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2002
Scylla and Charbydris (December 30, 2002)
The war is "certainly not about weapons," says ex-UN Humanitarian Coordinator Dennis Halliday, who argues that the US government's desire to control the oil-rich region drives the war. He believes that an end to sanctions and economic growth, not regime change, would empower Iraqis to demand fair governance and respect for human rights. (AlAhram)Cool War: Economic Sanctions as a Weapon of Mass Destruction (November, 2002)
This paper argues that the US, and to some extent also the UK, use the sanctions program against Iraq as warfare, deliberately hurting and killing the Iraqi people to destroy the country and overthrow its leader. (Harper's Magazine)Real Solutions to the Real Iraq Crisis (November 28, 2002)
The manufactured threat of Saddam Hussein’s “evil” regime has eclipsed the once-growing movement against Iraq sanctions. What’s Left challenges readers to focus on the real crisis— the intolerable deaths of Iraqi children from sanctions-related causes.Rebuilding Iraq? (October 7, 2002)
The Iraq-Iran war, the Gulf War, and a decade of sanctions have led to a spiral of "de-development" in Iraq. The article argues that the 2 million middle-class Iraqis who have already fled the country will be reluctant to return to widespread malnutrition, low enrollment rates at school, and a shattered economy, compromising Iraq's capacity to recover. (Middle East Economic Survey)Why Another War? (October, 2002)
This primer by the Middle East Research and Information Project (MERIP) gives background information on the Iraq crisis. It analyzes how sanctions have affected the Iraqi people, how Saddam has managed to stay in power, and the driving forces behind the Bush administration’s push for regime change.Sanctions: Myth & Reality (2002)
Voices in the Wilderness dispels eleven myths about the UN sanctions on Iraq. This paper illustrates how the sanctions result in human suffering and how oil interests lie behind US and UK intentions of attacking Iraq.Four Questions, Four Answers (September 25, 2002)
Former UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq Hans von Sponeck brilliantly answers questions on the threat posed by Iraq and pleads against a war and for the lifting of economic sanctions. (European Colloquium)UN Embargo on Iraq Remains Flawed, Groups Say (August 7, 2002)
On the 12th anniversary of the imposition of sanctions against Iraq, a coalition of NGOs, including Global Policy Forum, has released a comprehensive report. “The coalition says that while the government of Iraq bears a large responsibility for the suffering of its people, the Security Council is in clear breach of its obligations under international law.” (Inter Press Service)Iraq: 'Smart Sanctions' Still Kill (July, 2002)
Sanctions against Iraq have caused exteme shortages of food and medical supplies, resulting in an estimated 1.5 million deaths. For the average Iraqi, only less than 40 cents a day is allocated to meet all her humanitarian needs. (Indypendent)Will Smart Sanctions Alleviate the Humanitarian Problem in Iraq? (May, 2002)
The international community has become increasingly critical of sanctions against Iraq, forcing the US and the UK to make changes in the rules. However, Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq doubts that the new "smart sanctions" will alleviate the humanitarian situation of Iraqi civilians.Resolution 1409 and its Torn Cover (May 21, 2002)
The Goods Review List of Resolution 1409 includes items that may have a military use. The UN will refer them to UNMOVIC and the International Atomic Energy Agency for approval. Iraq argues that the US and UK manipulate these committees to obstruct the delivery of civilian goods. (Al-Jumhuriyah)2001
The Hostage Nation (November 29, 2001)
Two former UN coordinators for Iraq ask how democratically elected governments can get away with justifying economic sanctions that have punished the Iraqi people for 11 years. The US and UK dismiss such criticism, insisting that the Iraqi people are being punished by Baghdad. If this is true, why do we punish them further? (Guardian)Iraq Calls on UN Members to Reject Security Council Authority (November 15, 2001)
Iraq calls on states to challenge the authority of the Security Council to impose sanctions on Iraq. Until the Council becomes more inclusive, members states should "reconsider their authorisation to the council to act in their behalf." (Agence France Presse)The Secret Behind the Sanctions: How the US Intentionally Destroyed Iraq's Water Supply (September 2001)
Recently unclassified documents from the Defense Intelligence Agency describe how the US government used sanctions against Saddam Hussein to prevent Iraqi citizens from accessing clean water. (Progressive)Iraq's Neighbors Feel Pain of Sanctions (July 1, 2001)
The sanctions against Iraq are taking their toll on Jordan and Turkey, whose economies are dependent on trade with Iraq. The US/UK proposal will only exacerbate the current plight of these countries, as Iraq has threatened to cut off all oil exports if the UN implements "smarter sanctions." (Washington Post)Time for Realism On Handling Iraq (June 20, 2001)
