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WORD COUNT
634
APRIL 30, 2008
BLAMING THE VICTIMS
IN IRAQ – by Chris Toensing
An inconvenient truth
of the Iraq war is that 4.7 million Iraqis have fled their homes amidst
the violence and chaos that has enveloped their country. Some 2 million
of them are in Jordan, Syria and neighboring states, barely getting by,
while another 2.7 million have sought shelter elsewhere in Iraq. Until
recently, international aid for the displaced was scanty, in large part
because the Bush administration pretended they didn’t exist. How could
the war be liberating the Iraqi people when so many of them couldn’t
risk living at home?
In early 2007, the UN
High Commissioner for Refugees began to spotlight this “humanitarian
tragedy looming in the shadows,” issuing a series of urgent
appeals for aid to the uprooted Iraqis. Since then, the United States
has been the largest donor, giving $208 million by its accounting so far
in 2008. That is as it should be, since the US invasion is the ultimate
cause of the displacement crisis. Indeed, the United States should be
doing more to help. But there are disturbing signs that Washington is
trying to offload its weighty responsibility—upon Iraq, of all places.
One such signal came
from the Bush administration’s envoy for Iraqi refugees’ issues,
Ambassador James Foley, who spent part of April in the Middle East
drumming up donations to the UNHCR fund. Foley dismissed Iraq’s $25
million contribution as “symbolic” and said he “did not disagree” with
Arab League officials who want the Iraqi government to pay for most of
the refugees’ upkeep in the future. “These are their fellow citizens,
and the government is not bereft” of money, he continued.
Here Foley was likely
referring to the $30 billion in Iraqi government revenue that is
collecting interest in US banks. This figure got heavy airplay during
the recent Petraeus-Crocker hearings, when senators of both parties
complained about the amounts that US taxpayers are spending upon the
reconstruction of Iraq when Iraq’s own funds could seemingly cover the
tab. The Iraqi accounts are likely to swell even further, thanks to the
dramatic rise in world oil prices.
The Arab states’
insistence that Iraq should provide for the Iraqi refugees’ welfare is
perhaps understandable, given that they never wanted this war and
repeatedly warned the Bush administration against it. Arab governments
are further motivated by their deep dislike for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s
government, which they view as little more than an agent of Iranian
influence. To the extent that sectarian militias tied to the Maliki
government have spread the terror that induced the refugee flows, there
is a prima facie case for the Arab demands—but not an adequate case.
The proceeds of Iraqi
oil sales do not belong to the Maliki government. That money belongs to
the Iraqi people, including the displaced among them, and it should be
held in reserve for Iraq’s long-term future. To tap it for war-related
relief efforts is, in effect, to compel the refugees to pay for their
own displacement. Just as to draw down Iraqi accounts for reconstruction
funds is to force Iraqis to repair what was ruined during their own
bombardment. When the Bush administration and Congress point accusing
fingers at Iraq’s unspent billions, they broadcast a clear message that
Iraqis are ungrateful for the calamities that the US invasion and
occupation have brought to their country.
A responsible US
policy toward Iraq has to start with recognizing the following
realities: With much of Iraq still completely unsafe, few of the
displaced will return to their homes any time soon. Many may never go
back, as militias have expropriated or destroyed their property. Whether
they are inside or outside Iraq, the millions of Iraqis displaced will
need the world’s help for years to come. And the main financial burden
rests squarely on the shoulders of the United States.
--
Chris Toensing is
editor of Middle East Report, published by the Middle East
Research and Information Project in Washington, DC. –
www.merip.org
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