MIM Notes 157 March 1 1998

UNITED SNAKES CONTINUES WAR AGAINST IRAQI MASSES

At press time the united snakes is still gearing up 
for another military invasion of Iraq. Clinton 
claims that he needs to attack Iraq because Saddam 
Hussein is holding out on military research and 
weapons, refusing to allow UN arms inspectors 
unrestricted access to his country. Britain has 
declared its support for any force that may be 
necessary to bring Hussein to his knees. 

On February 2 the u.s. sent 2,200 Marines on 
warships to the Persian Gulf to strengthen its 
forces already there bringing the total number of 
U.S. troops in the region to more than 30,000.(1) 
Countries opposed to the u.s. invasion continue to 
send representatives to Baghdad to push Saddam 
Hussein to allow the weapons inspection teams to 
resume their work unhindered. On February 1 Iraq 
began training its citizens to defend against an 
American attack, with volunteers of all ages, 
chanting anti-American slogans and learning how to 
fight.

Iraq has resisted u.s. and UN attempts to maintain 
imperialist control over this small oil-producing 
country. The long standoff with UN inspectors has 
led to on-going diplomatic maneuvers that involve 
many countries and constant threats of military 
actions.

The inspectors must certify that Iraq has 
eliminated its weapons of mass destruction before 
trade sanctions imposed after the Gulf war will be 
lifted. These sanctions caused in a severe lack of 
medicine and food in Iraq.

Current estimates of the direct death toll from 
sanctions imposed on Iraq after the 1990 war run as 
high as 1.5 million people -- the majority of whom 
are children under five years old.(2) See MIM Notes 
#153 (Jan 1, 1997) for an article on the effects of 
the economic sanctions on the Iraqi people.

While Clinton is now claiming that the purpose of a 
military attack on Iraq would be only to 
"substantially reduce or delay" Iraq's ability to 
develop and use non-conventional weapons, it is 
clear that the u.s. really wants to cow Iraq into 
subservience.(3) The U.$. only imports about 10% of 
its oil from the Persian Gulf. But the U.$. needs 
to protect investments in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. 
The U.$. imperialists argue that if Iraq's oil 
industry were allowed to fully function, it would 
seriously affect the world market price for oil.(4) 
For more on the history and details of this 
conflict see MIM Notes #152 (December 15, 1997).

Hussein was once a friendly u.s. puppet, armed and 
funded by his Amerikan imperialist friends. But 
when he stopped following u.s. demands he became an 
enemy and a threat to imperialism. MIM does not 
believe that Iraq presents any more of a military 
threat to the people of the world than it did under 
u.s. control. Hussein's defiance is dangerous to 
the imperialists, though. The imperialists want all 
of the countries of the world under puppet 
dictatorships.

When one resists this not only costs money, but 
also gives the people of the world the idea that it 
may be possible to resist imperialist domination. 
MIM is not fooled for a minute that Saddam Hussein 
is a friend of the oppressed of the world, but we 
support the Iraqi people in their fight against 
imperialist domination.

Many international imperialists have made 
statements opposing another u.s. invasion. With 
such an uneven balance of power, the u.s. military 
will be able to act unilaterally. It is unlikely 
that other imperialist powers will offer more than 
verbal opposition. The strongest imperialist 
opposition to u.s. invasion of Iraq comes from 
Russia. "We should not allow an armed strike, an 
American strike, whatever the circumstances," 
Yeltsin told journalists. "I told Bill Clinton that 
we would not allow that. The most important thing 
is that we assumed a firm stand: no to the 
settlement through the use of force. It is 
impossible; it will mean a world war."(5) 

MIM maintains that World War III has been going on 
for years and it is manifested in the military 
occupation and wars fought in the Third World 
countries. The war against the oppressed people of 
the world is currently characterized by 
paramilitary attacks and repression rather than 
constant full scale military aggression. But the 
death and destruction brought about by the 
imperialist military presence throughout the world 
is evidence of this war. 

As anti-imperialists we seek to take advantage of 
inter-imperialist conflicts. Should the 
imperialists decide to fight one another this will 
be an opportunity for the oppressed to overthrow 
their puppet governments and seize power. And 
throughout these battles MIM will stand firm on the 
side of the oppressed in the fight to overthrow 
imperialism and establish socialism.


NOTES:
1. Washington Post 6 February 1998; p. A35.
2. "Behind the U.S. War Threats Against Iraq: Who 
Gets Rich, Who Dies?2 International Action Center, 
17 November 1997.
3. Washington Post 7 February 1998; p. A01.
4. In Focus: "U.S. Oil Policy in the Middle East," 
http://www.zianet.com/infocus/mideoil.html.
5. Washington Post Foreign Service 6 February 1998, 
p. A36.