July 7, 2006. In collaboration with the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice, USD, Voices of Women presented “Focus on Iraq: Insight and Direction” with Dr. Farouk Al-Nasser and Professor Marjorie Cohn of the Thomas Jefferson School of Law.

Cohn began her presentation with the statement: “George Bush’s war on Iraq is a war of aggression.”  She went on to say that it is inconsistent with the Charter of the UN (passed following the Vietnam War). There is no concrete evidence that Iraq was a threat to world peace. Cohn provided a definition of war crimes: infliction of severe pain and suffering for the purposes of confession. The Geneva Convention does not allow bad treatment of any prisoner. In addition to Guantanamo, the US is holding 750 “ghost” detainees. President Bush “unsigned” the ICC statute and “requested” 100 countries to not turn over Americans to the ICC.

Al-Nasser began with a history of Iraq. The population is 95% Muslim, 4% Christian. The ethnic breakdown is: Arab 82%, Kurds 17%, Shia Arab 60%, Sunni Arab 22%. A great deal of inter-marriage between Shia and Sunni. The 1920 revolt laid the foundation for the establishment of modern Iraq. From 1964 onwards, Iraqi citizens had to apply for citizenship, this law stayed in place until the collapse of the Ba’ath party in 2003. Three years after the U.S. invasion Iraqis see their country as bound by Instability, Insecurity and Insurgency. Their ideal paradigm is Nation Building, through Services (development), Sovereignty (political) and Security (military).

Today, Iraq has: Shiite militias; Saddamists attacking the Govt; Sunni forces working for the Ministry of Defence, freelancing as death squads; The Iraqi Insurgency; Jihadists (around the world) spearheading Civil War. Govt. officials in Iraq go to Baghdad airport by helicopter. The press does not give enough bad news about Iraq. Electricity is on for one hour at a time. Water trickles out of the faucets, $300 pm is the average salary, 16-18 hours in line for gas = $1 per gallon (equivalent $10 US), this for the 2nd largest oil producer in the world. Forty percent of the middle class in Iraq have left the country. Baghdad hospital averages 25-30 dead daily. 50-70,000 civilians have been killed since 2003 (equivalent of 600,000 Americans). Most Iraqis want the US out of Iraq by the end of 2007. However, they need to finish training the Iraqi military before they leave.