more money to some, mainly in Baghdad, life has been made more difficult for most by shortages of water and power, sky-high prices - and the ever-present danger of violent death.
THE PROMISE:
"Our progress has been uneven but progress is being made. We are improving roads and schools and health clinics and working to improve basic services like sanitation, electricity and water. And together with our allies, we will help the new Iraqi government deliver a better life for its citizens."
George Bush, 27 June 2005
THE REALITY:
"The Iraqi people are suffering from a desperate lack of jobs, housing, health care and electricity ... If you compare this to the situation in the 1980s, you will see a major deterioration of the situation."
Barham Saleh (planning minister) in 'Living conditions in Iraq 2004', a survey by Iraqi authorities and UN
"Although a large percentage in Iraq is connected to water, electricity and sewage networks, the supply is too unstable to make a difference to their lives."
Staffan de Mistura, UNDP representative, May 2005
THE STATISTIC:
5.2 average number of hours of electricity in Baghdad homes
ARMY AND POLICE REFORM
The new Iraqi army and police force is one of the most controversial and secretive aspects of the occupation. Apart from doubts about the loyalty and effectiveness of troops trained by the coalition, there are fears that police and paramilitaries are functioning as death squads.
THE PROMISE:
"As the Iraqi security forces stand up, the confidence of the Iraqi people is growing - and Iraqis are providing the vital intelligence needed to track down the terrorists."
Bush at US naval academy, 30 November 2005
THE REALITY:
"Many cases of torture and ill-treatment of detainees held in facilities controlled by the Iraqi authorities have been reported since the handover of power in June 2004. Among other methods, victims have been subjected to electric shocks or have been beaten with plastic cable. The picture that is emerging is one in which the Iraqi authorities are systematically violating the rights of detainees in breach of guarantees contained both in Iraqi legislation and in international law and standards."
Amnesty International, March 2006
THE STATISTIC:
60 battalions in the reconstituted Iraqi army are Shia, outnumbering the 45 Sunni and three Kurdish battalions.
THE DEATH TOLL
37,589 maximum number of civilian deaths since the Iraq invasion in 2003, according to Iraq Body Count, which bases its estimates on media reports. The minimum figure it gives for the same period is 33,489
100,000 the estimate of civilian deaths since the invasion, published in 'The Lancet' in the autumn of 2004, based on statistical analysis
2,306 US military deaths since the invasion
16,653 US military personnel wounded in action since the invasion
103 British military deaths since the invasion. Figures for British wounded are not available
103 other coalition military deaths since the invasion
1,110 highest monthly total of bodies brought into Baghdad mortuary during the past 12 months. The lowest figure was 780
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