Washington Office urges U.S. to put Iraq
humanitarian assistance and reconstruction under U.N. control
[5-19-03]
In a lengthy policy paper, the
Presbyterian Washington Office
points out some of the problems and dangers in a US occupation of Iraq,
and argues that "the U.N. provides the most effective mechanism to infuse
the postwar order with a semblance of legitimacy and minimize the
potential for a violent backlash from the population."
The paper offers suggestions
for action, and cites numerous statements
from past PC(USA) General Assemblies affirming the role of the UN as a
peacemaker.
The U.S. Needs Help in Iraq Reconstruction
2nd Quarter, 2003
Put Iraq
humanitarian assistance and reconstruction under U.N. control
By Catherine Gordon
Saddam Hussein's regime has been toppled. While the
advance through southern Iraq was more difficult than expected, and the
occupation of Baghdad somewhat easier, Hussein's regime was easily
fragmented. The Iraqi people can now rejoice in the dictatorship's
overthrow.
The most difficult phase of the occupation is only
beginning, however. The United States is now faced with the job of
determining how to rebuild the infrastructure as well as establishing a
government in a country with deep-seated ethnic divisions and
anti-Americanism, and with a population devastated by 10 years of Baath
Party rule and economic sanctions.
Saddam Hussein's Baath Party was dominated by Sunni
Muslims, though Shiite Muslims make up approximately 60 percent of the
population of Iraq. Because the Hussein regime suspected the Shiites of
sympathy with Iran (a country ruled by a Shiite majority), the Iraqi Shiites
faced brutal repression under Hussein's rule.
Because of the perceived threat from a Shiite
fundamentalist regime in Iran, one of the major foreign policy goals of the
U.S. (since the Iran hostage crisis of 1979) has been to contain this
movement. In the 1980s, the U.S. backed Hussein's oppressive regime as a
defense against Iran.
In a recent statement by the Bush Administration,
officials said that they had underestimated the Shiites' organizational
strength and are unprepared to prevent the rise of an anti-American, Islamic
fundamentalist government in the country. One state department official
stated, "It is a complex equation, and the U.S. government is ill-equipped
to figure out how this is going to shake out. I don't think anyone took a
step backward and asked, 'What are we looking for?' The focus was on the
overthrow of Saddam Hussein." (Glenn Kessler and Dana Priest, "U.S. Planners
Surprised by Strength of Iraqi Shiites." The Washington Post, April
23, p.A1)
Not only are there the ethnic divisions to overcome, but
there is also a tremendous need for humanitarian assistance. The Gulf War in
1991 devastated the infrastructure of Iraq. The living conditions have
steadily deteriorated since then, due to the economic sanctions imposed by
the international community and the dealings of the corrupt Hussein regime.
Currently, the most urgent needs are for water, electricity and medical
supplies. Hospitals in Baghdad and other areas have been overwhelmed by the
number of injured. An effective system for moving and distributing food has
not been put in place. And, because of the decades spent under a
totalitarian regime, there is little to build on in terms of a groundwork
for a liberal democratic government.
In terms of humanitarian assistance, the U.S. military has
very little experience in delivering humanitarian aid on such a large scale.
Interaction, a coalition of 160 humanitarian aid organizations, has said
that the current operation in Iraq would be the first time the American
military has been in direct control of relief operations. The Department of
Defense's efforts to dominate reconstruction have complicated Interaction's
ability to help people and have multiplied the dangers faced by relief
workers in the field.
In addition, the U.S. has reportedly already promised
Iraqi exile Ahmed Chalabi a significant role in the new government of Iraq
but has not stated what this role will be. Chalabi is an Iraqi exile and
leader of the U.S.-funded Iraqi National Congress (INC). He was convicted of
fraud (in absentia) by a Jordanian court, regarding his business dealings
while chairman of the Petra Bank of Jordan. Many people in Iraq question his
intentions and credibility, and he has little apparent support among the
Iraqi people.
There are also considerable questions about Jay Garner,
the retired U.S. general who the Defense Department has named to head up the
Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Affairs, which will be in charge
of postwar Iraq. Mr. Garner is on leave from SY Coleman Technology, a
high-tech defense contractor which makes missile guidance systems. He is the
personal friend of Secretary Rumsfeld and was an assistant deputy chief of
staff during the first Gulf War and directed several major Defense
Department programs, including the Patriot anti-missile system. Garner's
controversial links to the defense industry, as well as his fervently
pro-Israel views, have raised serious questions about whether he is the
right person for the job.
The dominance of the agenda of the Department of Defense
has aroused concern not only abroad but also internally within the U.S.
government. The CIA and the U.S. Department of State have expressed their
doubts about Chalabi and have vigorously protested the Pentagon's strict
control over postwar planning.
Congress also has expressed concern. They have barred
money in President Bush's emergency supplemental request of $2.5 billion in
reconstruction assistance from going to the Pentagon. Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-AZ),
a member of the House Appropriations Committee, stated that, "The secretary
of state is the appropriate manager of foreign assistance and is so
designated by law."
However, it is still likely that President Bush will use
his influence to give the Pentagon complete control.
Why the United
Nations?
Iraq's postwar needs are huge, and the U.S. must not try
to go it alone. Despite the rift in the U.N. Security Council during the
run-up to war, the United Nations, not just the U.S., must help Iraq create
a new representative and indigenous government. Only the United Nations has
the legitimate authority to provide governance and to help rebuild a new
Iraqi government and civil society. The U.N. can bring international
legitimacy and experience to a transitional process in Iraq, while a
U.S.-run transition would confirm suspicions that the Administration is set
on gaining a new foothold in the region.
The Bush Administration, however, has said the U.N. will
not play a leading role in postwar reconstruction and transition, and it has
begun to set the groundwork for a U.S.-installed transitional authority in
Iraq. On March 26, Secretary of State Colin Powell testified that: "We
didn't take on this huge burden with our coalition partners not to be able
to have significant, dominating control over how it unfolds in the future."
The United Nations, however, has decades of experience in
terms of assisting countries emerging from war. It has been effective in
assisting in the rebuilding of conflict-ridden countries such as Bosnia,
Cambodia, Haiti and El Salvador. It has helped in establishing peace
agreements between former adversaries, distributed humanitarian assistance,
supervised and conducted elections, monitored human rights and investigated
violations, established the rule of law and trained civilian police, and
demobilized former armed actors.
The Iraqi people will need to examine and evaluate their
leadership so that they will no longer be ruled by an imposed authority,
either foreign or domestic. The U.N. provides the most effective mechanism
to infuse the postwar order with a semblance of legitimacy and minimize the
potential for a violent backlash from the population. The decision to use
force against Iraq without U.N. backing has severely damaged the political
credibility of the U.S. abroad.
While our military credibility is strong, there appears to
have been a significant increase in the mistrust of the motives of the U.S.
on a global scale. The U.N. must be brought into Iraq and given a leadership
role in order to mend the broken relationships and reassure the Iraqi people
that crucial decisions on reconstruction, government building and
humanitarian assistance will be made with the Iraqi people and a coalition
of sympathetic nations.
Suggested Action
Contact your Members of Congress about the U.S.
involvement in postwar Iraq. Use the following talking points:
Humanitarian Aid and Reconstruction in Iraq
