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By Former U.S. Attorney General Ransey Clark

 www.iacenter.org

ANSWERing Bush's

big myths about Iraq

Myth # 1

Preemptive war is war of aggression.

Under international law, a preemptive

war may be justified as an act of selfdefense

only where there exists a genuine

and imminent threat of physical attack.

Bush's preemptive war against Iraq

doesn't even purport to preempt a physical

attack. It purports to preempt a threat

that is neither issued nor posed.

Iraq is not issuing threats of attack

against the United States. It is only the

United States that threatens war.

There has been no evidence that Iraq

is capable of an attack on the U.S., let

alone possessing the intention of carrying

out such an attack.

Myth # 2

The United Nations Security Council

cannot authorize a potential nuclear U.S.

first strike and war of aggression that

violates the U.N. Charter, international

law and the law prohibiting war crimes,

crimes against the peace and crimes

against humanity.

The U.N. Charter–which creates the

Security Council and which grants the

Council its authority–requires the

"Security Council to act in accordance

with the Purposes and Principles of the

United Nations." (Article 24)

The U.N. Charter requires international

disputes or situations that might lead

to a breach of peace to be resolved by

peaceful means. (Article 1 and Chapter

VI)

In other words, a nation may not wage

war based on the claim that it seeks to

prevent war. A nation may use force unilaterally

in self-defense only "if an armed

attack occurs" against it. (Article 51)

Myth # 3

Article VI of the U.S. Constitution

establishes that ratified treaties, such as

the U.N. Charter, are the "supreme law of

the land."

The U.N. Charter has been ratified by

the United States, and the Congress may

not take actions–including wars of

aggression–in violation of the Charter.

Wars of aggression, and even the making

of the threat of a war of aggression,

violates the international humanitarian

law to which all nations are bound.

Neither Congress nor the President

has the right to engage the U.S. in a war

of aggression and any vote of endorsement,

far from legalizing or legitimizing

global war plans, serves only as ratification

of war crimes.

Myth # 4

United States: "The White House is

developing a detailed plan, modeled on

the postwar occupation of Japan, to

install an American-led military government

in Iraq if the United States topples

Saddam Hussein, senior administration

officials said today.… In the initial phase,

Iraq would be governed by an American

military commander–perhaps Gen.

Tommy R. Franks, commander of the

United States forces in the Persian Gulf,

or one of his subordinates–who would

assume the role that Gen. Douglas

MacArthur served in Japan after its surrender

in 1945." ("U.S. has a plan to

occupy Iraq, officials report")

The true intention of the U.S. government

is to recolonize Iraq. Prior to the

1960s, U.S. corporations made 50 percent

of their foreign profits from investments

in oil from this region. The Bush

administration wants Iraq to denationalize

its oil wealth–10% of the world's supply.

This war is an attempt to reconquer

Iraq and all of its natural resources. The

Bush administration wants to reshuffle

the deck in the Middle East and undo all

of the achievements of the national liberation

movements from the last sixty

years. They want to eliminate independence

for all countries in the region and

assert their domination and control–not

in the interest of the vast majority of

people–but for access to oil.

Myth # 5

There is no record to support this claim.

During the Gulf War of 1991, while the

United States bombed Iraq with a barrage

that included 110,000 sorties, Iraq did not

destroy even one U.S. tank or plane.

Desert Storm destroyed, according to

U.N. weapons inspectors, 80% of Iraq's

weaponry. As part of the inspections that

followed, 90% of Iraq's remaining military

capability was destroyed.

Iraq has been paying indemnities to

Kuwait and U.S. oil corporations since

1991 and has not had the financial capacity

to build another arsenal.

In addition, there has not been a

threat by Iraq of any kind against any

Myth # 6

Iraq did not tell the inspectors to

leave. The weapons inspectors withdrew

in December 1998 because the United

States told them to pull out so that the

U.S. could launch a bombing campaign

on Baghdad.

