War Plan Iraq Ten Reasons Against War on Iraq

by Rai, Milan; Chomsky, Noam; Johns, Emily; Weston-Arnold, Kim

• ISBN13: 9781859845011
• ISBN10: 1859845010
• Edition: 00
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-11-17
• Publisher: VERSO

Summary

War Plan Iraq brings together the arguments that can shake President Bush and Prime Minister Blair's determination to start an illegal war with Iraq. Despite Washington's claims that the only options are inaction or invasion and that 'inaction is not an option', War Plan Iraq demonstrates that inspection is an option, and that inspection and monitoring are the only way to ensure real disarmament in Iraq. For the Bush Administration, UN weapons inspectors are an obstacle to war; they are part of the problem, not part of the solution. War Plan Iraq uncovers Washington's hidden role in the collapse of the first UN weapons inspection agency, UNSCOM, and the paralysis of UNSCOM's successor, UNMOVIC. Based on the popular 'ARROW Anti-War briefings', War Plan Iraq rigorously dissects official propaganda and exposes government lies. This book demonstrates that the Bush's claims to change the regime in Iraq, despite intentions to impose another Sunni general to replace Saddam Hussein, are not in fact a 'regime change', but a 'leadership change'. It also shows that the war would be in violation of international law; that there is no hard evidence that Iraq possesses any weapons of mass destruction; that there is no substantiated connection between the Government of Iraq, September 11th, and the al Qaeda network; that the proposed war carries a high risk of triggering a humanitarian disaster in Iraq, especially for the Kurds of northern Iraq; and that the war could precipitate a world recession with dire consequences for the world's poor. Iraq's neighbors, the ones most at risk from Iraq's weapons, are against the proposed war, as are top military professionals in Britain and the US, many international organizations and countries around the world, and a great majority of people in the US and the UK.

Author Biography

Milan Rai is the author of Chomsky’s Politics and was awarded the 1993 Frank Cousins Peace Award for Research by the Transport and General Workers Union.

Noam Chomsky is Institute Professor in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the author of American Power and the New Mandarins, Manufacturing Consent (with Ed Herman), Deterring Democracy, Year 501, World Orders Old and New, Powers and Prospects, Profit over People, The New Military Humanism and Rogue States.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	x
Preface	xi
The Breadth of Opposition	xiii
Achilles' Heel -- President Bush Needs Mr Blair	1	(14)
Phase I -- After 11 September
Peaceful Tomorrows -- Statements by 11 September Relatives	15	(8)
Terror and Just Response	23	(14)
Noam Chomsky
The Smoking Gun -- The Taliban Agreed to Extradite Bin Laden	37	(8)
Phase II - Iraq
Iraq Background	41	(3)
Map of Iraq	44	(1)
Destroying UNSCOM -- The US Versus The Weapons Inspectors	45	(12)
Undermining UNMOVIC -- The US Versus The Weapons Inspectors	57	(8)
Inspection Is an Option	65	(10)
Regime Stabilisation, 1991 -- The US Helped To Crush The Uprisings	75	(8)
Regime Stabilisation, 2002 -- `Leadership Change', Not `Regime Change'	83	(16)
The Control of Oil	99	(16)
On The Streets of Iraq -- Photographs by Kim Weston-Arnold	103	(12)
Ten Reasons Against War On Iraq	115	(60)
The Phantom Menace -- No Evidence Iraq Has These Weapons	117	(10)
Prague No Show -- No Link Between Iraq and 11 September	127	(6)
Cloning Saddam -- This Is Not About `Regime Change'	133	(2)
Catastrophe -- War Could Trigger A Humanitarian Disaster	135	(6)
Unsafe Haven -- Endangering The Kurds	141	(2)
Crime Time -- War Would Be Illegal	143	(8)
Ring Of Anger -- Iraq's Neighbours Fear Bush, Not Saddam	151	(4)
GI Joe Says No -- US and British Generals Oppose The War	155	(10)
No Mandate -- 58% Of UK Opposes War	165	(6)
It's The Economy Stupid -- War Could Trigger A World Recession	171	(4)
Sanctions Kill	175	(10)
Nuking Iraq	185	(4)
Resisting Thought Control	189	(4)
Turning Back The War	193	(2)
War Plan Iraq	195	(10)
Last Words -- by 11 September Relatives	205	(2)
Appendix -- The Nineteen Questions	207	(4)
Notes	211	(20)
Next Steps: Ten Possible Actions, Further Reading & Further Contacts	231	(1)
Notes on Contributors	232	(1)
Index	233