Washington should stop trying to convince the world that its “smart sanctions” will work, and instead reconsider its policy against Iraq. Although Saddam Hussein is a threat to US interests, his specter in Washington is much larger than the threat itself. (Washington Post)Ex-UN Officials Attack US-UK Plan on Iraq (June 18, 2001)
Two former heads of the oil-for-food program say that the new US-UK proposal to revitalize sanctions against Iraq will be just as harsh on civilians as the previous embargo. They argue that Washington and London are trying to mislead public opinion. (Reuters)Iraq Says Sanctions Kill Nearly 9,000 in April (June 13, 2001)
As the Security Council debates the new “smarter” sanctions against Iraq, the existing sanctions regime continues to claim the lives of Iraq’s children. (Reuters)Southern Iraqis Likely to Lose Out (June 12, 2001)
Although Baghdad’s elite have grown richer during the 11-year-old sanctions regime, the embargo has forced the people of southern Iraq into abject poverty. (Toronto Star)Turkey and Iraq (June 11, 2001)
The Turkish Daily News acknowledges that the US is an important ally, but that sanctions against Iraq have tremendous economic costs for Turkey.High Life in Baghdad's Embargo-Free Street (June 9, 2001)
While Iraq’s middle class and poor struggle against starvation and disease, those close to Saddam Hussein’s Ba’ath regime have grown richer under a decade of sanctions. (Agence France Presse)Only Total End of Sanctions Can Help Iraq Recover (June 1, 2001)
This editorial calls for the unconditional end of all sanctions against Iraq, insisting that the US-proposed “smart sanctions” are merely a ploy for Washington to continue its blockade against the decimated Arab nation. (Middle East Times)US Plan For Smart Sanctions Must be "Nipped in the Bud" (May 14, 2001)
According to Powell, "America's ideas" for smart sanctions "will have taken root" by early June. Not so, cries Iraq, lobbying other Council members to reject any US sanction proposals prolonging the embargo. (Agence France Presse)Iraq Criticizes USA, UK at Baghdad Conference Against UN Embargo (May 10, 2001)
An Iraqi news website reports from the conference, where Iraqi leaders accused the US and UK of misinforming the public about the sanctions. The conference, which claims to include 'figures' from France and Russia, will discuss the link between the embargo and the aggression against Iraq. (BBC/INA Iraq)Kuwait Seeks 'Milosevic Model' to Confront Saddam (April 11, 2001)
Sanctions based on the “Serb model” should be applied to Iraq, a model sparing the population while targeting the regime. (Reuters)Arab Leaders End Meeting in Disarray Over Iraq (March 29, 2001)
The Arab summit failed to find an agreement on the lifting of the UN sanctions against Iraq. Kuwait, while agreeing that sanctions should end, refused to accept any Arab League resolution without an explicit Iraqi insurance not to threaten Kuwait again. (New York Times)Kuwaiti Paper: Lift Sanctions on Iraqi People (January 21, 2001)
“Lift the siege on the Iraqi people, and target sanctions directly at the ruling elite,” called a Kuwaiti newspaper, worried that the Baghdad government has only been strengthened by ten years of sanctions. (Agence France Presse)We’re Punishing Children, Not Saddam (January 17, 2001)
In an open letter, prominent Australians urge their Prime Minister, John Howard, to review Australian policy towards Iraq. They say that the devastating sanctions should be lifted and replaced by strict military sanctions. (The Australian)2000
Iraq Under Siege: Ten Years On (December 2000)
Anthony Arnove of Monthly Review examines the background to UN sanctions on Iraq, and documents their effect, ten years after their imposition.Human Rights Watch Criticizes SC on Sanctions (September 21, 2000)
Human Rights Watch strongly criticized the government of Iraq for refusing to cooperate with United Nations efforts to assess the country's humanitarian situation. HRW wrote to President Saddam Hussein calling for Iraq to reconsider its stance of non-cooperation, and to the Security Council, criticizing the negative humanitarian impact of sanctions. (HRW Press Release)Egypt Urges Efforts to End UN Sanctions on Iraq (September 15, 2000)
Egypt reflects the growing discontent among some Arab states in criticism of the sanctions against Iraq. Foreign Minister Amr Moussa, calls for modifying the sanctions regime and discussion on how to suspend the sanctions against Iraq. (Reuters)Has Iraq Not Suffered Enough? (September 27, 2000)
The US is finding itself alienated over the use of sanctions against Iraq, as the international defiance of sanctions increases.(New Straits Times Press)UN Report: Sanctions Ineffective (August 15, 2000)
A UN report slams the Iraq sanctions upheld by the influence of the US and the UK as ineffective and off-target. The sanctions policy, says the report’s author Marc Bossuyt, has led to a “humanitarian disaster”. (Associated Press)
Iraq: A Decade of Sanctions (August 7, 2000)
US Anti-Sanctions Activists Protest at UN Offices in Baghdad (August 6, 2000)
With American activists on hunger strike in Baghdad to protest against decade -old crippling sanctions against Iraq, Egypt's leading official daily al-Ahram Monday calls on Arab states to break the air ban on Iraq, as France and Russia intend to do "in defiance" of the United States. (Mideast Mirror)
Activists from the Voices in the Wilderness argue that the US and the UK refuse to lift Iraq sanctions because they “want to dominate an oil-rich area of the world.” (Agence France Presse)Britain and US Isolated Over Tottering Trade Embargo on Iraq (August 2, 2000)
France, China, and Russia are for lifting Iraq sanctions. The UK and the US are adamant about imposing sanctions until the elimination of weapons of mass destruction is confirmed. However it seems that the UK is now starting to question this stance. (Daily Telegraph - London)France Calls for Lifting of Sanctions Against Iraq (August 1, 2000)
The US-UK bombing is “useless and not understandable” and sanctions against Iraq are “cruel, inefficient and dangerous,” says the French Foreign Minister. (Xinhua News Agency)Putin to Meet Iraq's Aziz, Discuss End of UN Sanctions (July 26, 2000)
The meeting between the Russian President and Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister will be cozy as Russia heavily presses the UN Security Council to lift the Iraqi sanctions. (Agence France Presse)Death for Oil (July 19, 2000)
An interview with Dennis Halliday, former head of the humanitarian mission in Iraq. One of the harshest critics against the Iraqi sanctions, he argues that it is a “genocide” against the country, and the oil-for-food program is barely keeping the people alive. (Al-Ahram Weekly / commondreams.org )Ten Years of Sanctions Against Iraq have "Completely Failed": von Sponeck (July 18, 2000)
"We have to sit with the Iraqis at the same table" and find a new approach other than sanctions, says Hans von Sponeck, the former UN humanitarian aid coordinator in Iraq. (Agence France Presse )Iraq Sees Crumbling of Decade-Old UN Sanctions (July 15, 2000)
With growing ties with other countries, the UN Security Council or the "war council['s]" sanctions against Iraq is losing the battle, says the Iraqi Vice President. (Agence France Presse )Gunman Says he Killed UN Staffers in Baghdad Because of Genocide in Iraq (June 28, 2000)
The desperate plea by the gunman is a wake-up call to the UN Security Council that the decade-long sanction is pushing citizens off the edge. (Agence France Presse )Security Council Extends Iraq ‘Oil-for-Food’ Programme For Further 180 Days (June 8, 2000)
The unanimously adopted UN Security Council resolution called for an appointment of an experts panel to investigate the humanitarian situation in Iraq. The resolution also allows Iraq to sell US$600 million of oil, and to buy spare parts and sanitation equipment without the UN sanction committee’s approval. (UN Press Release SC/6872 )Chorus of Critics of Iraq Sanctions Grows (June 5, 2000)
Former weapons inspection chief, Richard Butler, believes that sanctions are counter-productive to the purpose of disarming Iraq of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and ballistic missiles. (Reuters)British MP Says Tide Turning against Iraq Sanctions (April 2, 2000)
Labour MP George Galloway expresses the shift in public opinion and how failure to acknowledge it might ruin the government. (Agence France Press)Squeezed to Death (March 4, 2000)
John Pilger investigates Iraq with former co-ordinator of humanitarian relief to Iraq, Denis Halliday, to see firsthand the human side of the disaster that has been caused by the US/UK promoted sanctions. (Guardian)World Food Programme Official in Baghdad Quits (February 15, 2000)
Agence France-Presse reports a second major official, the representative of the World Food Programme in Iraq, has quit in protest against the crippling effect of sanctions on ordinary Iraqis. This comes on the heels of the resignation of the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq, Hans von Sponeck and feeds widespread doubts about the sanctions.UN Humanitarian Chief for Iraq Quits in Frustration (February 14, 2000)
With so many groups opposing the current sanctions and Hans von Sponeck quitting in protest, massive demonstrations have occured in which there have been no less than 86 arrests. (CNN Interactive)New York Police Arrests Dozens Protesting Iraq Sanctions (February 14, 2000)
After the demonstrators moved in, so did the police, arresting several who sympathize with the plight of the civilian population of Iraq. (Associated Press)A Gathering to End the Economic Santions Against Iraq (February 12-14, 2000)
Voices in the Wilderness is holding a series of events to take action against the sanctions on Iraq.Iraq and the Corruption of Human Rights Discourse (February 11, 2000)
Article from the Middle East International arguing that "the sanctions policy against Iraq has proven to be the single largest violation of the International Covenant on Economic and Social Rights."Iraq: Unintended Consequences
Link to a page by CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) about the consequences of UN sanctions against Iraq.
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