MUSCAT, 7 November 2003 — When the US took the infamous decision of attacking Iraq and overthrowing the Saddam regime, it had not consulted the world at all. Rather, it completely ignored the opposition of most countries and went ahead with the assault. Even the opinion of the United Nations meant little to the US.
In the war that destroyed Iraq, the US fulfilled its declared goal of overthrowing the regime. The US has also fulfilled its undeclared goals — the goals that are well known to everyone.
Now that destruction has been complete, leaving no region unaffected, the US is calling on the world to urgently contribute to the rebuilding of Iraq. So the US did all it could to convene a meeting of donor countries and urged everyone to make generous contributions. The US said this was a humanitarian effort and the world should stand by the Iraqi people in their hour of need. But there is a big question over the decision of destruction and that of construction — and there is a need for a logical answer to the question. It seems, however, that there is no room for logic, whatsoever.
Let us stress our point. The US had taken the decision to wage a war against Iraq all by itself. But when it is time for construction and payment of huge amounts of money, the US calls for global contribution! Mind you, these are the very same countries that had protested against the US move toward war — but the US paid no attention. Since the US had planned and executed the attack on Iraq by itself, why wouldn’t it undertake the full responsibility of reconstruction by itself? The war unleashed on Iraq by the US and its allies has destroyed everything. What is left of Iraq is no more than a skeleton. A lot of money is needed to rebuild it. And destruction is still going on every day as a result of the resistance and people’s rejection of the US presence in their country.
The world has offered a large amount of money — $33 billion — for reconstruction of Iraq. This whopping amount of money — equal to the annual budget of many African countries — is to be spent on the destruction made by the US and its allies. Why wouldn’t that money be utilized for humanitarian work? Everyone knows that there are vital and sensitive sectors that are in dire need of material assistance in Iraq. Thus, millions of destitute people would be saved from hunger and disease.
The US has dealt a blow to donor countries and to Iraq, which will continue to suffer from the impact of this war for a long time to come. This is particularly true if we recall that a substantial portion of the money offered to Iraq will take the form of loans that Iraq has to repay.
This is a heavy burden on a country that is struggling to stand on its own feet after a destructive war. At the outset, the US had made a move all by itself. However, feeling the heat of the mission, the US has called for the help of the world — the same world that opposed the war. This is a typical example of the US policy — acting as it pleases and executing decisions without considering the consequences. Meanwhile, the others are left to pay the price.
— Essa bin Mohammed Al-Zedjali is editor in chief of the Times of Oman.
