By Lisa Thurston, January 2003
As Australians prepare to become involved in a war with Iraq unsanctioned by the UN as an ally of the United States of America, there are a few things we can consider. What will Australia get out of it? What will the US get out of it? What does the world have to gain by it? What does Australia have to lose by it? What does the US have to lose by it? And finally, what does the whole world – everybody in it - have to lose by it? Ultimately we all need to rigorously analyse the facts and decide whether Australia’s choice is right.
What will Australia gain?
These appear to be the advantages of Australia becoming involved in this war:
• We will retain the security of not breaking the Anzus treaty, and hopefully a continued preferential relationship with the USA as regards trade and defence training, etcetera.
• We will assist in deposing Saddam Hussein, Iraq’s current cruel and despotic dictator (but we have no guarantee from the US that there will be this outcome as it is not the main aim of the war, and further, we have no guarantee of what or who will be the replacement leadership).
• We will assist in ridding Iraq or its dangerous “weapons of mass destruction”, the existence of which has not been conclusively proved.
What will the US gain?
In addition to the last two dot points in the previous list the US has much to gain:
• Emotionally speaking (or in a patriotic context), US citizens will have an obscurely-related kind of revenge for the September 11 massacres of 2001 in New York and Washington (as inferred by Colin Powell when he insisted Saddam Hussein is directly supporting radical Islamic terrorists).
• George Bush, as the US President, will look strong and decisive. (Recall how high was his popularity rating with the US public just after September 11, 2001).
• There will almost certainly be a boom to the US economy as they wage war, as war historically does cause for the attacking nation (perhaps because people become more productive).
• The US will have much stronger control of Iraq’s oil resources once they occupy Iraq.
• The US will have the opportunity to set up for themselves a lucrative trade agreement with Iraq after they occupy Iraq – probably quite in line with the US foreign economic policy (since beggars can’t be choosers).
• Perhaps, the US will even achieve the formation of another democratic state in the Middle East, or, failing this, at least get to choose who can be the next dictator.
How will Australia lose?
In becoming involved in this war, we will lose:
• one of our valued (predominantly agricultural) trading partners in the Middle East.
• our international credibility by helping wage an illegal war (as defined by the UN) on Iraq.
• faith in our own country and our sense of national pride considering that (at the very least) a very considerable majority do not support Australia’s violating UN rules to assist the US. (This also reflects very badly on the democratic model when the government can ignore the wishes of such a vast majority of the citizens it purports to represent).
• any fair and pacifist attitude we might wish to portray as a nation, considering Australia will be assisting in further destabilising the Middle East, further hindering peace processes between Arabs and non-Arabs, Muslims and non-Muslims.
Furthermore, there are the following negative outcomes:
• By supporting the US, Australia’s implicit message to the world is that we support the aims and practices of the current US government (as regards their foreign policy in particular), many of which are unfair and flawed (according to major international opinion including individuals and organisations living or based within the US itself). This further diminishes Australia’s international credibility.
• By participating in this war we bring three terrible risks to our homeland:
1. Australian soldiers will die (or are certainly at risk of this) in what the majority of Australia perceive to be an US invasion – not an Australian war (and somewhat reminiscent of the Vietnam conflict).
2. Australia is now – more clearly than ever – inviting radical Islamic hatred to be focussed on us, putting Australia at greater risk of terrorist attacks.
3. Australia, as one of just two major Western allies to the US in this war, will perhaps be the second-most likely target for Iraq’s “weapons of mass destruction” to be unleashed.What does everybody else have to lose out of it?
What will not only Australia, but all nations and the very foundations democracy have to lose out of this war occurring at all?
• Logically, terrorist activities perpetrated by radical Islamic groups will increase as Saddam Hussein uses the war to incite them to further violence and terrorism towards their perceived enemy – that is, Western society in general, further polarising Islamic and Arabic nations, hindering peace processes, and generally increasing tensions in the volatile Middle East.
• Iraq will now have the best excuse (perhaps in the history of Saddam Hussein’s reign) to use its purported weaponry of mass destruction, including an alleged arsenal of biological weapons, for its intended purpose.
• While the UN is often criticised and clearly does not achieve as much as we would like it to, it is in essence the most fair, democratic and all-inclusive organisation to discuss, regulate and legislate about many aspects of our world today at an independent international level. For any democratic nation like the US, the UK or Australia to undermine this institution by invading Iraq is a catastrophe and a direct threat to the central principles of democracy.
• Finally, and perhaps most distressingly, innocent Iraqi civilians (as well as soldiers, loyal and conscripted) already living in conditions of terrible poverty will be in an even worse situation and of course the death toll could be of huge proportions compared to the Gulf War in the early 1990s. With the knowledge that over 40% of these innocent civilians are children – that is, the future – it is even more distressing.Some final points to ponder
• Yes, many people not supporting Australia becoming involved in this war agree that Saddam Hussein is a cruel and evil leader and that the Iraqi people don’t deserve to suffer any longer under his dictatorship. However, the assumption that war can depose Saddam Hussein and bring a better life to Iraqis is very questionable. Even if this assumption proves correct, does this really justify declaring a war against Iraq?
• Is it not the case in most dictatorships today that the people suffer among other things terrible breaches of human rights? So why Iraq? It is illogical to use this argument to justify a war specifically against Iraq.
• Considering how this war will utterly undermine the power of the UN we must ask ourselves, do we prefer the world to be regulated by the US or the UN?
• Australia has a precedent for joining the US in an illegal invasion to further US foreign interests. It was called Vietnam. Most Australians agree, especially Vietnam veterans, that this was a huge mistake on the part of the US government for invading at all and on the part of the Australian government for supporting it. Why are both governments set on repeating this mistake thirty years on?
• Finally, believe it or not, there are actually viable alternatives to war when it comes to bringing about significant changes in our world such as disarming a rogue nation like Iraq. Should we really assume that invading Iraq is the only way to avoid an Iraqi invasion of the world (and improve the standard of life for Iraqi civilians)?
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