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"A quarter-century later," laments Weil, "the U.S. is still bombing, and 3400+ U.S. troops are in country." (Photo: Ted Majosz)
Saturday, January 17, marked 25 years - a full generation - since the 1991 launch of a U.S.-led mostly air war, "Operation Desert Storm," that devastated Iraq, including extensive damage to Iraqi electrical, water and sewage infrastructure, with terrible public health consequences.
A quarter-century later, the U.S. is still bombing, and 3400+ U.S. troops are in country.
Saturday, January 17, marked 25 years - a full generation - since the 1991 launch of a U.S.-led mostly air war, "Operation Desert Storm," that devastated Iraq, including extensive damage to Iraqi electrical, water and sewage infrastructure, with terrible public health consequences.
A quarter-century later, the U.S. is still bombing, and 3400+ U.S. troops are in country.
War rages in northern Iraq and Syria, with a ferocious, merciless entity driving the destruction: ISIL.
The countries of the region, and to a lesser extent European countries, are overwhelmed by the largest refugee crisis since World War II. One tragedy in particular has awakened our minds and hearts to the catastrophe: the little body of Aylan Kurdi,washed up on the shore of Turkey as he and his family tried to find refuge. His brother and mother also drowned. They are among the thousands of refugees who died seeking freedom and a new home in 2015.
Continuing warfare, including U.S. bombing; increased jihadists terror attacks around the world; the Middle East awash with and contaminated by weapons; a refugee crisis; murdered and traumatized civilians: all these make for a grim legacy stemming from the U.S. war of aggression in 1991. A new United Nations report on Iraq reveals that 19,000 civilians killed in Iraq in the past 21 months, and that 3,500 women and children, mostly Yazidis, have been enslaved by ISIL, with immense suffering and actual slave markets reported.
As American citizens and taxpayers, and as people with hearts, we have 2 serious responsibilities in response to the blood-soaked chaos in Iraq and its neighbor, Syria. We need to start acknowledging the real human costs of war, including the Iraqi and Syrian violent death tolls, the trillions of our tax dollars wasted and the damage to our troops deployed to the region.
CODEPINK has been one of the few raised voices on Capitol Hill and elsewhere denouncing bombing as a "solution" and calling for responses that will actually help people. Look here for news about our protests and many links to more information.
The U.S. government, from President Obama on down, and presidential candidates of both parties, must stop exaggerating potential threats to the United States or to Americans abroad as an excuse for more military "solutions," which only enrich weapons makers and other war profiteers.
There are two actions the United States can take without delay or negotiations:
Stop U.S. Air Force bombing of, and sending weapons to, the region.
Offer dramatically increased assistance to the victims, including refugees and women victims of ISIL terror. CODEPINK has partnered with MADRE to open two shelters in Iraq, for Yazidi women who have bravely escaped from sexual enslavement by ISIL. You can contribute to this much-needed work here.
Stop the blather and the bombing. Start increasing humanitarian assistance. Many lives depend on the decisions that the United States takes at this turbulent time.
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Saturday, January 17, marked 25 years - a full generation - since the 1991 launch of a U.S.-led mostly air war, "Operation Desert Storm," that devastated Iraq, including extensive damage to Iraqi electrical, water and sewage infrastructure, with terrible public health consequences.
A quarter-century later, the U.S. is still bombing, and 3400+ U.S. troops are in country.
War rages in northern Iraq and Syria, with a ferocious, merciless entity driving the destruction: ISIL.
The countries of the region, and to a lesser extent European countries, are overwhelmed by the largest refugee crisis since World War II. One tragedy in particular has awakened our minds and hearts to the catastrophe: the little body of Aylan Kurdi,washed up on the shore of Turkey as he and his family tried to find refuge. His brother and mother also drowned. They are among the thousands of refugees who died seeking freedom and a new home in 2015.
