MIM Notes 194      September 15, 1999

New evidence of Iraqi suffering under sanctions: U.$. blames Iraq; 
blocks delegation from visiting

by MC12

A new survey of central and southern Iraq by the United Nations 
agency UNICEF shows that half a million children under five years 
old died as a result of the U.$. war and sanctions from 1991 to 
1998.(1)

By imperialist accounting, this is not genocide. Under imperialist 
morals, the only bloody hands are those of the Iraqi government, 
which brought the war and sanctions on itself. State Department 
Spokesperson James P. Rubin said: "The bottom line is that if 
Saddam Hussein would not continue to hoard medicines and 
capabilities to assist the children of Iraq, they wouldn't have 
this problem."(2)

But to anti-imperialists these deaths are cold-blooded murder, as 
if the children had been lined up and shot. These children are 
canon fodder in the imperialist power struggle to maintain control 
over the labor and resources of the Middle East. The target is the 
upstart regime of Saddam Hussein, who was supposed to be a U.$. 
puppet, and all the other oppressed-nation governments in the 
world that fail to follow the dictates of the U.$. and its 
henchmen in the "international community."

The UNICEF survey covered the parts of the country that are not 
under direct foreign control. These regions are home to 85% of the 
population. It showed that "under-5 mortality more than doubled 
from 56 deaths per 1000 live births (1984-1989) to 131 deaths per 
1000 live births (1994-1999). Likewise infant mortality -- defined 
as the death of children in their first year -- increased from 47 
per 1000 live births to 108 per 1000 live births within the same 
time frame."(1)

Before the war, in the 1980s, Iraq had been steadily improving its 
health system.

In the northern part of the country, which is less developed and 
started out with higher mortality, "under-5 mortality increased 
from 80 deaths per 1000 live births in the period 1984-1989 to 90 
deaths per 1000 live births during the years 1989-1994," and 
subsequently declined to 72. So the increase in mortality was not 
as bad, and there has been some rebound, in the north -- a fact 
the U.$. used to say that the high mortality rates are the fault 
of the Iraqi government. In reality, however, the sanctions are 
not as strictly enforced in the north, the war's devastation of 
infrastructure was not as bad in the north, and U.N. agencies have 
done more to help in the north since the war.(1)

Meanwhile, the U.$. State Department denied permission for a group 
of Congressional aides to travel to Iraq to investigate the 
effects of the sanctions. Congress is responsible for approving 
U.$. sanctions policy, and the delegation was supposed to gather 
information for a debate on whether to continue the sanctions. 
According to a press release from Voices in the Wilderness, which 
opposes the sanctions and coordinates delegations to go to Iraq, 
the State Department said it denied permission because the 
delegation might face hostility from the Iraqi government or 
people.

The Voices press release read in part:

"As you can imagine, we are appalled and deeply disturbed over the 
utter contradiction represented in the state department's 
unfounded allegations that Americans traveling to Iraq are at risk 
because of Iraqi hostility toward US citizens. This charge 
directly contradicts our regular and consistent experience in 
having sent 25 Voices in the Wilderness delegations to Iraq and in 
having helped organize delegations representing Physicians for 
Social Responsibility, Dominican religious women's congregations, 
and the FOR sponsored Nobel Peace Laureate delegation.

"We ask, what is the State Department afraid that this delegation 
will learn? Does the State Department fear that these prospective 
travelers will return to the US and state the truth which those of 
us who have traveled to Iraq already know and know with passion: 
US warplanes that bomb Iraqi civilians are fearsome; economic 
sanctions that slaughter innocents are fearsome. But US people 
traveling to Iraq can expect amazing and unrelenting 
hospitality."(3)

Meanwhile, the direct murders committed by the U.$. military 
continue apace. As the U.$. and British air forces patrol the "no-
fly" zones of Iraq -- that is, enforce the military occupation of 
the country -- they continue to bomb the country in alleged 
response to "provocation" from the Iraqi military, which 
challenges their presence and denies the legitimacy of the 
occupation.

On August 18, the Associated Press reported from Jesan, Iraq: 
"Friends and neighbors lifted chunks of concrete, pulled away bent 
metal and found bits and pieces of a family's life Wednesday in 
the ruins of a home Iraq says was destroyed by U.S. warplanes, 
killing at least 12 people. Three brothers, their wives and four 
of their children died while they napped on a hot afternoon. 
Another man and woman, visiting relatives, also were killed. One 
of the women, 42-year-old Hakeema Aeedan, was more than eight 
months pregnant."(4)

That same day, as A.P. reporters were on the scene in Jesan, "The 
White House said Wednesday that contrary to Iraqi claims, there 
was no evidence U.S. and British air raids this week killed any 
Iraqi civilians. 'There's no evidence that I'm aware of that we 
killed any Iraqis,' David Leavy, spokesman for the White House 
National Security Council, said. 'I don't think that we need to 
prove every propaganda ploy by (Iraqi President) Saddam 
Hussein.'"(4)

We urge all readers to join or support MIM in opposing all forms 
of imperialist genocide -- whether it be by economic sanctions, 
military occupation or bombing, super-profit extraction, massive 
repression and imprisonment or political and cultural domination.

Notes:
1. August 12, 1999, UNICEF press release at: 
www.unicef.org/newsline/ 99pr29.htm. 2. Associated Press 12 August 
1999.
3. Voices in the Wilderness press release at: 
www.nonviolence.org/vitw.
4. Associated Press 18 August 1999.