Iraqi uprising proves coalition 'unwanted'
By Patrick Ishizuka and Blair Thedinger
Almost a year ago, President Bush declared that the conflict in Iraq had come to an end. But the fighting continues. The mass uprising in Falluja, Najaf, Baghdad and other cities in Iraq have shocked the Coalition Authority.
The unified ferocity of the recent uprisings suggest that the United States is perceived not as a legitimate security force, but rather as an unwanted military occupant.Ã
Despite Bush's claim that the Iraqi resistance is "not widely supported by the Iraqi people," the British Broadcasting Corp. reported, mass mobilizations, coordinated through mosques and secular organizations, continue to bring aid to the resistance fighters in Falluja and Najaf.Ã
Reports from Iraq also describe the increasing cooperation between the Shia militias (predominantly Moqtada Sadr's Mahdi Army) and Sunni resistance brigades.
The number of casualties on all sides of the Iraq conflict continues to rise. As of April 20, 2004, nearly 700 American troops have died in Iraq, CNN reported. Many of these soldiers were younger than the average Santa Clara student. According to the same CNN report, 3,276 United States soldiers have been wounded in Iraq. Many of these soldiers will face permanent disabilities and chronic pain throughout their lives.
Sam Ross, injured while serving as a paratrooper and combat engineer in the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, told his story in the last edition of Mother Jones Magazine: "I lost my left leg, just below the knee. Lost my eyesight, which it's still unsettled about whether it will come back or not.Ã I have shrapnel in pretty much every part of my body."
Since the beginning of the war, over 10,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed, with 1,050 Iraqis killed so far in April alone, The Associated Press reported.Ã These statistics do not include the thousands of Iraqis wounded as a result of the US led offensive, many of whom are children. The brutal insensitivity of many US officials to these facts adds insult to injury.
When Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, the senior military spokesman in Iraq, was asked what he would tell Iraqis about televised images "of Americans and coalition soldiers killing innocent civilians," he stated bluntly: "Change the channel," The New York Times reported. The killing of Iraqi civilians elicits an entirely different response from people in the Middle East â€" namely one of sympathy and anger.
Apologists for the military occupation attempt to provide justifications under the guise of "liberation" or "protecting freedom," yet suffering, discontent and resistance among the Iraqi people continues to increase in intensity. The anxiety felt by White House officials over what one pentagon official called "the point of vanishing consent from the Iraqi people" is palpable. Iraqi Shias, the purported support base for the United States, now eagerly embrace the anti-imperialist discourses of visible clerics and secular leaders in Iraq.
These people have vocally denounced the Coalition Authority, the undemocratic process for the construction of an Iraqi constitution, the privatizations of Iraqi state industry and services and long term plans for our military presence.
As time passes with unfulfilled promises and rising numbers of casualties, the Bush administration continues to lose credibility with this country's populace. The case for war was based primarily upon Iraq's alleged possession of Weapons of Mass Destruction and the consequent "imminent threat" they posed.
No Weapons of Mass Destruction have been found in Iraq. Furthermore, the casualties suffered by the Iraqi population and their widespread resistance to foreign occupation cast serious doubts on the American government's self-designation as the "liberator" of the Iraqi people.
As citizens of the United States and members of the global community, we are implicated in our government's foreign policy and have a responsibility to protest against it.
Alternatives to military occupation exist: The United States could relinquish political and military control of Iraq to its people, assisted by the United Nations and the Arab League, leaving security in the hands of capable local authorities. Ã
Unfortunately, the Pentagon has extended the rotations of the war-weary soldiers in Iraq, and is now considering an overall increase in troops (which may necessitate a draft), the BBC reported.
Though the near future appears bleak, hope still remains. We possess the capacity to openly resist the policies of oppression that our government has perpetuated, as new social movements articulate challenges to the logic of imperialism.
û Patrick Ishizuka is a junior philosophy major and Blair Thedinger is a senior environmental science major.