By John Leschak
Tomorrow is the sixth anniversary of the American invasion of Iraq. Although President Obama has announced an “withdrawal” plan for Iraq, the occupation of Iraq will continue for several more years.
Since the start of the Iraq War on March 20, 2003, over 4,250 U.S. soldiers have died, and over $600 billion has been spent. With our nation on the verge of collapse, it is time for us to demand not one more dollar, not one more life, should be spent on the unjustified and illegal Iraq War!
Last July, while running for president, Obama said, “I intend to end the Iraq War.” But on Feb. 27, President Obama announced that the U.S. will remove 100,000 U.S. troops from Iraq by Aug. 31, 2010. Because there are 146,000 troops in Iraq, under Obama’s plan a force of almost 50,000 U.S. troops will remain in Iraq.
The 2010 budget for the Department of Defense (DoD) is $533.7 billion, which is a four percent increase over the 2009 DoD budget requested by President Bush. The DoD will also get $7.4 billion from the Recovery Act, for a total budget of $671.1 billion. Total war spending for Iraq and Afghanistan roughly equals $21,000 per second!
As we burn money fighting wars, our national unemployment rate is 8.1 percent. Over 670 million Americans are now jobless. Addressing this economic crisis will require substantial investments. At the same time, Obama has made reducing our national debt a top priority. On the White House’s Web site, Obama states, “The cost of our debt is one of the fastest growing expenses in the federal budget. This rising debt is a hidden domestic enemy, robbing our cities and states of critical investments in infrastructure like bridges, ports and levees; robbing our families and our children of critical investments in education and health care reform.”
However, Obama cannot reduce the national debt while simultaneously dealing with the economic crisis and spending $21,000 per second in Iraq and Afghanistan. So, what’s it gonna be, Obama-money for war or for the poor?
Some Americans support Obama’s plan to continue the U.S. occupation of Iraq, pointing out the low number of U.S. fatalities and the reduction in sectarian killings. But, these observations obscure the real situation in Iraq.
It is true that U.S. casualties in Iraq are a mere fraction of the 58,209 U.S. soldiers killed in the Vietnam War. Yet, according to Army physician Ronald Glasser, MD, author of “Wounded: Vietnam to Iraq”: “This is a war of disability, not a war of deaths.” As a result of advances in battlefield medicine, there are just six deaths for every 100 injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan, compared to 28 deaths per 100 in Vietnam, and 38 per 100 in World War II.
Although fewer soldiers are being killed, more soldiers are returning to the U.S. with traumatic injuries. According to officials from the Wounded Warrior Project, The Military Family Network and the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes, an estimated 10,000 recent veterans are totally dependent on others due to their injuries.
Furthermore, S. Ward Casscells, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, has estimated that as many as 320,000 U.S. soldiers may have suffered brain injuries. A recent report by the federal Institute of Health notes that traumatic brain injury is the signature wound of the Iraq War. Brain injury often results in disabling symptoms like sleeplessness, dizziness and confusion that can resemble disorders like PTSD.
It is also true that there has been a dramatic decrease in sectarian violence in Iraq. However, the drop in violence has little to do with the presence of U.S. troops. Rather, there has been a drop in violence mainly because most Iraqi neighborhoods have been “takhalasu,” an Iraqi word for purged, meaning killed or driven away. According to Abu Sajat, a leader of the Mahdi Army in Huriya, Shi’a areas are now peaceful because the Sunnis have been driven out, not because the Americans have arrived.
We have done everything we can militarily in Iraq. Prolonging the military occupation will not lead to lasting peace. Only the Iraqis can achieve peace by dealing with the social and cultural conflicts underlying prior sectarian violence. Obama should recognize this and bring all the troops home.
John Leschak is second-year law student. You may e-mail him at [email protected].
