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The
third Iraq War 2003
- a brief chronology -
The
first victim of the war is the truth,
the second victim of the war is the innocence
(Igar Man - Journalist)
The war against Iraq was
prepared by the USA for a long time. Up to september 2002 the y
planed military action was justified with the argument, that the Iraq
was anticipating the examination of their armory by the UN-Inspectors.
When the Iraq in a meeting with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan
finally agreed to let the UN-Inspectors do their work, the US
administration changed the aim: Now it was the iraqi president, Saddam
Hussein, they were after.
Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld again defended on 15 September 2002 at the US Congress the
planed preemtive attack of the Iraq. 'Another 11 September' had to be
anticipated and 'more
evidence is not necessary'. The Iraq has to be attacked.
What is the real reason for a war?
Mid october 2002 more than 60 speaker s
discussed for two days in the UN Security Council, how to go on in the
Iraq. Only two countries supported the USA: The ambassadors of the
United Kingdom and Israel. All the others were strictly against the
war-ambitions of the Bush administration, among them also Kuwait and
Saudi Arabia. The USA had never been as isolated as during these days.
In january 2003 the sound of the Bush
Administration was
getting harder. With biting rhetoric Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
attacs the anti-war-alliance between Germany and France. They would
represent the 'Old Europe', a huge amount of other countries would in
contrast appreciate an attack of Iraq. And these countries would be on
the side of the USA and not on the side of France and Germany.
However, which countries he was talking about, he didn’t say.
At the end of january 2003 the UN Weapons
Inspectors presented an overall report about their weapons control in
Iraq to the UN Security Council. There were
a lot of questions about the whereabout of weapons, but alltogether
the report offers no justification for a military attack. The chief of
the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Baradei, says, that the
UN Inspectors still need 'a few months' to find out, if the Iraq is
operating on an atomic program or not. So far they did not find any
indication for it.
In february 2003 all over the world more
than 11 millions of people are demonstrating against the warplans of
the USA. In Berlin, with 500.000 people, the biggest peace
demonstration in the history of Germany took place. In the USA
hundreds of thousands were demonstrating, in New York 500.000 people,
in San Francisco 200.000 people. In London more than a million people
were demonstrating against an Iraq
war. It was the biggest demonstration in the british history.
In march 2003 Chief UN Weapons Inspector Hans Blix s aid
in his report to the United Nations, that the co-operation with the
Iraq is making progress. Working in Iraq is not free of tension, but
the Inspectors meanwhile could work professional in the whole country
of Iraq.
Nevertheless ,
on March
20,
2003
the USA started
their war attack against the Iraq.
A symbol for the end of Saddam Hussein
The U S TV broadcast stations lead a media
war at home to support the military. Spectators are on the whole
content. The first journalists, who stand too close for the truth, are
fired. Thus NBC dismissed the american war reporter and winner of the
Pulitzer-Price Peter Arnett, who had reported from Bagdad, that the US
strategy, because of that surprisingly strong resistance of the
Iraqis, had failed.
On the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln US president George W.
Bush explain ed
in the
night from
Thursday
(1 May) to
Friday (2 May) 2003
the end of the Iraq war.
On 3 May 2003 200 members of the federation of the UN journalists
in New York me t
for the 'international day of the freedom of the press'. Federation
Chairman Toni Jankins criticized
the press politics of the US government during the Iraq war. A free
reporting was hardly possible. Those, which had entered the Iraq with
the troops as 'embedded journalists' had been used by the military. In
addition, the journalists in the USA did try too little for the truth.
Critical questions during press conferences with the US president or
its ministers were
very rare.
On the 20 May 2003 the US government submits a new draft resolution
to the UN Security Council. It grants to the United Nations more
rights of participation in the reconstruction of the Iraq. The UN
sanctions against the country are to be waived. The Security Council
lifts up thereupon the sanctions against the Iraq. The occupying
powers (USA, Great Britain and Poland) are allowed to dispose of the
Iraqi reserves of raw materials. The United Nations receive a right to
a say in the re-construction of the country.
On 13 July 2003 the Iraqi government advice is inserted as a
temporary political committee by the American military manager into
Bagdad, Paul Bremer, and dissolved on 1 June 2004 by resolution of its
members prematurely. Subsequently, on 28 June 2004 the sovereignty of
an Iraqi representative is transferred to a interim government. The
occupying powers however are to remain stationed in the Iraq for
another two years.
On 13 December 2003 armed forces of the USA captured Saddam Hussein
in a farmhouse outside of the city Tikrit.
On 30 January 2005 in the Iraq the first free and general elections
were held for over 40 years. After the election the two winners, the
United Iraqi Alliance and the Alliance of Kurdish Parties, foined
forces for a government coalition. After tough negotiations the first
freely selected Iraqi government since Saddam Hussein was sworn in.
Prime Minister is the schiite Ibrahim al-Dschafari, President is
the kurd Dschalal Talabani und President of the Parliament the sunnite
Hadschim al-Hasani.
The two war reasons most frequently mentioned against the Iraq
could not be proved so far today: The possession of WMD's (weapons of
mass destriction) by the Iraq and the co-operation of Saddam Hussein
with the Islamic terrorist organization Al-Qaida.
Since the end of the war substantially more US soldier died by
attacks of groups of resistances than during the war actions.
This is only a short summary of the events taking place in 2003/2004.
For more background
and
details on
Iraq war check
Wikipedia
- Iraq
have a look at my site
Iraq - Links & Informations
where you can find links and books to the
subject!
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