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"The war of the US is a war of cowards" That's how the former UN Coordinator Hans von Sponeck feels about the brutal aggression against Iraq. He hopes that the US and Britain will be prosecuted under international law. [Interview with _Der Standard_ (Vienna), March 25] Sponeck considers it an outrageous display of cynicism that the British House of Commons was discussing the fund allocations for Iraq's reconstruction before even the first bomb was dropped. He also criticized sharply the US's tactics: "This high-tech war is a war of cowards: First, they drops bombs from high above and then they move in ground troops to finish off." Sponeck, who is in touch with Iraqis, senses that they are in a state of shock: "They all know that thousands will be killed." Sponeck doesn't believe that this is the end of the UN: Europe, Russia, and China must insist to break the "power monopoly held by only one country". "Otherwise we all will be delivered into anarchy" he said. And this is pretty well the consensus of the non-warring world. Even some of the gutless world leaders now realize that the US must be curtailed or any one of them could be next. And there are peaceful and effective ways of doing this. All it takes is some courage. But have they got it? The Iraqis have shown the world what courage is. And for all we know, they may save us from being delivered into the Rambo anarchism of the US. They have certainly given the impetus to change. - Never have so many people worldwide been so outraged. "A piece cake". That's what the US figured the takeover of Iraq would be - with Shock and Awe... cruise missiles, cluster bombs, daisy cutters... No piece of cake. Wounded GIs in the US Medical Centre in Landstuhl (Germany) talk about their experience: "Suddenly, they opened fire", said one. The explosion threw him out of the truck and he broke his leg. "It was like a movie", he said. "A bullet went through my hand, and I thought I was going to die", said another. "I have had enough", said a third. All three want to go home. "We thought they would surrender voluntarily", they all said - like in 1991. And they asked that war protesters not take it out on the soldiers: "We do only our duty and carry out orders", said one. Guidance from above: It seems that the soldiers were/are getting pretty demoralized, despite the booster-pills. Now Bush has roped God into this: On March 27(?), the House passed a resolution "to seek guidance from God" for American troops and for freedom around the world": A day of "humility, prayer and fasting." (While the US are showering Iraq with missiles and cluster bombs. Can you beat this for hypocrisy?) How the boys at home feel: The mood of some war-supporting Americans can show itself ugly. "USA is No. 1", they write around Europe. USA...USA...USA... And the Iraqis: "The whole world is with us now..." "We are determined to defend our capital after what we have seen of our brothers' resistance in the south. The whole world is with us now, even the weather, because the sandstorm has brought benefits to us." The man who said this is a Baghdad truck driver, Ahmed Falah. ["14 dead in cruise missile attack in Baghdad", The Star (Malaysia), March 26, 2003] Ahmed Falah is right: the spirit of the whole world _is_ now with the Iraqis. - The spirit of anyone, that is, whose ethical and human values have not been corrupted by pragmatism and opportunism. And this feeling, "the world is with us" lends support to the strength the Iraqis are showing. Others are going home: "Im going home to be with my family and to fight the invading aggressors, and God willing we will win or die trying", said Azziz Alzumaan. He has lived in Jordan for the last 10 years and owns a small kabab shop in downtown Amman. "I left for political reasons and to find a peaceful life, but those things are not important anymore." The Iraqis are fighting for their country. Above all, they are fighting for their dignity and self-respect. And without these two essentials, is life worth living? The US may occupy Iraq - like the British occupied it before. But I don't believe the Iraqis will be defeated. Defeat is in the mind. And in the eyes of the world, the Iraqis have already won. Those who survive the brutal onslaught will come out with their dignity and self-respect intact. In time, they'll get rid of the invaders and their puppets. And then they will determine their own destiny. At least that's how I hope it will be... --Elga _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk