Re: Milan Rai on UN occupation of Iraq

[Carrol Cox <cbcox@xxxxxxxxx>]

Sabri Oncu wrote:
>
>
> Here is one input from one of those from that part of
> the world, who is not terrified to speak his mind.
>
> Fuck you Americans!
>
> Get out of our part of the world!
>
> Immediately!
>

>From this morning's local (Bloomington, Il) newspaper (under the
headline: "U.S. Marines fight rebellion in Falujah"):

        At the same time, he (Marine office) said, Marine civil officers are
scouting the city on how to spend a special $540 million outlay for
rebuilding projects in al Anbar province, which includes Fallujah.
        But in Falujah, strung with black mourning banners for Friday's dead,
the residents were having none of it.
        Residents angrily vowed revenge, saying Friday's casualties were caused
by Marine reprisals for an insurgent strike on a supply convoy that took
out a Humvee with a rocket-propelled grenade: "For each one who is
killed, we will get 10 American soldiers," saidd Abu Mujahid, 35,
taunting the fresh Marine forces as "cartoon characters."

        "If they want Fallujah to be a battlefield, they are welcome here,"
said Abu Mujahid, who would only be identified by his nickname, which
means fighter's father. "Fallujah city will become a mass grave for Bush
and all the soldiers of the American military."******

I argued 14 years ago during the first Gulf War that after that criminal
u.s. aggression there were only two alternatives for the U.S.: an Iraq
ruled by a state hostile to the U.S. or an Iraq ruled by a U.S. army
under continuous and unending attack. It doesn't matter what are the
passive preferences of the Iraqi people: those two alternatives are
still the only alternatives.

The length of the u.s. occupation depends on the number of total
casualties the u.s. populace will accept. When casualties pass that
level, the u.s. will withdraw and the Iraqis will (probably with much
blood) struggle out their own concerns, which is as it should be.

Nothing the u.s. can do can bring about a smooth transition to a
peaceful Iraq. Such a transition (and it will not be smooth) can only
_begin_ after all non-Iraqi forces have withdrawn.

The function of the peace movement in the u.s. is to keep up constant
pressure on on our government to withdraw unconditionally.

I think we can do it. We don't have to "win" anything right away. We
simply have to survive as a movement, because conditions will never
improve in Iraq (as measured by u.s. casualties and the total u.s.
forces rquired).

Carrol

> Sabri