The next day, on December 16, the

U.S. unleashed Operation Desert Fox,

which included dropping 1,100 bombs

and Cruise missiles on Iraq.

After the bombing campaign, a

assertions of Iraq that the inspections

were intelligence-gathering exercises

conducted on the orders of the Defense

Intelligence Agency. The Pentagon used

the information collected from the socalled

inspections to set up coordinates

for its bombing operations. After this

revelation, the Iraqi government quite

understandably did not let the inspectors

back in.

Myth # 7

The plan for sanctions on Iraq came

from the Pentagon, not the Department

of Health and Human Services. It was a

central part of the Pentagon's war strategy

against the Iraqi people.

Sanctions have been more devastating

than the Gulf War itself.

"UNICEF confirms that five to six

thousand Iraqi children are dying unnecessarily

every month due to the impact of

the sanctions, and that figure is probably

modest," Denis Halliday told a

Congressional hearing in October 1998.

Halliday, who had just resigned his post

as U.N. Assistant Secretary General and

head of the U.N. humanitarian mission

in Iraq, spoke of the "tragic incompatibility

of sanctions with the U.N. Charter

and the Convention on Human Rights."

Myth # 8

The United States agreed to a ceasefire

with Iraq in February 1991. The no-flight

zones over two-thirds of Iraq were

imposed by the U.S., Britain and France

18 months after the Gulf War. The

United Nations has never sanctioned the

no-flight zones.

France has since condemned them.

The so-called no-flight zones are in violation

of international law.

Iraq has every right under international

law and all known laws in the world to

defend itself in these U.S.-declared noflight

zones. According to Article 51 of

the U.N. Charter, Iraq has the right of

self-defense in all of its country, including

these "no-flight zones."

Myth # 9

Not even opinion polls support this

phony assertion. The polls confirm that

there is wide opposition to a war.

Normally there is wide support for a

president who is about to launch a war.

Instead, Congressional offices report

overwhelming constituent opposition to

a unilateral war on Iraq.

Worldwide, the opposition is even bigger.

While British Prime Minister Tony

Blair is a vocal acolyte of Bush, few in

Britain support a war on Iraq. Already, a

march against war of 400,000 was held

in London.

Similar demonstrations have been

held in Rome and Madrid. The general

sentiment in Europe was summed up by

the Greek Development Minister who

said, "We are totally opposed to any military

conflict ... even if there is a UN

Resolution."

Around the world, the sentiment is no

different. New Zealand's government

opposes the war. No country in the

Middle East supports a war on Iraq.

Lebanon, Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait,

Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the

United Arab Emirates all oppose a war.

As do France, Russia and China.

Myth # 10

It already costs U.S. taxpayers $50 billion

per year to keep U.S. armed forces in

the Persian Gulf. The estimated $200

billion for a war on Iraq will come

straight out of Social Security, Medicare,

Medicaid, education and welfare. The

average working-class taxpayer will foot

the bill. The upper classes have already

had their taxes greatly reduced so that

they pay only a small part of the bill.

Myth # 11

War is rarely quick, never painless. A

new war will be neither. The 4.8 million

people in Baghdad face an invasion by the

most modern and lethally equipped military

in the world. Iraq is a nation of 22

million people. They will bear the brunt

of the pain and the deaths of the war.

Myth # 12

The Veterans Benefits Administration

Office noted that 36% of Desert Storm

vets have filed claims for service-related

disabilities. A primary reason is because

the U.S. used Depleted Uranium. In July

1990, "The U.S. Army Armaments

Munitions and Chemical Command

admitted DU posed longterm risks to

natives and combat veterans.. . . Low

doses have been linked to cancer."

Gulf War vets have a 500% greater

incidence of Lou Gehrig's disease than

the general population. Desert Storm

female vets have a 300% greater incidence

of bearing children with birth

defects. For male vets the figure is 200%.

A c t N o w t o S t o p W a r & E n d R a c i s m

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