Electronic Iraq: "De-Constructing Iraq?" The corp invasion of Iraq

[protect freedom impeach bush now]

http://electroniciraq.net/news/981.shtml

Re-Constructing or De-Constructing Iraq?

Rania Masri, Electronic Iraq

24 July 2003


We are regularly told, by our corporate-I mean, our "free" press-and by our "president," elected by this "free" nation in our functioning "democracy," that the "war" against Iraq is over, "liberation" for the Iraqis has begun and we are now working towards "reconstruction" efforts in that poor war-torn country.

Post-war? Or new phase of the war?

In this "post-war" Iraq, U.S. soldiers continue to be killed. As of June 25, more than 55 U.S. soldiers have died since George W. Bush declared major military operations were over on May 1. The press presents the deaths of the soldiers in a "we-don't-know-why-they-were-killed" tone, as if it is perfectly natural for foreign armed men (and women) to patrol and occupy another land and another people. And shoot at them. And kill them during protests. And destroy their homes. And arrest their men. And harass them at checkpoints. "By their own admission," reports Bob Graham of the London Evening Standard, "these American soldiers have killed civilians without hesitation, shot wounded fighters and left others to die in agony."<1> More and more, the U.S. occupying forces in Iraq are behaving like the Israeli occupying forces in the occupied Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza.

The war is not over. The war has only gone into another phase. Phase I was the 1991 Gulf War. Phase II was the twelve-and-a-half years of sanctions. Phase III was the 2003 bombing and invasion of Iraq. Phase IV, this current war, is the occupation of Iraq and the invasion of the corporations. (We could also date it further back-with the occupation of Iraq by the British, then the support of the Baath Party by the U.S., and the U.S. support of both Iraq and Iran in the Iraq-Iran war.)

Liberation or economic liberalization?

The corporate press and the corporate government talk of the liberation of Iraq. Many of us recognize that this liberation is false; it never was intended and it is not in the plans. Here are just a few examples.

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The corporate invasion of Iraq

The issue of the relationship between U.S. companies and the Pentagon has been much discussed and published. <18> More important than the glaring conflict of interest between the Pentagon and the companies invited to bid on the contracts, is what these companies will be doing in Iraq. What unites all these companies is their agenda of privatization.

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