MIM Notes 230                   March 15, 2001

Colin Powell's smart sanctions offer no change in imperialist 
policy in Iraq

By an HC

Secretary of State Colin Powell presented plans to ease sanctions 
on Iraq during his three-day tour of the Middle East. This came 
less than a week after the United $tates and Britain bombed 
targets outside the so-called no fly zone Iraq for the first time 
(that we know of) since 1998.(1) While claiming to loosen 
restrictions on goods for civilians, his plan also encourages 
further restrictions on any supplies that could help Iraq arm 
itself. He is urging Iraq's neighbors to support the decade-long 
murderous sanctions under a slightly new face.

The specifics of the Powell plan are unclear. The current policy 
on paper is to restrict just military sales to Iraq, but the U.$. 
considers everything down to bandaids to be of potential use to 
the military. Given the vagueness of Powell's plan, and that fact 
that its discussion of targeting only potentially military imports 
sounds exactly like the current policy, MIM predicts no real 
change in the economic and health situation for the Iraqi people.

With growing pressure from the rest of the world, the United 
$tates and Britain continue to support sanctions as a means to 
impose their will upon Iraq. British Prime Minister Tony Blair 
recognized that he and President Bush need to sit down and 
reconsider the current sanctions policy in Iraq. Still, he blamed 
the Iraqi people's sufferings on Hussein's unwillingness to spend 
funds from oil sales (restricted by the U.N.) on the needs of the 
people.(2) These accusations completely ignore that 'oil for food' 
money is held by the U.N. in an escrow account in Paris and is 
only released to pay for contracts approved by the U.N. Sanctions 
Committee.

For years the imperialists have talked as if sanctions only hurt 
Saddam Hussein, persynally. Recently, thanks to the work of 
diverse groups raising awareness of the impact of sanctions on the 
common people, reactionaries like former u.$. secretary of state 
Albright, Blair and Powell have changed their tune somewhat. They 
admit now that the sanctions hurt the Iraqi people, but argue 
that's all Hussein's fault. This is the bully saying it's your own 
damn fault he busted your nose, you should have given him your 
lunch money.

The United Nations' own reports are punching holes in the 
unfounded claims of the British and U.$. governments' that Saddam 
Hussein is not distributing supplies to the people of Iraq. The 
Food and Agricultural Organization reported that the Iraqi 
Government has an effective system of rationing food obtained 
through the U.N.'s oil for food program, which allows Iraq to sell 
limited amounts of oil to help meet the needs of the people. They 
report that the oil for food program supplements local food 
supplies enough to feed the whole population. However, a 
combination of drought and limited agricultural supplies due to 
sanctions have lead to malnutrition. Tun Myat, the U.N. 
Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq, praised the distribution system 
as well, but noted that the effects of economic sanctions undo the 
benefits of ensuring adequate food supplies. The food ration 
represents the major part of their income. So in order to sustain 
their livelihoods, they sell part of the food that they get.(3) 
MIM has reported extensively on the decreasing health conditions 
in Iraq at the hands of the United $tates (see e.g. MIM Notes 194, 
206). 

In addition to the mass movements across the globe and local Arab 
opposition, Russia and France have questioned sanctions in Iraq 
and recently made a call to the U.N. to clarify what Iraq must do 
to put an end to sanctions.(4) Currently, the justification for 
the sanctions is Iraq's refusal to allow arms inspectors to 
investigate the country to make sure there are no weapons of mass 
destruction. After a decade with no results, Russia and France 
seem to want to put an end to what has been a lost opportunity for 
economic gain. This conflict of interests between imperialist 
countries can help push forward the struggle to end the murder of 
Iraqis by U.N. sanctions. While imperialist investment in Iraq 
will certainly not benefit the people there, MIM supports the 
struggle to end sanctions because it will concretely improve 
peoples lives.

MIM agrees with the comments of many Iraqi officials regarding a 
recent U.$. criticism of human rights abuses in Iraq. It is the 
United $tates that is committing genocide against Iraqi people by 
preventing necessary supplies from entering the country. 
Meanwhile, the United $tates has supported Israel in their on-
going war with Palestinians in the region. The State Department's 
report on human rights, released at the end of February 2001, has 
drawn much criticism from Iraq who got a poor report. Iraqi 
officials have recognized that the United $tates is using this 
report to put forth its own political agenda, and to condemn those 
that oppose that agenda.(5)

Notes:

1. The New York Times, 17 Feb 2001.

2. The New York Times, 21 Feb 2001.

3. Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq Newsletter, Feb 2001.

4. The New York Times, 28 Feb 2001.

5. The New York Times, 14 Feb 2001.