Why I'm Against the War

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Why I'm Against the War

Why I'm against the war I heard Colin Powell speak this week. I've always admired him. His tone was convincing. But he relied on fear, and I'm still skeptical of the evidence he presented. Here are some reasons why:

IS THERE REALLY A LINK?

According to the BBC, Feb. 5, "There are no current links between the Iraqi regime and the al-Qaeda network, according to an official British intelligence report seen by BBC News. The classified document, written by defense intelligence staff three weeks ago, says there has been contact between the two in the past. But it assessed that any fledgling relationship foundered due to mistrust and incompatible ideologies. " http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=788

In a Feb. 2 article, the New York Times reported that some CIA and FBI staffers have even made complaints that sketchy intelligence was being employed for political purposes. "'We've been looking at this hard for more than a year and you know what, we just don't think it's there,' a government official said." http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/02/international/middleeast/02INTE.html

DISARMAMENT IS POSSIBLE

In a speech Feb. 8, chief weapons inspector Hans Blix said "successful disarmament of Iraq was possible without Baghdad's active cooperation, but it would be faster with Iraq's help." http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L07486666

Moveon.org writes that two of the nation's foremost foreign policy experts affirm this point. In Foreign Policy magazine, John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt argue that Saddam can be contained. "Today, Iraq is weakened, its pursuit of nuclear weapons has been frustrated, and any regional ambitions it may once have cherished have been thwarted. We should perpetuate this state of affairs by maintaining vigilant containment, a policy the rest of the world regards as preferable and effective. Saddam Hussein needs to remain in his box -- but we don't need a war to keep him there." http://www.foreignpolicy.com/wwwboard/walts.html

WHAT IS THE REAL REASON FOR A WAR?

Iraq Commentators on NPR affiliated station KPCC have suggested that France may now be leaning toward joining a war effort, and that behind the scenes, negotiations over the spoils of war, specifically oil, are what is delaying their involvement.

This administration is backed by, and comes from huge energy/oil interests. They have not been open about these conflicts of interest. AP reported today (Feb. 8) that "the investigative arm of Congress is giving up its court battle against Vice President Dick Cheney, who has refused to disclose the industry contacts he and his aides had in formulating the Bush administration's energy plan." "Enron representatives - among President Bush's most generous financial donors in his years as governor and presidential candidate - met six times with the vice president or his aides."

According to Dawn.com/The Los Angeles Times News Service, "the prospect of military action against Saddam Hussein has touched off an international contest for Iraq's vast oil reserves and has complicated US efforts to cultivate Russia as a major future source of oil."
"For the international oil industry, a regime change in Baghdad could put one of the world's most restricted petroleum markets into play. Iraq sits atop 11 per cent of the world's proven oil reserves, some 112 billion barrels. At $30 a barrel, that's $145,000 worth of crude for every man, woman and child in the country. And Iraqi petroleum geologists believe there's at least twice that much in additional reserves still to be confirmed. (By comparison, the United States has 22 billion barrels, or about $2,300 per person.)" http://www.dawn.com/2002/10/17/int12.htm
An AP report dated 1/31/03 reports that Robert Ebel, an energy expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies has studied possible Iraqi war scenarios and how they might affect future oil production.
"What is certain, he said, is that there will be a massive investment program to get the (Iraqi oil) industry first back on its feet and then to top it off with expansion.

"Energy service companies such as Halliburton and Bechtel, which oversaw the repair of Kuwait fields, could earn billions of dollars in deals to upgrade wells, pipes, pumping stations and export terminals in Iraq. And the world oil giants from Exxon Mobil Corp., and ChevronTexaco to Russia Lukoil are looking for a chance to negotiate lucrative development deals with Iraq and reap part of what some believe eventually could be a 6-million-barrel-a-day stream of oil.

"That many of these companies have close ties to top Bush administration officials including Vice President Dick Cheney, who once ran Halliburton, and the president himself has further fueled speculation among some critics that an attack on Iraq is more about oil and imperialism than about weapons of mass destruction.

"...Who will run the oil industry in a post-Saddam Iraq and decide which companies get lucrative contracts to repair its infrastructure and develop new fields are unanswered questions. Saddam regime funneled its oil contracts primarily to Russian and French oil companies that are determined to press their continued stake in Iraq." http://www.iht.com/articles/85285.html

This war with Iraq will not be short. Hundreds of thousands of lives will be lost on both sides. Soldiers bodies will not come home. They will be cremated and left. The wounded will suffer from wounds and injuries for years to come.
Just this morning, the LA Times reported that a US war with Iraq could escalate international terrorism, leading to attacks against American and other Western targets.

Our stand against the war now may prevent a global conflagration. We should look at this time as if we are looking back from history. Where will this drumbeat of war lead us, and our world?

What can one person do to oppose the war? Talk to your friends. Write a letter to the editor. Write your representative. Join a peace vigil. Pray. It will make a difference.

Sincerely,
Carolyn Olney
Comments: visionconsulting@earthlink.net