The Consequences of Staying in Iraq

Much is said daily about the consequences of getting out of Iraq. But there is little media attention about the consequences of staying in Iraq. And we seem to really have only two options, stay or leave. The media is filled with what will happen if we leave - chaos, civil war, killing, destruction of infrastructure, terrorists will come over here, terrorists will control the oil, and on and on.

But if we stay, I think we're very likely to suffer a continuation of much the same: Loss of life and crippling injuries to both Iraqi civilians and American soldiers, huge money expenditures now in excess of $12 Billion per month (and that's only the cash cost, the accrual is more than double that), increased loss of credibility around the world for destroying a people for reasons we can't explain (since we won't admit we did it for the oil), and a continued destruction of the future of the country of Iraq and the future of the Iraqi people.

As of today there have been more than 3,600 American lives sacrificed, over 12,000 American soldiers permanently disabled so far and possibly up to 1 million Iraqi lives lost, with an unknown (maybe 2 million) disabled for life. If we stay - if we continue to do what we have been doing (Stay the Course), should any one in their right mind expect this carnage to stop? I believe that we have already demonstrated that loss of life and limb at a horrific level will continue.

American soldiers will continue to die and be permanently seriously injured; loss of limbs-that sort of thing, and the loss of life and limb will continue to mount for the trapped Iraqi civilians. I say trapped because I mean those still in Iraq don't have the means to leave - they don't have the resources. Those that did have the resources (over 4 million wealthier Iraqis have already left) are the ones that had the most to offer to a very needy Iraqi people, but they're long gone. Doctors, Engineers, Teachers, and a multitude of what Iraq really needs now are just about all gone. And when we finally do leave, and some day we will have to leave, about the only thing that will be different from leaving now and leaving then, will be that more carnage will have occurred during our prolonged occupation.

The Iraqi war has cost the American people over $1 Trillion dollars already. Yes I know that the media figures place it at around $700 Billion, but that doesn't count for the debt reduction, repair to the military, and the long time medical care that over 200,000 Iraqi War veterans are now receiving for injuries and maladies that will continue for some time and possibly for the rest of their lives. Most estimates now peg that cost at around $2 Trillion (If we leave by years end). Since we are not going to do that, then if we just estimate that only 50% of the current carnage will continue, just think of how many more will die and be permanently damaged and how much more America will go into debt between now and when we do leave.

For every year we linger, add about 600 dead American soldiers, another 3000 permanently injured, another 25,000 added to the sum of those who will need medical attention AFTER the war, Another 5000 Iraqi lives and possibly another 10,000 injured for life, then there's the $72 Billion for that year plus another $250 Billion debt accrued. Only the insane would think this could ever bear fruit. Excuse me, that's except for the profiteers - they want it to continue. Let the money roll. Pump that black gold. The profiteers won't be losing anything - unless the war stops.

Our current accrued National debt is about $50 Trillion currently (about $170,000 for every man, woman, and child currently alive in the United States), including the $11 Trillion cash debt we currently report. As any wage earner knows, there is a limit to what can be paid from ones assets. When the debt load surpasses what you earn minus what you need for subsistence, minus what you owe, you can consider yourself bankrupt. And I haven't said anything about rebuilding Iraq. Do we have a moral obligation to rebuild Iraq? If not, why not? They didn't ask us to invade, they didn't threaten us, their biggest crime was being ruled by a Dictator - that we backed and helped place in power over the Iraq People, planning on him being an American Toadie in the Middle East.

If anyone gets any Oil revenues, it most likely will be International Oil Companies mentioned in the Iraqi Oil distribution "Benchmark". When I read the Draft of this deal (you can find it if you want to read it) I didn't see anything about those Oil Companies sharing the estimated $21 Trillion over the next 25-35 years with anyone except for a royalty of 12% to the Iraqi National Oil Company. And I believe that royalty was only for already developed oil. New Oil will belong to the Companies exclusively (This won't be admitted, but read the current draft very carefully).

Even though the financial costs are already staggering, possibly an even greater cost if we stay, the increasing lost credibility we will suffer around the world might be the most important. Just ponder this: Supposedly we invaded to save ourselves from WMD. When there were none to be found, we changed our reason to "We liberated the people of Iraq from an awful Dictator". Really? Aren't we still occupying Iraq long after Hussein was toppled and some time since he was hanged? Hasn't our "Liberation" caused hundreds of thousands of Iraqi deaths and many more permanently disabled? If it was to "Liberate" the Iraqi people why are we still there?

That's right, Bush says the Iraqi's have to assume responsibility and stand up. What the rest of the world sees is a Country that invaded a sovereign nation that wasn't a threat to the United States, that we did it on lies and a pretext, that it was a brazen raid to get control of their oil, plant themselves in the Middle East to get control of all the Middle Eastern Oil resources, and it appears that that we plan to stay forever and extract their oil for the profit of International Oil Companies controlled by the United States.

So the two choices seem to be: (1) Leave now, get our troops out and offer to help the Government that emerges. Iraqi People will die, but maybe not as many as will die as would if we linger two or three more years. Our soldiers won't be dying. We won't be mortgaging our children and grandchildren's' future. The longer we stay, the more the figures will grow. And by staying we will only prolong the inevitable. Or (2) Stay the Course; keep on occupying and destroying the Country. Keep on killing and being killed. And after we finally leave, and we will, choice number (1) will then have to occur.

I believe in America. I really think we can overcome this Dark Age that we have ventured into. But we have to make some decisions. First we must get out of Iraq, then we must try to right the wrong. We won't be able to do that until we get the criminals out and into a court where they belong and the dismantling of their war industry after we get out. I didn't say our "Defense" Industry because we always need to maintain an Army that can defend us if the need arises. I am speaking of the War Industry being run by the Neo-Cons, the Warmongers - they are also war criminals. Once we get the warmongers and their enablers (The Bush Administration) out and replaced with decent human beings, we need to extend to Iraq and the Iraqi people an apology and offer reparations for what we have done to them.

Keep in mind that although the propaganda is that we must "defeat" Al-Qaeda in Iraq, there just wasn't any organized Al- Qaeda in Iraq until about a year after we invaded. What we are doing now is fighting a proxy war just like we did in Afghanistan. We and the Soviets completely destroyed that Country with a proxy war, and of course the underlying real reason behind that war - was Oil. We have to stop trying to strong arm the rest of the world. Wouldn't it have been cheaper for America to have just bought the Oil? And over a million people wouldn't have had to die. Greed is a powerful thing.

Before this war, the Iraqi people loved America and saw our Great country as the lighthouse on the hill. One that was sending out a welcome beacon of morality and opportunity inviting the downtrodden of Earth. We have managed to shatter that illusion. But trust can be rebuilt over time. What is needed to accomplish that is the will to do something right for a change.

by Cliff Carson (click here for more articles), who is a freelance writer and Populist Party contributor.