[casi-analysis] Campaign for reparations?

[Kamil Mahdi <K.A.Mahdi@DELETETHISexeter.ac.uk>]

[ This message has been sent to you via the CASI-analysis mailing list ]

Dear Peter and All,

I cannot think of a better successor to CASI than a
campaign for reparations. It is not crucial to this
campaign what sort of govenment Iraq will have in the near
future. This is a campaign for a longer term and one that
raises issues of justice. The main basis for reparations
are the injustice of sanctions, the illegality of the
war and the conduct of the occupation. It is also unlikely
that Iraqi collaborators with the US occupation will be
eager to make a case for reparations. Nevertheless, one has
to be wary. Chalabi is now repackaging himself as an Iraqi
nationalist who is very critical of US policy.

Best,
Kamil






On Mon, 18 Oct 2004 13:01:46 +0100
casi-analysis-request@lists.casi.org.uk wrote:

> Send CASI-analysis mailing list submissions to
>       casi-analysis@lists.casi.org.uk
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
>       http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-analysis
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
>       casi-analysis-request@lists.casi.org.uk
>
> You can reach the person managing the list at
>       casi-analysis-admin@lists.casi.org.uk
>
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of CASI-analysis digest..."
>
>
> Today's Topics:
>
>    1. Re: rewriting history (C Aitchison)
>    2. Re: rewriting history (Peter Brooke)
>
> --__--__--
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2004 09:10:41 +0100
> Subject: Re: [casi-analysis] rewriting history
> From: C Aitchison <caitchison@twiza.demon.co.uk>
> To: Mark Parkinson <mark44@myrealbox.com>,
>       CASI <casi-analysis@lists.casi.org.uk>
>
> Not likely to be deliberate misinformation.  Probably an ongoing topic of
> debate inside BBC News.
>
> I heard a BBC Radio 4 news report on the story below which definitely said
> "under years of sanctions" instead of "under years of mismanagement".
> Perhaps some of the BBC News online journalists need/would welcome a
> briefing guide?
>
> Cathy Aitchison
>
>
> > From: "Mark Parkinson" <mark44@myrealbox.com>
> > Date: Sun, 17 Oct 2004 12:42:49 +0100
> > To: casi-analysis@lists.casi.org.uk
> > Subject: [casi-analysis] rewriting history
> >
> > [ This message has been sent to you via the CASI-analysis mailing list ]
> >
> > What can be done to counter the BBC's deliberate misinformation?
> >
> > They repeatedly try to put the blame on 'mismanagement' rather than
> > the real reasons. Obviously the real reasons for the detroyed
> > infrastructure would lay the US and UK open to a massive reparation
> > bill. In my view, any reasonable redevelopment in Iraq needs this
> > (and getting rid of the occupation). Otherwise, Iraqis will not get
> > back to their 1990 standard of living in our lifetimes.
> >
> > Perhaps we could consider refocussing and campaigning? eg become
> > CORFI: Campaign on Reparations for Iraq
> >
> > or CAFRI Campaign for Reparations for Iraq?
> >
> > http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3740016.stm
> >
> > Cost of Iraqi reconstruction
> >
> > The US-led invasion inflicted heavy damage on Iraq
> > The effort to rebuild Iraq is in the spotlight again as a conference
> > of donor nations gets underway in Tokyo.
> > Rebuilding Iraq's shattered infrastructure ranks as one of the most
> > challenging reconstruction tasks faced by the international community
> > since the World War II.
> >
> > Last year's US-led invasion caused widespread damage, but much of the
> > country was already in a decrepit state after years of mismanagement
> > under Saddam Hussein's regime.
> >
> > An eight-year war against Iran during the 1980s, coupled with
> > economic sanctions imposed in the wake of Saddam's ill-fated invasion
> > of Kuwait in 1990, also took their toll.
> >
> > Last year, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund
> > calculated that restoring Iraq's water, power, road and
> > telecommunications networks would cost $35.8bn (=A320bn ; 28.8bn
> > euros).
> >
> > Repair bill
> >
> > The Coalition Provisional Authority, which governed Iraq in the
> > aftermath of the invasion, estimated that reconstruction work not
> > taken into account in the World Bank/IMF study, including repairs to
> > the oil industry, would cost another $20bn.
> >
> > To put these figures into perspective, the World Bank estimates that
> > Iraq's gross domestic product - the combined value of all the goods
> > and services the country produces - stood at just $18.4bn in 2002,
