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Iraq: A sobering [7th] anniversary

March 20 sees the 7th anniversary of the Iraq War - the Shock and Awe as the Coalition of the Willing launched an all-out attack on Baghdad.

Iraq still spins out of control in many material respects even with the "removal" of Saddam. And, of course, even now, no one has found those WMD's used as the basis for the War.

A Dr Gideon Polya, a lecturer in Australia, has written a letter to countercurrents.org with stats succinctly detailing what the War wrought:

"Dear Sir,

It is the 7th anniversary of the illegal and war criminal invasion of Iraq by US, UK and Australian forces on 20 March 2003. What has been the human cost?

As of 20 March 2010 post-invasion violent deaths in Occupied Iraq total 1.4 million (according to the eminent US Just Foreign Policy).

Post-invasion under-5 infant deaths total 0.8 million and post-invasion non-violent excess deaths (avoidable deaths, deaths that did not have to happen) total 1.1 million (based on 2006 revision data from the UN Population Division), this being identical to an independent estimate from under-5 infant deaths.

Gulf War violent deaths totalled 0.2 million and excess deaths and under- 5 infant deaths under Sanctions (1990-2003) totalled 1.7 million and 1.2 million, respectively.

In the period 1990-2010 Iraqi violent deaths totalled 1.6 million, non-violent excess deaths from deprivation totalled 2.8 million, under-5 infant deaths (90% avoidable and due to US Alliance war crimes in gross violation of the Geneva Convention) totalled 2.0 million and refugees totalled 5-6 million.

This is an Iraqi Holocaust and an Iraqi Genocide as per Article 2 of the UN Genocide Convention (cf WW2 Jewish Holocaust, 5-6 million killed, 1 in 6 dying from deprivation)."

Yours sincerely"

On AlterNet, Glenn Greenwald, lawyer, commentator and blogger comments on the 7th anniversary in "Iraq War Anniversary: Seven Years of Waste, Fraud and Abuse".

"More than 4,300 American lives. At least 95,600 Iraqi civilians dead, with some estimates more than six times that number. More than $747 billion spent so far, which, combined with the effect on oil prices and with indirect costs, helped lead to the economic crisis. Reduced, not enhanced, American security."


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