Catastrophe in Iraq [Archives:2004/780/Letters to the Editor]

Mohamed Saeed
South Africa
[email protected]
One cannot help but feel frustrated at the seriously catastrophic situation in Iraq. In the past weeks dozens of innocent people have been killed and the security situation has plummeted to new depths. In the recent days, experts and analysts from all corners have stated that the occupation of Iraq is the main reason for the bloodshed that Iraq has been witnessing throughout the past 18 months. The most recent among those who spoke out against the war, is the UN General Secretary Kofi Annan, who described the war on Iraq as illegal.
A US official intelligence report also confirmed that Iraq was facing the possibility of an all-out civil war. The best possible scenario, according to the same report, is that by the end of 2005, Iraq will remain an unstable, insecure and failing entity both economically and politically. Even the right-wing pro-war Financial Times wrote about the need to withdraw from Iraq as soon as possible. Colin Powell also admitted that the intelligence that was used to justify this belligerent war was flawed, Kofi Annan's description of the war as illegal and the ongoing death, destruction and violation of Iraq, but the US and UK governments fail to even mildly acknowledge its pivotal role in creating what has become a tragedy of unimaginable proportions.
——
[archive-e:780-v:13-y:2004-d:2004-10-11-p:letters]