> > the year before the US-led invasion.
> >
> > In October 2003, a group of 37 countries agreed to provide a total of
> > $32.1bn towards the reconstruction effort.
> >
> > By far the biggest contribution came from the US, which set aside
> > $18.6bn, followed by Japan, with $4.9bn.
> >
> > Other major donors included Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, which pledged
> > $500m each, the UK, with $452m, and Spain, with $220m.
> >
> > Spending delays
> >
> > However, the reconstruction programme has made disappointing progress
> > since then, mainly because work on the ground has been hampered by an
> > unexpectedly fierce campaign of violence by Iraqi insurgents.
> >
> > The most telling measure of the difficulties faced by contractors
> > operating in Iraq is the unexpectedly slow pace at which the
> > reconstruction money is being spent.
> >
> > According to the US government, just $1.2bn of its budget had been
> > spent by 22 September.
> >
> > Of this, $623m - more than half - was spent on security-related
> > measures, including training and equipping the Iraqi army and police
> > force.
> >
> > Repairs to the electricity network were the second biggest item of
> > expenditure, absorbing $300m.
> >
> > Moreover, the US in August diverted some $3.4bn it had set aside to
> > rebuild Iraq's water and power networks towards measures aimed at
> > improving security and creating jobs.
> >
> > Meanwhile, the other donor nations - who between them pledged $13.5bn
> > - have so far released only about $1bn of the total, partly because
> > of concerns over the deteriorating security situation.
> >
> > Iraqi leaders are urging them to disburse the rest of the cash,
> > saying that speedily completing the reconstruction work offers the
> > best hope of ending the violence that plagues the country.
> >
> >
> > Mark Parkinson
> > Bodmin
> > Cornwall
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________
> > Sent via the CASI-analysis mailing list
> > To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-anal=
> ysis
> > All postings are archived on CASI's website at http://www.casi.org.uk
>
>
>
> --__--__--
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2004 09:12:40 +0000
> Subject: Re: [casi-analysis] rewriting history
> From: Peter Brooke <peter@pbrooke.fsnet.co.uk>
> To: Mark Parkinson <mark44@myrealbox.com>,
>       <casi-analysis@lists.casi.org.uk>
>
> Dear Mark and all
>
> > Obviously the real reasons for the detroyed
> > infrastructure would lay the US and UK open to a massive reparation
> > bill. In my view, any reasonable redevelopment in Iraq needs this
> > (and getting rid of the occupation). Otherwise, Iraqis will not get
> > back to their 1990 standard of living in our lifetimes.
> >
> > Perhaps we could consider refocussing and campaigning? eg become
> > CORFI: Campaign on Reparations for Iraq
> >
> > or CAFRI Campaign for Reparations for Iraq?
>
> I have been having exactly the same thought. The demand for reparations to
> be paid to Iraq is the only one I can think of that raises the whole issue
> of the crime that has been committed against Iraq - not just the war and its
> aftermath - and confronts the argument that we shouldn't have gone to war
> because sanctions were working. It is also the demand that could activate
> the existing material that is currently languishing on the CASI website. The
> only problem is of course that at present 'Iraq' doesn't exist. Such a
> campaign presupposes an Iraqi state that is genuinely representative (in
> whatever way) of the Iraqi people, an outgrowth of their own history and
> tradition. Do we think such a thing migh emerge after January (we can assume
> that the present 'Iraqi' government will do everything in its power to
> prevent it).
>
> All the best
>
> Peter
>
>
>
>
> --__--__--
>
> _______________________________________
> Sent via the CASI-analysis mailing list
> To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-analysis
> All postings are archived on CASI's website at http://www.casi.org.uk
>
> End of CASI-analysis Digest





Dr Kamil Mahdi
Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies
University of Exeter
Exeter EX4 4ND
Tel: (44 1392) 264029
Fax: (44 1392) 264035

Secretary of IAIS tel.: -44-(0)1392-264036
Visit the IAIS website at
      http://www.ex.ac.uk/iais




_______________________________________
Sent via the CASI-analysis mailing list
To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-analysis
All postings are archived on CASI's website at http://www.casi.org.uk