Medea Benjamin's Blog, page 5
June 27, 2014
Inspiration for Your Friday
by Janet Weil
“The U.S. has caused more instability to the Iraqi people in the last twenty years than any other threat. By first supporting and arming Saddam, then sanctioning him, and then toppling his country’s entire infrastructure with bombing and occupation, we have caused this disaster in Iraq. Military intervention didn’t bring peace and security to Iraq during eight years of active combat, and it won’t do so now. For anyone who disagrees, I’d compare it to attempting to bomb a piano into playing a symphony – all you’ll end up doing is destroying the instrument.” – Emily Yates, Iraq War veteran, IVAW member, writer and musican
As horrifying news and images flood in from Syria and Iraq, with the threat of US bombing, drone strikes and, US troops um, “advising” Maliki’s Army, let’s remember: good things DO happen.
This week, the unexpected came to my emailbox.
The first was a request from Emily, with whom I taught a short writing course for veterans in summer 2011, asking me to put her in touch with a CODEPINKer in Philadelphia as a speaker for a rally on the First Amendment that Emily is organizing. Of course, I was delighted to do so.
In return, I asked Emily for her thoughts on the escalating situation re the US and Iraq, and she sent me the above quote which weaves together recent tragic history, analysis, and a music-centric metaphor. How I wish Ms. Yates, with her gift for clever and honest turns of phrase and her hard-earned experience in Iraq, could be all over the Sunday TV talk shows instead of the “key lawmakers” as CBS’s “Face the Nation” webpage delicately describes war propagandists in the US government.
The other piece of news concerns my hometown of Concord, California.
“…a substantial portion of the former Concord Naval Weapons Station will become an East Bay regional park of over 2500 acres, thanks in large part to the work of the CNWS Neighborhood Alliance” announced the email from East Bay Regional Parks.
In the 1980s, the CNWS, located near the Carquinez Straits in the Bay Area, was a heavily protested location where weapons and ordinance were put on trains to the Straits, then loaded onto ships and sent to the wars of Central America. Long before there was an Occupy movement, people came with tents and sleeping bags and created a years-long encampment under the name of Nuremberg Actions (http://www.nurembergactions.info/) near and sometimes ON the train tracks. A huge area on the outskirts of the largest suburban city in Contra Costa County, with gorgeous views of Mt. Diablo and its foothills, was given over the storage and transport of instruments of death, including chemical weapons.
But two decades later, thanks in part to antinuclear, antiwar and antimilitarism activism over the years, this weapons station has been turned over for cleanup and civilian use, which will include the newest addition to the remarkable existing network of green and open space in the East Bay. I look forward to walking the land and taking photos there someday.
Yes, good things happen. They just don’t happen without conscious and determined effort.
Let’s make the effort. As the 4th of July rolls around, let’s learn and teach our activist history – and make some by averting a US bombing campaign in Iraq. Here are NEW action ideas: http://codepink.org/blog/2014/06/no-n...
As Eleanor Roosevelt said:
“It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.”
No New War on Iraq Action Toolkit
Here are some ways you can take action to prevent further US military intervention in Iraq!
Social Media Options:
Twitter:
Use your smart phone, laptop, or an Internet café to share updates on your Iraq action! Use hashtags #NoMoreWar #DontBombIraq #Iraq and any others that seem relevant.
Flickr:
Share your photos by uploading your best pictures to the No New War on Iraq Flickr group. To submit, upload the photos to your personal account and chose the group. If you have trouble uploading or submitting your photos, send an email to info@codepink.org and we’ll upload your photos for you.
Share this graphic on your Facebook: it’s a collection of who shouldn’t be giving advice about the situation on in Iraq!
Share this video of Medea disrupting Maliki speaking to joint houses of Congress!
Commit to posting “No new war on Iraq” every day for a week to your facebook wall/twitter account/other social media.
Write a letter to your local newspaper about why you oppose a new bombing campaign/war in Iraq.
Promote:
Host an event on the CODEPINK website action calendar.
Tell us about your event:
Post it to the CODEPINK local chapters Tumblr.
Donate:
Please help the women of Iraq with a donation to our sister organization MADRE.
Things to do with friends:
Organize a Dinner and Movie Night:
Eating and talking is one of the easiest ways to bring people together. Host a dinner with food from the Middle East Ask your friends to bring something along, so you don’t need to cook all week. Set aside time to watch short videos from the CODEPINK website.
Read Stop the Next War Now:
Read all or half of the book with members of your group in a private or public location and hold a discussion afterward.
Hold a house party to show a relevant video from our CODEPINK recommended list or a short video from Brave New Films or from the Guardian, based on docs leaked by Manning.
Watch and discuss feelings about Iraq war and what people would like to do to avert a resumption of US air strikes.
Invite a speaker from CODEPINK, IVAW or your local peace and justice center to speak about Iraq and all the unresolved issues and problems from US war/occupation of 2003 – 2011 to a gathering at your home (email Anastasia@codepink.org to schedule a CODEPINK staffer!).
Things you can do in public:
March and/or Rally:
Organize a solidarity march and carry a banner with one of our suggested slogans like “Don’t Bomb Iraq” or “No New War On Iraq”. Consider marching across a bridge in your city – makes a powerful visual. Or rally outside a Federal Building, or another symbolic place. Don’t forget a banner and a camera!
Candlelight vigil:
Candles make a subtle and beautiful display. Find a public location (City Plaza, Federal Building, Main Library — you know your community) and read the names of the Iraq war dead. Don’t forget your “Don’t Bomb Iraq” banner.
Do a Phone-a-thon in a public spot in your home town.
Visit your member of Congress at his/her district office with a few other like-minded people – strive for ethnic, age and gender balance.
Put info bookmarks in Cheney’s, Rice’s, books in bookstores, and/or move the book to a more “accurate” section, such as “Crime. ADD LINK
Start a weekly peace rally in your town. Buy an all-weather CODEPINK banner!
