Pax Christi USA und Großbritannien erinnern an den Beginn des Irakkrieges
13. Mrz 2008
Das über den unten stehenden Link zu erhaltende Flugblatt von Pax Christi United Kingdom listet die erschreckenden Fakten auf, bietet ein interreligiöses Gebet an und macht Aktionsvorschläge.Pax Christi USA schickte uns zum neuen Policy Paper Toward a Just und Peaceful Solution in Iraq folgende Informationen:
The fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, March 19th, falls in Holy Week this year, a poignant reminder of the prolonged Holy Week suffering in Iraq. Five years after the invasion, the spiral of violence unleashed by the war continues to cause tremendous suffering on all sides with no end in sight.
Outside the United States, the invasion is largely viewed as illegal, based on faulty intelligence and deliberate deception (that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction), and in violation of the United Nations Charter. U.S. unilateralism and the use of torture, as well as the ongoing militarization and occupation of Iraq, continue to damage the U.S. reputation abroad, as well as divide our people at home.
Inside Iraq, an August 2007 poll (commissioned by the BBC, ABC News, and Japan's NHK) showed that more than 6 in 10 Iraqis viewed the U.S.-led invasion of their country as wrong, up from 52 percent in late 2006. Between 67 and 70 percent believed the surge had hampered conditions for political dialogue and reconstruction, and despite the uncertainties around threats to security, 47 percent favored the immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq-a 12-point rise from early March 2007.
Careful examination of the dynamics in Iraq is essential before any claims of policy "success" can be made based on temporary drops in violence or the withdrawal of some troops. Lasting peace in Iraq depends on an end to the U.S. occupation and a comprehensive and regional peace plan. A "diplomatic offensive" was recommended by the White House-commissioned Iraq Study Group report in 2006, but the recommendations have virtually been ignored by the U.S. Administration. As new policy directions need to be charted, the future U.S. role in Iraq will be a central topic of debate in this 2008 election campaign.
Catholic Social Teaching and a vision of Gospel nonviolence suggest policy directions for Iraq that embrace international cooperation and replace reliance on military measures with diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict in Iraq and establish a just peace.
While debates in Washington focus on timetables for troop withdrawal and alternative military strategies to address internal violence, too little is said of the human, economic, and moral costs of the war, the role that the occupation plays in fanning violence, and the essential need for a comprehensive political solution to the conflict. A number of developments are scheduled to take place in the next months, including a drawdown of troops to pre-surge levels and the finalization of a formal agreement to establish an "enduring relationship" with Iraq. These events need careful scrutiny, with both Congressional and public oversight.
The key to long-term peace in Iraq lies in the United States' willingness to commit to a multilateral, diplomatic solution to the conflict in order to lay the foundation for a just peace that respects Iraqi sovereignty and control over its people and natural resources, withdraws all U.S. troops and U.S. military bases, and advances the difficult process of reconstruction and reconciliation.
Nothing can restore the precious lives lost and damaged, nor the ripped-apart social fabric of an ancient nation. But a change in U.S. policy focus to support a national reconciliation process in Iraq and a regional peace process offers the best hope for beginning to heal the divisions created by the continuing war and occupation, to lead to stability, and, in the long run, to strengthen the global common good.