Friday, May 2, 2008

What is the Mission in Iraq?

Every military operation begins with a mission. While the mission our President gave to the Army for his invasion of Iraq is still classified, we must assume that it directed the seizure of the Iraqi government, eliminating Sadam Hussein, taking control of or neutralizing its military establishment, and the creation of a "democracy". These goals were accomplished swiftly, with minimum casualties on our side, yet we are still there, presiding over a quagmire.

Why?

Various reasons, none specific, have been offered from time to time by the Bush team. Mistakes have been grudgingly and obliquely hinted at under pressure, including disbanding the Iraqi army and police force. Elections were held and a new Iraqi government is functioning, yet we are still there and constructing five very large permanent military bases. We are also seeking to cope with an adversarial population (65% tell the survey queries that they want us to leave immediately) and its religious leaders' militias. Sadam Hussein has been tried and executed. The Iraqi army has been "rebuilt", but the loyalties of its officer and soldiers keep switching from the elected government to sectarian religious leaders. The announced objectives of the invasion have been accomplished, however ineffectively.

The real reasons for the invasion have never been acknowledged, and our news media have seriously compromised their own integrity by failing to report what is really going on. Pax Christi, a Roman Catholic social action organization, has the answer in its March 2008 issue - "Toward a Just and Peaceful Solution in Iraq". I quote:


"The hidden war being waged in Iraq is for control of Iraq's vast oil wealth.....and for permanent US military bases (for geopolitical reasons). For the first time since 1972 when Iraq nationalized the oil industry, foreign oil companies will have a stake in Iraq's vast oil wealth, if the newly-proposed Iraq Hydrocarbon Law is passed.

.....Months before the draft law was shown to the Iraq parliament, it was shared with the US government, major oil companies, and the International Monetary Fund. The draft law would leave only 17 of Iraq's known oil fields in the hands of the national oil company, leaving two thirds of the reserves (as well as any yet-undiscovered reserves) open to foreign control."



As some of us retired military have noted, the war was never about Sadam Hussein and his "weapons of mass destruction" - it was always about oil. There is no question that we need and will need access to foreign oil, and that our uncontrolled rise in our consumption of that product will ruin our economy,and force ever greater inflation, even to the possible out-of-control dimensions that destroyed the German economy after WWI. But we had no right under any theory of ethics to invade another country for that reason - which is probably why we were lied to by the Bush team about the reasons for our invasion of Iraq.

Pope John Paul II was undoubtedly right in publicly declaring that any US invasion of Iraq would fail to meet the criteria for a just war. We have unfortunately not heard much about that proclamation from our American Roman Catholic Bishops. We have seen and continue to see a shell game, based on lies and half-truths, from this administration ("a half-truth is a whole lie" is what my parents taught me). To seek justification for an unjust invasion whose purpose is to secure the present and future security of an oil industry that is the source of the wealth of the families of the current President and Vice-President is the most cynical, reprehensible and irresponsible misuse of office in the history of the United States.

The blood of our killed and wounded men and women rests entirely on their conscience, and will someday come home to roost.

1 comment:

Barbara Landis said...

I agree with your post, and am glad to hear this from a military officer, albeit retired. Thanks for sharing this.

Barbara Landis