Things that require you to pack a travel bag:
Go to DC and do a week’s lobbying, networking with other activists, and observing votes, debates and/or hearings in Congress.
If you have more ideas to add to this list, email Anastasia@codepink.org!
June 23, 2014
Disrupting Donald Rumsfeld, War Criminal
By Ashley Lopez
On the morning of June 12th, a muggy, sweltering morning in D.C., Dooler Campbell, Burkely Hermann and I showed up to a breakfast and book signing with the infamous war criminal Donald Rumsfeld. Our plan of action was to show up and conduct a citizen’s arrest during his speech. After all, it’s not like we showed up to hear any of his rubbish on the value of “national security” or, even more gag-worthy, how he remained married to the same woman all of his life. The event was hosted by the Federalist Society and intended for young aspiring lawyers, eager to hear musings from the villainous old man himself. Why they paid the $25 admittance fee to not interrupt him and instead listen to his “sage” advice, I can never understand.
For all three of us who had never participated in a citizen’s indictment, let alone embarked on one alone, we were all on unsure footing and nervous about the outcome of our efforts. But not nervous enough to not do it. Because disrupting Rumsfeld was the right thing to do. Because our generation has never experienced a period of peace where the U.S. wasn’t engaged in this war of aggression. In our hearts we all knew that only through making our voices heard, even in this seemingly minuscule way, would we be able to interest our disinterested generation in this horrific legacy of violence, to challenge the hegemonic power of old white men who control the country.
I was born in 1994 and only in the 2nd grade when this war began. Now, I’m a rising junior in college and still seeing this seemingly never-ending war play out. With the recent news surrounding the possibility of more military intervention in Iraq, I can’t help but feel Deja Vu as we continue to engage in foreign policy where we still aren’t wanted, where more bloodshed definitely isn’t needed. The culture of violence in America where we fight terrorism with more terrorism, bloodshed with more bloodshed, needs to change to that of a culture of peace and humility, where we openly admit that we messed up really badly when we decided to occupy the Middle East.
Reminding Donald Rumsfeld that he has committed atrocious acts of violence in the name of our country, something that myself and no one in my generation asked for, is only the tip of the iceberg of actions we need to participate in in order to stop this war from continuing any further. Donald Rumsfeld shouldn’t be allowed to walk the streets, let alone host fancy events where he gets to tell jokes and pretend that he’s a normal man without blood on his hands. One of the things he said as we started reading our indictment was that he was no longer surprised when people acted as we did in his presence. And to that I say, great! Why should he be able to live a normal, peaceful life free of peaceful disruptions considering the war of aggression he unleashed upon an entire culture of people in the Middle East, specifically Iraq.
While we continue locking up Americans like Chelsea Manning, who was brave enough to speak out against this nonsensical violence by the hands of the U.S. and made great strides in inform the citizens of our country to the extent of this violence, we, the young generation of this country, need to stand in solidarity to fight this wave of American imperialism that has gone unchecked for far too long. Chelsea Manning is no criminal; Donald Rumsfeld is. Yet Chelsea remains locked up for exposing war crimes while Rumsfeld gets off for these war crimes scotch free. We need to be offended and horrified by this reality and not complacent like we have been for this past decade. Because if we are complicit in this unjust war then how are we much better than people like Rumsfeld? If we aren’t all shouting at the hegemonic power “No, I will not stand by complicitly in your wrongful doings,” then how will things change?
Ashley Lopez is an intern at CODEPINK DC and attending Green Mountain College in Vermont pursuing a degree in Sociology. Her passions include an end to all wars, peace, and burritos.
June 20, 2014
Inspiration for Your Friday
by Janet Weil
As the US government, once AGAIN, decides whether to bomb Iraq in response to an armed uprising in that oil-rich, war-poor, DU-contaminated country, more than ever we need inspiration, that deep in-breath of hope and determination.
It’s like the crazy-tragic version of Groundhog Day.
For me as a military family member as well as a longtime CODEPINK-er (I “joined up” in spring 2003, about 7 months after its beginnings), the beating of war drums on the media, featuring the same-ol’, same-ol’ bunch of neo-con know-nothings who shilled for war over a decade ago, brings up all too many terrible memories. My colleagues Nancy Mancias and Lisa Savage have asked me to write from that perspective, and I will do so in an upcoming post.
For now, as we gear up for Don’t Bomb Iraq rallies all over the country LINK, I’ll just make a list of what inspires me today:
My young Iraqi colleague, Farah Muhsin Al Mousawi, and her 2 recent blog posts with info fresh from her friends and family INSIDE Iraq:
http://codepink.org/blog/2014/06/who-...
AND
http://codepink.org/blog/2014/06/the-...
Messages from Iraqi mothers for last Mother’s Day – still relevant today and every day:
http://codepink.org/blog/2014/05/lett...
A quick email from my DC buddy, now back in Phoenix, Arizona Liz:
“called DC. No Troops No Military airstrikes in Iraq! Bring the Troops HOME! plenty of human aid!”
Seeing the notices of hastily organized vigils and marches pouring in to the @codepink twitter account, from around the country. Fresno and Hayward, CA! Portland, ME! And many other places far from “usual suspects” San Francisco, NYC and DC – though those are of course important too.
The people of Iraq need and deserve the world’s compassion and assistance, including with cleanup of places contaminated by Depleted Uranium munitions (or as I call them, “Not Depleted Enough Uranium”), which have caused the world’s worst rate of birth defects in Fallujah. They do not need, and it gags me to even have to write this, more US munitions falling down on their land, their rivers, their still-mostly-destroyed infrastructure, their homes and their bodies. “Targeted” air/drone strikes always wind up killing civilians. “Smart” bombs aren’t smart. “Limited” military “engagements” (and what a pretty euphemism THAT word is) always somehow become less limited and more costly and dragged-out.
And the overdeployed, overmedicated, under-attended-to US troops – soldiers, marines, airmen and sailors – deserve the right to heal, not the order to return to combat.
Do what you can. Bring a friend to a rally tomorrow. Buy and wear in a popular public place a CODEPINK t-shirt .
As a woman who mentored (and sometimes hectored) me during the early years of the US criminal occupation of Iraq always used to say: Do something for peace today.
Protesters Disrupt Condoleezza Rice Speech at Norwich University
Original post in Popular Resistance
Twelve protesters disrupted a speech by Condoleezza Rice at Norwich University in Vermont with a mic check. The audience at the event was less than supportive. One of the protesters, Marie Countryman, was slapped by an audience member and bullied by others as she spoke.
Here is the text of the mic check:
I come here today because I stand for justice for all humanity.
I come here today because I cannot and will not be silent in the face of crimes against humanity.
I come here today to charge Condoleezza Rice for having participated in and perpetrated crimes against humanity in the name of the citizens of the United States.
I come here today to charge Condoleezza Rice as a war criminal who misled the American people about the presence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq in order to draw us into an illegal, immoral and senseless war.
I come here today in remembrance of more than 200,000 civilians, young mothers, grandmothers and innocent children, who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan in illegal wars.
I come here today in memory of more than 6,650 U.S. soldiers who have died in this illegal and immoral wars.
I come here today to demand that Condoleezza Rice be held accountable for dragging our country into an illegal war through lies and deception of the American people.
I come here today to charge Condoleezza Rice as a key player in promoting the lies that led to war and selling war to the American people.
I come here today to charge Condoleezza Rice with sanctioning torture, and continuing to defend torture.
I come here today to demand that Condoleezza Rice be held accountable for the displacement of more than 7.5 million refugees of these illegal wars.
I come here today to charge Condoleezza Rice for the more than 750,000 disability claims approved by the VA as a result of war.
I come here today to hold Condoleezza Rice accountable for the countless wounds of war: traumatic brain injury, PTSD, amputations, spinal cord injuries, diseases associated with toxic dust exposure in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I come here today to hold Condoleezza Rice as a responsible party in the devastated infrastructure, health system and school system which remain in Iraq even with the troop withdrawal.
I come here today to demand that Condoleezza Rice answer for the 22 veteran suicides each and every day.
Here is a local news report by Kyle Midura of WCAX.com:
NORTHFIELD, Vt. - On a day when President Barack Obama released his plan for coping with mounting instability in Iraq, a former cabinet chief from the previous administration offered her thoughts to Vermonters. Condoleezza Rice served as secretary of state from 2005 to 2009 and served as a national security adviser in the four years prior to that. She helped shape much of the United States’ foreign policy during the Iraq War years. That experience gives her a unique perspective on Thursday’s news and caused controversy when she arrived on Norwich University’s campus.
“I just met with my national security team to discuss the situation in Iraq,” President Barack Obama said.
Thursday afternoon, the president told the country he’ll send 300 advisors to Iraq as stability there erodes. A terror group composed of Islamist militants threatens to split the region along its ethnic divides. The president says the advisors will instruct forces and provide intel.
“American forces will not be returning to combat in Iraq but we will help Iraqis as they take the fight to terrorists who threaten the Iraqi people, region and American interests, as well,” Obama said.
“Americans are not going to support boots on the ground,” former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told students at Norwich University.
Rice told those in attendance that Iraq’s serious security concerns grew when President Obama ordered U.S. forces to leave. She conceded to mistakes made under the Bush administration, and focused her remarks on what needs to be done to control the current terrorist threat from ISIS.
“You gotta knock them back. You do not want those people in a swath of territory the size of Indiana. That will be a real problem,” Rice said.
Her suggestions mirrored the orders the president would later issue– ruling out a full deployment, but threatening special operations missions and possible drone strikes.
Protesters sporadically interrupted Rice, calling her a war criminal for promoting the Iraq War, defending enhanced interrogation techniques and insisting Saddam Hussein held weapons of mass destruction.
“She lied us into an illegal war, she defended torture, she stands for everything this country doesn’t stand for,” protester Crystal Zevon said.
Rice deployed her diplomatic skills, ably handling the distraction.
Those in the crowd for the speech liked what they heard.
“The most important one is that democracy takes time,” said Laura Heller, a military attorney.
Heller deployed to Iraq twice, tasked with helping to build a new nation. She appreciated Rice’s reference to the messiness of democratic transitions and says it matches her experience.
“There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for governments and especially for democracy,” Heller said.
In handling the protesters, Rice said she’s glad to live in a country where dissent is tolerated, not met with secret police.
Despite the public nature of the event, our cameras were only allowed to roll briefly and with no sound. University spokespeople say those rules came from Rice, not them.
Rice spoke harshly of Russia and China, and says the world is a scary place with major powers behaving badly. Domestically, she called for immigration and education reform.
June 19, 2014
Medea’s Trip to the Presbyterian Church’s General Assembly
Why Presbyterians should support the overture to divest from Hewlett-Packard, Caterpillar and Motorola, companies engaged in pursuits that support the oppression of Palestinians
Medea Benjamin, Cofounder of the peace group CODEPINK and the human rights group Global Exchange, and speaker at the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship’s breakfast gathering during the 2014 General Assembly
Presbyterians have a strong tradition of commitment to social justice issues. In the words of the Presbyterian Mission Agency, the “Presbyterian Church’s commitment to justice is core to its identity and understanding as followers of Jesus Christ.” The Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) has been deeply involved in human rights efforts in Liberia, Sierra Leon, Haiti, Colombia and more. The PCUSA also pressured countries, especially Russia, to adopt the optional protocol of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Israel has faced heated criticism in recent years for violating this convention. Just last year, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child released a report showing the Israeli government has illegally arrested and physically abused thousands of children in recent years.
Former President Jimmy Carter himself called Palestinian liberation the most important human rights issue of today. “[O]ne of the greatest human rights crimes on Earth is the starvation and imprisonment of 1.6 million Palestinians,” he said in 2006, referring to the people living in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli government severely restricts food and medicine into Gaza. A senior Israeli official explained that the idea was “to put the Palestinians on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger.” Israel went so far as to limit the number of calories of food they were allowing in. Because of this blockade, 10% of Palestinian children in Gaza under 5 have their growth permanently stunted by malnutrition. Because of this blockade, 58.6% of schoolchildren and over a third of pregnant women have anemia.
In violation of international law, the West Bank has, since 1967, been militarily occupied by the Israeli government. Palestinians living in the West Bank have tremendous restrictions on their freedom of movement. In order to travel, they must move through military checkpoints. Even if someone is bleeding to death, even if a pregnant woman’s water has just broken and she must rush to the hospital, even if someone’s life depends on it, they must stop at the military checkpoint. Between 2000 and 2005, 67 Palestinian women were forced to give birth at Israeli military checkpoints; 36 babies died.
As Americans, Israel has everything to do with us. The US sends $3.5 billion of military aid to Israel per year. Israel is a wealthy country that does not need US assistance. But even more important, the US funds designated for Israel are used to prop up a military occupation that violates the basic rights of Palestinians.
This is why I, as a Jew, as an American, as a human rights activist, encourage the Presbyterian National Assembly to support the overture to divest from three companies that profit from the occupation: Hewlett-Packard, Caterpillar and Motorola.
Micah 6:8 reads “God has told you, o mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and love kindness, and walk humbly with your God?”
The Presbyterian Church should clearly and openly stand for justice for the Palestinian people. Investing companies that profit from occupation is contrary to the church’s commitment to human rights for all, including Palestinians.
If we seek justice, if we seek to relate to others with kindness and compassion, if we wish to walk humbly with God, divesting from the Israeli occupation is a perfect means to do so.
June 17, 2014
The Crisis of ISIS
Note to the reader: I am in no way condoning nor defending anyone in this post and I hope my words are not misinterpreted. As someone who witnessed the US invasion of 2003, I know what it was like to live under terrifying airstrikes and the fear of not knowing if I will be able to live another day or die from an attack. Living through that experience is the reason why I became an activist for peace and the reason why I am writing this piece now. My intention is to help people understand what is happening in my country right now and encourage them to employ their logic in a time where beating of war drums is louder than anything else.
During a time of war and turmoil and in the age of technology and information, the media tends to be more of a tool for governments than a resource of knowledge and truth for the people. This has been the case since the establishment of the printed media where printed news was used as another way to combat the enemy through war propaganda.
Growing up in Iraq, many people of my generation were exposed to a fair amount of war propaganda that Saddam Hussein used as means to convince Iraqis of the conspiracy theories about how the US and Iran were after bringing Iraq down and stealing their oil.
War propaganda is a really powerful tool and can help bring down an army and destroy a nation. Remember when the media was used as a war machine to create fear among Americans and the international community prior to the war on Iraq in 2003? How the media painted Saddam Hussein as complicit with Al Qaeda to attack the US on 9/11? And how the US government used the mushroom cloud image to bring closer the fear of Saddam’s possible use of Weapons of Mass Destruction?
The drums that rolled nearly 12 years ago are beating again today, with a similar rhetoric of fear. The fear this time is of an Islamist, conservative, power-hungry, Sharia law fanatic fighters. They are Sunni and an offshoot of the number one terrorist group, Al Qaeda. But is it true that Al Qaeda is becoming this influential that it is promising to fight the Shia regime in Iraq in order to bring justice to the Sunnis who have been marginalized for the past eleven years?
The Islamic State in Iraq and Sham (or Levant) also known as (ISIS) or (ISIL) have shared via twitter gruesome images of their fighters capturing and killing Iraqi soldiers. Twitter has since then suspended all accounts that belonged to ISIS. At this point I would like to raise this question: if the Iraqi government has blocked all social media, then how come ISIS managed to update their feed last Friday?
It’s debatable whether the images are true or fabricated. According to the NYTimes article published on Sunday, June 15, these images may not be accurate and “The militants’ captions seemed tailor-made to ignite anger and fear among Shiites.” The article continues to explain that “an official statement posted on the Ministry of Defense’s website denied the executions had taken place at all.”
Indeed, these images cannot, and have not been confirmed. There is no denial that many have died in the confrontation with those who are fighting Al Maliki regime, but it almost seems too painful to be true, not that mass execution is anything strange from happening in a country that has been in a state of war and conflict for more than 30 years now. However, common sense ought to be applied in such situations because rushing into judgment has lead to war before (Think Iraq war 2003).
But if these images are fabricated, then who fabricated them? And why would anyone do that?
Before I answer this question, I would like to address one main thing that my Americans friends who read this must learn: step back and take a look at who, and not just what, brought Iraq to the state it is in today, and that is Nouri Al Maliki.
Since becoming the Prime Minister of Iraq, Nouri Al Maliki vowed that he would work tirelessly toward creating a sovereign and safe Iraq, yet he has failed to commit to his vow as he turned into a bloodthirsty, cold-hearted tyrant that turned Iraq into a theocracy divided by sectarianism. The united Iraq that we once knew turned into a Sunni vs. Shia divided country where members of both sects can’t live next to each other or marry one another.
Nouri Al Maliki soon gained power and momentum shortly after few won victories that only happened due to the support he received from the US: The first in 2006, his victory against Al Mahdi rebellious militia that took over Basra and threatened to take over Najaf and was fighting the US armed forces in both provinces. In fact, Muqtada Al Sadr who is the acting leader of Al Mahdi army, implemented Shia Sharia law in Basra and his militia killed many civilians for reasons related to violating sharia law.
The second victory Nouri Al Maliki claimed (even though he was not solely responsible for it) was the ending of the insurgency fights in Iraq. Just shortly after he became PM, Al Maliki was struck by an attack on the holy shrines in Samarra. This ignited two years of deadly attacks in Iraq between Sunnis and Shias and militia fighters from both sides committed many acts of aggression against one another, also killing innocent civilians from both sects by suicide attacks in populated places all around the country.
While this deadly civil war ended by 2008, shortly after the US troop withdrawal from Iraq in 2011 violence erupted again. Random car bombs and attacks have killed thousands of civilians. Since the beginning of 2014, nearly 8000 Iraqis have been killed all around the country, and the reasons were attributed to the sectarian division that was created by the invasion and encouraged by Al Maliki’s policies.
Nouri Al Maliki has enabled the Shias to be more powerful in the government than Sunnis. I should know because in 2006 when I went to renew my passport at the Iraqi embassy in Damascus the front door officer, who was Iraqi Shia from Najaf, interrogated me to know whether I was Sunni or Shia, and the moment he knew my family’s background was Shia he let me cut the long line and he said to me “you get special privileges because the government is yours!” he said it with a jolly voice, as if he was going to win a bag of gold coins from his master!
In fact, the Sunnis were often marginalized and many times arrested under false accusations of conspiracy against the government. Just as Chelsea Manning revealed in the Wikileaks documents, and recently shared in her Op-Ed in the NYTimes on how a group of Iraqi intellectuals were taken to prison and were tortured with the help of US military because they produced so-called “anti-Iraq” documents, when they actually were questioning where the oil revenue is going if it is not being used to help rebuild the country.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have produced many reports condemning the conditions of prisons in Iraq and the massive torture and execution campaigns waged on mostly civilians, many among them were women under accusations of being linked to terrorism. When in reality most of these prisoners are mostly of Sunni backgrounds and have participated in protests against the government corruption and its sectarian, unjust practices against the people of Iraq.
These and many more stories of aggression have been committed against Iraqis for the past eight years by the hands of the most corrupt regime in the history of Iraq. And what really hurts the most is the US’s involvement in placing this corrupt regime in place and now willing to aid it through military intervention.
But how did ISIS come about securing so much power and influence to the point it defeated an army of thousands and trained by the best military in the world?
The answer is simple: First, ISIS is not the sole fighter in this conflict we are reading about today. ISIS may have taken advantage of the current turmoil, but it is not the one who is plotting and fighting to create “a caliphate” in Iraq. In fact, and according to Najeh Al Mezan, an Iraqi political analyst and representative of Al Karamah Block in the Iraqi parliament. In an interview with Al Jazeera, Al Mezan confirmed that ISIS forms about less than 5% of the fighters in Iraq and that the rest who are actually confronting the military and seizing over the provinces are mostly fighters from different tribes. In fact, these fighters (whom Al Mezan referred to as revolutionaries) have denounced all acts of aggression and unnecessary violence that they have alleged committing against the shias and soldiers from the Iraqi military.
Najeh Al Mezan is not alone in his assertion. Sheikh Ali Al Hatem, prince of Al Dulaim tribes in Anbar, has confirmed the same in many interviews on Iraqi and Arab TV stations such as Al Tagheer Channel from Iraq and Al Arabiya Channel in the Middle East.
Both Al Hatem and Al Mezan have also pointed out this this revolutionary act should not come as a surprise to Al Maliki or the West. Iraqis in all of the country, including Baghdad and the southern provinces such as Diwaniya, have been protesting for over a year with several demands most of which have been promised by the Iraqi government but none have been met, or rather, they have been ignored intentionally by Al Maliki. The demands were: Ending all forms of corruption, fixing the low unemployment rate , solving the poor national security and public services, ending the marginalization of Sunnis, ending the unfair treatment of prisoners, increasing the salaries of Sahwa militia, ending the abuse of De-Baathification laws, and limiting the Iranian interference in Iraqi affairs.
Al Maliki was successful in crushing the protests in Baghdad and most of the southern provinces; however, he failed to do that in Anbar and Tikrit provinces which later led to a violent confrontation where the Iraqi military was sent to blatantly attack civilians in these provinces and especially Fallujah. And for the past year, Al Maliki has killed and imprisoned several civilians under the effort to fight “terrorism” and accused them of being affiliated with Al Qaeda and blamed the civil war in Syria as the reason why ISIS existed in the sunni provinces.
The real story that Iraqis in Iraq continue to assert that ISIS does not represent this mass movement that is meant to bring much needed unity Iraq and its people. These images that you see on the news are not real, these videos are not authentic and they are very much the production of the Iraqi government to attract sympathy of the international community and military support from its allies in Iran and the US. Keep in mind, Al Maliki is desperate to do whatever it takes to stay in power, even if it means lying to the world about the true identity of the fighters in Iraq, even if it means to accuse the revolution to be conspiracy waged by terrorist from foreign countries to create a Caliphate state.
The tribal leaders in Anbar and other central and north provinces in Iraq were angered by the marginalization policy of the central government in Baghdad and the abuses committed against their tribe members. They have decided to work together hand in hand to rid Iraq from a tyrannical regime that favored Iran and those who worshipped it over the people of Iraq. And since many members of these tribes were former Baathists, it only made sense that these two groups would unite to end the injustices in Iraq.
Thus, they have formed the Nationalistic Regional Frontier, which also goes by the name of General Military Council of The Iraqi Revolution. Today, they issued the following statement that confirmed their detachment from ISIS and its violent attacks on Iraqis:
“Statement No. 22
Affirmation of the General Military Council of Iraqi Revolution
We would like to emphasis and remind you of our principles as follows:
General Military Council of Iraqi Revolution consists of your sons and brothers, so rebels are Iraqi, they treat with all Iraqi people without discrimination based on an equal footing with others. However, Council leaders reject any approach of sectarian, which has been a major cause of the revolution to redress the sectarian injustice, as our revolution’s aim is to eradicate the sectarian injustice. Therefore, the enemy for the Military Council, as it mentioned before, is all of those who have the purpose of impairing Iraqi people and its property. This includes any entity exercising damage, or terrorizing our people, of any religion, sect, or race. The utmost goal of our Great Revolution is to liberate Iraqi people, all Iraq, from the oppression of the government, to provide security and stability, and to live decently by God-given blessings and riches. Therefore, we cannot be satisfied with any other alternative that may harm freedoms, or impose any other style of life for Iraqis that they never had throughout history.
In this regard, we would like to refer to the utmost interest of the Iraqi blessed revolution, inter alia, by stating some issues as follows:
Firstly, if some acts came from some participants in this revolution such as extremism or dealing with weapons against unarmed civilians or any language of revenge or dictating a coercive behaviour against certain people; everyone should understand that neither these act do represent the face of revolution, nor its reality. Furthermore, these acts are unacceptable and do not represent the Iraqi revolution under any circumstances.
Secondly, the civil administration is an art, science and creativity, regardless of the capacity in managing the battle. Failure in management will lead to the result of the failure of the project for which many of martyrs and innocent victims were sacrificed; many of families were abandoned and displaced. Therefore, it is not acceptable to tear down the revolution edifice by allowing for a party, which has not enough experience in this regard to stand out alone with the administration, whatever the circumstances are.
General Military Council of Iraqi rebels
June 16th 2014″
The US can solve this problem and there is only one way to solve it that is diplomacy! In solving this problem, and one way to do it is to see what the demands of the fighters are, what are they calling for? I am not talking about ISIS by any means, because ISIS does not the real fighters in this war,
The question I have been asked the past few days from many of my American friends is “what can we do?” To answer that question is not easy, there is so much to be done, and many solutions were proposed by many of us activists working on the issue of Iraq’s invasion and its aftermath, but little has been done. But one thing people can do right now is urge Congress and the US to not interfere in Iraq in any military way. Do not aid the corrupt regime that has been sleeping with Iran since the invasion, and do not launch drone strikes that will kill Iraqi civilians.
June 13, 2014
Who is fighting in Iraq?
By Farah Muhsin Al Mousawi
For the past five years I have dedicated my time and energy on politics in Iraq and its history. Throughout these years I have been asked to write a book or a long essay telling my life story and how I see politics from my perspective. I have always declined such requests for many reasons, including fearing for the safety of my family in Iraq.
My fears today remain the same, only this time they are growing by the hour as I witness through the news and social media posts the development of violence in Iraq. But what is really happening there and why does the world need to pay attention? While many Americans are sick and tired of hearing the same old story of civil wars in one of the countries in the Middle East, yet Iraq remains one of the vital parts of this planet and people must and should care about the escalation of violence in that region.
The origins of conflict date back to a long time in history, and it is beyond the idea of conflict over whose god said what first and what religion humanity must follow. It is rather a conflict over power and dominance using religion as a facade to mask the true intentions of the many power- hungry leaders.
The situation in Iraq today is
By Farah Muhsin Al Mousawi
For the past five years I have dedicated my time and energy on politics in Iraq and its history. Throughout these years I have been asked to write a book or a long essay telling my life story and how I see politics from my perspective. I have always declined such requests for many reasons, including fearing for the safety of my family in Iraq.
My fears today remain the same, only this time they are growing by the hour as I witness through the news and social media posts the development of violence in Iraq. But what is really happening there and why does the world need to pay attention? While many Americans are sick and tired of hearing the same old story of civil wars in one of the countries in the Middle East, yet Iraq remains one of the vital parts of this planet and people must and should care about the escalation of violence in that region.
The origins of conflict date back to a long time in history, and it is beyond the idea of conflict over whose god said what first and what religion humanity must follow. It is rather a conflict over power and dominance using religion as a façade to mask the true intentions of the many power- hungry leaders.
The situation in Iraq today is a good example of such conflict as we see militants with military experience seize and take over Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq. Moreover, they are now in control of Tikrit and Kirkuk and on their way to Anbar. In a statement by these militants, Baghdad will be next. How soon? Well, seeing how fast the militants are moving, Baghdad could be taken over by the end of June However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that they can claim victory over Baghdad just yet, and here’s why: Baghdad has the highest number of Shias in the central region of Iraq, most of them are in fact supporters of Nouri Al Maliki. Additionally, most of the military equipment and support is in Baghdad or close proximity to it, which means that if the Iraqi military confronts the militants, they can and will get whatever backup they need to overpower them.
The situation in Baghdad is unlike what happened in Mosul, where the militants were more powerful even if they had few weapons to use at the beginning, but after the military had dropped everything and left, militants now own more than they had before the confrontation. The Iraqi military fled the scene of the fight because they knew they could not stand a fight against Sunni fighters, whom are mostly members of the former Baath regime military, in a Sunni region, while Al Maliki’s military are mostly Shia with strong loyalties to Iran. Al Maliki military knew that they will be crushed and killed as they foresaw that the majority of the city fighting with these militants against them.
What the seizure of Mosul means is that this could either lead to yet another civil war in Iraq, or it could shift the country to a new Sunni leadership. This however cannot be fully determined yet as the identity of the militants is still a matter of debate among people in Iraq and the media. And, though the media claimed that these militants are Al Qaeda affiliated and go by Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) or known as “Da’ish” an Arabic, but the stories coming from Iraq say otherwise.
In an email conversation I had with some friends from Iraq, they swore that these militants are anything but Al Qaeda fighters. To prove it, these militant have insisted today that no one call them by “Da’ish” or ISIS, they are not dressed in long white gowns and don’t have long shaggy beards as most ISIS fighters or Al Qaeda. They are also protecting government buildings and urging people to return to their daily lives.
So, could this be a nationalistic coup waged by Sunni insurgents most of whom are from the former Baath military to restore Iraq to the way it was before the invasion? Perhaps. Many have confirmed that those who were fighting in Mosul are former members of the Saddam military, and in many of the statements released they have confirmed that are working with Izzat Ibrahim Al Doury, Saddam Hussien’s former vice president.
Since the invasion, Izzat Al Doury fled his home in Baghdad and remained in hiding for the past 11 years. US and Iraqi militaries were unsuccessful in capturing him, despite the fact that they captured his family members, including his elderly wife who was abused in the prison that was set up in Baghdad Airport. Izzat has released many statements throughout the past 11 years condemning the US invasion and the Iranian intervention that followed it, turning Iraq into a slave state for the Ayatollah in Iran as witnessed by the cozy relationship that Nouri Al Maliki has with the Iranian leadership and the privileges he gave to Iran over the past eight years.
The reality of the situation in Iraq remains uncertain, no matter who is fighting the Iraqi military. The Iraqi government is weak, despite the weapons and gadgets it purchased from the US and Russia. The Iraqi military has no experience in fighting hardcore battles against experienced fighters. If it is determined to be true that those fighters are Al Qaeda affiliated, then this may lead to a war on a larger scale in the entire region between Sunnis and Shias. If they are Baathists trying to reclaim power and authority, then this means another civil war will erupt in Iraq and it could be more deadly than 2007.
What needs to happen is for Nouri Al Maliki to step down as a failed Prime Minister who exhibited time and again his lack of wise leadership and inexperience in controlling crises such as the one in Mosul. He also needs to stop calling for help from the US and the international community and obeying orders from Tehran. If Nouri Al Maliki was a true patriotic leader that is faithful and devout citizen of his country, he would not hide behind the walls of the Green Zone, but go out in the streets and ask Iraqis what do they really want? What do they really need? And how could he be of service to them? After all, isn’t that what democracy should be like?
The US is weighing whether it should interfere in Iraq or not, especially after the requests Nouri Al Maliki has publicly made in his statements, asking for US military help and specifically the use of drones to target ISIS fighters in Falluja and elsewhere. But such involvement in Iraq will only cost more damage to the current situation by enabling a weak and incompetent government that will continue to abuse its power to abuse its people.
I urge the US to not interfere in Iraq in any military shape or form. Stop funding the killer regime in Iraq, stop supporting them and definitely do not send your troops back. There is no question that if the US wants to interfere in a peaceful way it can and should when the time comes, but sending troops or arms to Iraq will only create a bigger disaster that will be too hard to control.
a good example of such conflict as we see militants with military experience seize and take over Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq. Moreover, they are now in control of Tikrit and Kirkuk* and on their way to Anbar. In a statement by these militants, Baghdad will be next. How soon? Well, seeing how fast the militants are moving, Baghdad could be taken over by the end of June However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that they can claim victory over Baghdad just yet, and here’s why: Baghdad has the highest number of Shias in the central region of Iraq, most of them are in fact supporters of Nouri Al Maliki. Additionally, most of the military equipment and support is in Baghdad or close proximity to it, which means that if the Iraqi military confronts the militants, they can and will get whatever backup they need to overpower them.
The situation in Baghdad is unlike what happened in Mosul, where the militants were more powerful even if they had few weapons to use at the beginning, but after the military had dropped everything and left, militants now own more than they had before the confrontation. The Iraqi military fled the scene of the fight because they knew they could not stand a fight against Sunni fighters, whom are mostly members of the former Baath regime military, in a Sunni region, while Al Maliki’s military are mostly Shia with strong loyalties to Iran. Al Maliki military knew that they will be crushed and killed as they foresaw that the majority of the city fighting with these militants against them.
What the seizure of Mosul means is that this could either lead to yet another civil war in Iraq, or it could shift the country to a new Sunni leadership. This however cannot be fully determined yet as the identity of the militants is still a matter of debate among people in Iraq and the media. And, though the media claimed that these militants are Al Qaeda affiliated and go by Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) or known as “Da’ish” an Arabic, but the stories coming from Iraq say otherwise.
In an email conversation I had with some friends from Iraq, they swore that these militants are anything but Al Qaeda fighters. To prove it, these militant have insisted today that no one call them by “Da’ish” or ISIS, they are not dressed in long white gowns and don’t have long shaggy beards as most ISIS fighters or Al Qaeda. They are also protecting government buildings and urging people to return to their daily lives.
So, could this be a nationalistic coup waged by Sunni insurgents most of whom are from the former Baath military to restore Iraq to the way it was before the invasion? Perhaps. Many have confirmed that those who were fighting in Mosul are former members of the Saddam military, and in many of the statements released they have confirmed that are working with Izzat Ibrahim Al Doury, Saddam Hussien’s former vice president.
Since the invasion, Izzat Al Doury fled his home in Baghdad and remained in hiding for the past 11 years. US and Iraqi militaries were unsuccessful in capturing him, despite the fact that they captured his family members, including his elderly wife who was abused in the prison that was set up in Baghdad Airport. Izzat has released many statements throughout the past 11 years condemning the US invasion and the Iranian intervention that followed it, turning Iraq into a slave state for the Ayatollah in Iran as witnessed by the cozy relationship that Nouri Al Maliki has with the Iranian leadership and the privileges he gave to Iran over the past eight years.
The reality of the situation in Iraq remains uncertain, no matter who is fighting the Iraqi military. The Iraqi government is weak, despite the weapons and gadgets it purchased from the US and Russia. The Iraqi military has no experience in fighting hardcore battles against experienced fighters. If it is determined to be true that those fighters are Al Qaeda affiliated, then this may lead to a war on a larger scale in the entire region between Sunnis and Shias. If they are Baathists trying to reclaim power and authority, then this means another civil war will erupt in Iraq and it could be more deadly than 2007.
What needs to happen is for Nouri Al Maliki to step down as a failed Prime Minister who exhibited time and again his lack of wise leadership and inexperience in controlling crises such as the one in Mosul. He also needs to stop calling for help from the US and the international community and obeying orders from Tehran. If Nouri Al Maliki was a true patriotic leader that is faithful and devout citizen of his country he would not hide behind the walls of the Green Zone, but go out in the streets and ask Iraqis what do they really want? What do they really need? And how could he be of service to them? After all, isn’t that what democracy should be like?
The US is weighing whether it should interfere in Iraq or not, especially after the requests Nouri Al Maliki has publicly made in his statements, asking for US military help and specifically the use of drones to target ISIS fighters in Falluja and elsewhere. But such involvement in Iraq will only cost more damage to the current situation by enabling a weak and incompetent government that will continue to abuse its power to abuse its people.
