Kudos to foreign correspondent Ray Moseley for his excellent article about the devastating effects of the sanctions on Iraq’s civilian population (Page 1, March 16). Moseley correctly reports that the U.S.-backed sanctions are responsible for the deaths of more than 700,000 Iraqi children, according to UN estimates. Almost the same number of adults–particularly seniors and other vulnerable people–also have perished since 1991 in this cruel war of starvation and disease against Iraq’s people.
There appears to be no letup on the horizon if the U.S. government has its way. After finding no secret weapons stockpiles in the newest round of inspections of the presidential palaces, the Clinton administration is making new, impossible demands upon the Iraqis, demands that no country could possibly satisfy. Meanwhile more than 300 Iraqis die each day from the blockade.
Hence the growing opposition, worldwide, to the U.S.-driven program of starving the people of Iraq. It’s high time to lift these horrible sanctions.
Holding civilians hostage for political goals is often described as “terrorism.” Isn’t that precisely what we have here? State terrorism by our own government against an Arab people?
