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Volume CXXXII, Number 17 |
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Policy should protect human rights
To the Editors:
Much of the discussion about the "potential war"
in Iraq has ignored the human rights issues at stake. Yes, Saddam Hussein
has committed gross violations of human rights against his own people.
However, a US led war would only serve to exacerbate the dire human rights
situation in the country. While the work of a few human rights organizations
has been used to justify the use of military force as a means for ousting
Saddam Hussein, it has been done in a context that is rhetorical and manipulative.
The debate must be extended to consider the serious effects that military
action would have on the civilian population of Iraq.
Undeniably, Saddam Hussein's human rights record is among the most heinous
in the world. This regime, combined with economic sanctions and ongoing
air strikes, has left the Iraqi population impoverished and extraordinarily
vulnerable. U.N. planners have estimated that 500,000 Iraqi people will
be injured, and global health organization Medact suggests that at least
50,000 will be killed as a direct result of U.S. attacks. More will die
as a result of radioactive weapons, such as depleted uranium. In southern
Iraq there have been six times more cases of childhood leukemia and cancer
since depleted uranium was dropped there in 1991, and this weapon has
also caused thousands of severe birth defects. As if economic sanctions
have not been devastating enough, a drawn out war that will inevitably
hurt civilians before it hurts Saddam Hussein's regime is a true travesty
of human rights.
Further, the destruction of civilian infrastructure incurred by a U.S. bombing campaign will have serious effects on the Iraqi people. Public health officials warn that targeting electricity grids that power water treatment and sewage plants as planned, would lead to water contamination and widespread disease. Moreover, if the U.S. bombs government food facilities (as it did in 1991 in Iraq and 2001 in Afghanistan), the 60% of Iraqis who are dependent on food rations will face hunger and starvation.
If we are serious about a commitment to human rights, then without wavering in our condemnation of the policies and tactics of Saddam Hussein and his government, we must seek a foreign policy that protects the human rights of all people. War is not the answer.
Sincerely,
Deborah Wissel '03
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