I urge the US to not interfere in Iraq in any military shape or form. Stop funding the killer regime in Iraq, stop supporting them and definitely do not send your troops back. There is no question that if the US wants to interfere in a peaceful way it can and should when the time comes, but sending troops or arms to Iraq will only create a bigger disaster that will be too hard to control.
*This article was posted a day before Kirkuk became under the control of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces.
Who is fighting in Iraq? By Farah Muhsin Al Mousawi
For the past five years I have dedicated my time and energy on politics in Iraq and its history. Throughout these years I have been asked to write a book or a long essay telling my life story and how I see politics from my perspective. I have always declined such requests for many reasons, including fearing for the safety of my family in Iraq.
My fears today remain the same, only this time they are growing by the hour as I witness through the news and social media posts the development of violence in Iraq. But what is really happening there and why does the world need to pay attention? While many Americans are sick and tired of hearing the same old story of civil wars in one of the countries in the Middle East, yet Iraq remains one of the vital parts of this planet and people must and should care about the escalation of violence in that region.
The origins of conflict date back to a long time in history, and it is beyond the idea of conflict over whose god said what first and what religion humanity must follow. It is rather a conflict over power and dominance using religion as a facade to mask the true intentions of the many power- hungry leaders.
The situation in Iraq today is a good example of such conflict as we see militants with military experience seize and take over Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq. Moreover, they are now in control of Tikrit and Kirkuk and on their way to Anbar. In a statement by these militants, Baghdad will be next. How soon? Well, seeing how fast the militants are moving, Baghdad could be taken over by the end of June However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that they can claim victory over Baghdad just yet, and here’s why: Baghdad has the highest number of Shias in the central region of Iraq, most of them are in fact supporters of Nouri Al Maliki. Additionally, most of the military equipment and support is in Baghdad or close proximity to it, which means that if the Iraqi military confronts the militants, they can and will get whatever backup they need to overpower them.
The situation in Baghdad is unlike what happened in Mosul, where the militants were more powerful even if they had few weapons to use at the beginning, but after the military had dropped everything and left, militants now own more than they had before the confrontation. The Iraqi military fled the scene of the fight because they knew they could not stand a fight against Sunni fighters, whom are mostly members of the former Baath regime military, in a Sunni region, while Al Maliki’s military are mostly Shia with strong loyalties to Iran. Al Maliki military knew that they will be crushed and killed as they foresaw that the majority of the city fighting with these militants against them.
What the seizure of Mosul means is that this could either lead to yet another civil war in Iraq, or it could shift the country to a new Sunni leadership. This however cannot be fully determined yet as the identity of the militants is still a matter of debate among people in Iraq and the media. And, though the media claimed that these militants are Al Qaeda affiliated and go by Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) or known as “Da’ish” an Arabic, but the stories coming from Iraq say otherwise.
In an email conversation I had with some friends from Iraq, they swore that these militants are anything but Al Qaeda fighters. To prove it, these militant have insisted today that no one call them by “Da’ish” or ISIS, they are not dressed in long white gowns and don’t have long shaggy beards as most ISIS fighters or Al Qaeda. They are also protecting government buildings and urging people to return to their daily lives.
So, could this be a nationalistic coup waged by Sunni insurgents most of whom are from the former Baath military to restore Iraq to the way it was before the invasion? Perhaps. Many have confirmed that those who were fighting in Mosul are former members of the Saddam military, and in many of the statements released they have confirmed that are working with Izzat Ibrahim Al Doury, Saddam Hussien’s former vice president.
Since the invasion, Izzat Al Doury fled his home in Baghdad and remained in hiding for the past 11 years. US and Iraqi militaries were unsuccessful in capturing him, despite the fact that they captured his family members, including his elderly wife who was abused in the prison that was set up in Baghdad Airport. Izzat has released many statements throughout the past 11 years condemning the US invasion and the Iranian intervention that followed it, turning Iraq into a slave state for the Ayatollah in Iran as witnessed by the cozy relationship that Nouri Al Maliki has with the Iranian leadership and the privileges he gave to Iran over the past eight years.
The reality of the situation in Iraq remains uncertain, no matter who is fighting the Iraqi military. The Iraqi government is weak, despite the weapons and gadgets it purchased from the US and Russia. The Iraqi military has no experience in fighting hardcore battles against experienced fighters. If it is determined to be true that those fighters are Al Qaeda affiliated, then this may lead to a war on a larger scale in the entire region between Sunnis and Shias. If they are Baathists trying to reclaim power and authority, then this means another civil war will erupt in Iraq and it could be more deadly than 2007.
What needs to happen is for Nouri Al Maliki to step down as a failed Prime Minister who exhibited time and again his lack of wise leadership and inexperience in controlling crises such as the one in Mosul. He also needs to stop calling for help from the US and the international community and obeying orders from Tehran. If Nouri Al Maliki was a true patriotic leader that is faithful and devout citizen of his country he would not hide behind the walls of the Green Zone, but go out in the streets and ask Iraqis what do they really want? What do they really need? And how could he be of service to them? After all, isn’t that what democracy should be like?
The US is weighing whether it should interfere in Iraq or not, especially after the requests Nouri Al Maliki has publicly made in his statements, asking for US military help and specifically the use of drones to target ISIS fighters in Falluja and elsewhere. But such involvement in Iraq will only cost more damage to the current situation by enabling a weak and incompetent government that will continue to abuse its power to abuse its people.
I urge the US to not interfere in Iraq in any military shape or form. Stop funding the killer regime in Iraq, stop supporting them and definitely do not send your troops back. There is no question that if the US wants to interfere in a peaceful way it can and should when the time comes, but sending troops or arms to Iraq will only create a bigger disaster that will be too hard to control.
Articles on Current Iraq Situation
Missed President Obama’s statement? Wish to read up more on what the US might do in Iraq? Here’s some articles to look at!
The Guardian, http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014...
The NY Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/12/wor...
Foreign Policy, http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2...
CNN, http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/13/us/iraq... \
Huff Post, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06...
The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/politic...
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