Continuing warfare, including U.S. bombing; increased jihadists terror attacks around the world; the Middle East awash with and contaminated by weapons; a refugee crisis; murdered and traumatized civilians: all these make for a grim legacy stemming from the U.S. war of aggression in 1991. A new United Nations report on Iraq reveals that 19,000 civilians killed in Iraq in the past 21 months, and that 3,500 women and children, mostly Yazidis, have been enslaved by ISIL, with immense suffering and actual slave markets reported.
As American citizens and taxpayers, and as people with hearts, we have 2 serious responsibilities in response to the blood-soaked chaos in Iraq and its neighbor, Syria. We need to start acknowledging the real human costs of war, including the Iraqi and Syrian violent death tolls, the trillions of our tax dollars wasted and the damage to our troops deployed to the region.
CODEPINK has been one of the few raised voices on Capitol Hill and elsewhere denouncing bombing as a "solution" and calling for responses that will actually help people. Look here for news about our protests and many links to more information.
The U.S. government, from President Obama on down, and presidential candidates of both parties, must stop exaggerating potential threats to the United States or to Americans abroad as an excuse for more military "solutions," which only enrich weapons makers and other war profiteers.
There are two actions the United States can take without delay or negotiations:
Stop U.S. Air Force bombing of, and sending weapons to, the region.
Offer dramatically increased assistance to the victims, including refugees and women victims of ISIL terror. CODEPINK has partnered with MADRE to open two shelters in Iraq, for Yazidi women who have bravely escaped from sexual enslavement by ISIL. You can contribute to this much-needed work here.
Stop the blather and the bombing. Start increasing humanitarian assistance. Many lives depend on the decisions that the United States takes at this turbulent time.
Saturday, January 17, marked 25 years - a full generation - since the 1991 launch of a U.S.-led mostly air war, "Operation Desert Storm," that devastated Iraq, including extensive damage to Iraqi electrical, water and sewage infrastructure, with terrible public health consequences.
A quarter-century later, the U.S. is still bombing, and 3400+ U.S. troops are in country.
War rages in northern Iraq and Syria, with a ferocious, merciless entity driving the destruction: ISIL.
The countries of the region, and to a lesser extent European countries, are overwhelmed by the largest refugee crisis since World War II. One tragedy in particular has awakened our minds and hearts to the catastrophe: the little body of Aylan Kurdi,washed up on the shore of Turkey as he and his family tried to find refuge. His brother and mother also drowned. They are among the thousands of refugees who died seeking freedom and a new home in 2015.
Continuing warfare, including U.S. bombing; increased jihadists terror attacks around the world; the Middle East awash with and contaminated by weapons; a refugee crisis; murdered and traumatized civilians: all these make for a grim legacy stemming from the U.S. war of aggression in 1991. A new United Nations report on Iraq reveals that 19,000 civilians killed in Iraq in the past 21 months, and that 3,500 women and children, mostly Yazidis, have been enslaved by ISIL, with immense suffering and actual slave markets reported.
As American citizens and taxpayers, and as people with hearts, we have 2 serious responsibilities in response to the blood-soaked chaos in Iraq and its neighbor, Syria. We need to start acknowledging the real human costs of war, including the Iraqi and Syrian violent death tolls, the trillions of our tax dollars wasted and the damage to our troops deployed to the region.
CODEPINK has been one of the few raised voices on Capitol Hill and elsewhere denouncing bombing as a "solution" and calling for responses that will actually help people. Look here for news about our protests and many links to more information.
The U.S. government, from President Obama on down, and presidential candidates of both parties, must stop exaggerating potential threats to the United States or to Americans abroad as an excuse for more military "solutions," which only enrich weapons makers and other war profiteers.
There are two actions the United States can take without delay or negotiations:
Stop U.S. Air Force bombing of, and sending weapons to, the region.
Offer dramatically increased assistance to the victims, including refugees and women victims of ISIL terror. CODEPINK has partnered with MADRE to open two shelters in Iraq, for Yazidi women who have bravely escaped from sexual enslavement by ISIL. You can contribute to this much-needed work here.
Stop the blather and the bombing. Start increasing humanitarian assistance. Many lives depend on the decisions that the United States takes at this turbulent time.