Support UN Leadership in Reconstructing Iraq
According to a recent report by the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC), most of Baghdad's hospitals are working, but at a much reduced capacity. A large portion of hospital equipment has been damaged due to looting. While the ICRC is helping to provide water to citizens of Baghdad, the treatment and disposal of sewage continues to be a major problem.
Earlier in the year, the United Nations reported that more than 1.26 million Iraqi children under the age of 5 would be at risk of dying from malnutrition as a result of war. Reconstruction of public services must happen immediately to stave off this crisis.
In addition to the need for civil structures and relief supplies, poverty is also a looming problem. According to Jonathan Steele of the Guardian: "Ten million Iraqis, who depend on the state sector for jobs, have not been paid for a month." Civil servants from all sectors remain unpaid, and most medical staff haven't been paid since the beginning of the conflict.
As Iraqis struggle to meet the needs of their families, resentment toward the US is on the rise. While some Iraqis were initially grateful for the collapse of Hussein's regime, many fear an American occupation. Recently, Shia protesters greeted General Jay Garner with shouts of "No to Saddam, no to occupation" in Nassiriya. Tens of thousands of Sunni and Shia worshippers have marched through Baghdad calling on the US to leave Iraq. The Iraqis are not alone in this resentment ---much of the world remains concerned that the US will maintain a permanent military occupation of Iraq.
Immediate United Nations leadership is needed to better provide for the Iraqi people, and to facilitate the process of building a legitimate democracy governed for, and by, the Iraqi people. On this line, Representative Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) recently introduced legislation that urges the Bush Administration to work with the United Nations Security Council for the reconstruction of Iraq. Ms. Tauscher's resolution calls for an interim government led by the United Nations and empowered with appropriate executive and legislative authority.
In Bosnia, Cambodia, Haiti, and El Salvador, the United Nations has effectively led reconstruction efforts by delivering aid, facilitating peace agreements, conducting elections, establishing order, and monitoring and investigating human rights infringements. They are much better prepared to accomplish these tasks than the Pentagon.
Not only is the United Nations better positioned to facilitate an independent Iraqi political system, but US support of UN leadership in this process would start to repair the international relationships damaged in the pursuit of war.
Take Action to Support the UN
Tell your Representative to support Rep. Tauscher's resolution urging the United Nations to put in place broad United Nations Security Council authority to help the people of Iraq. Call your Representative at the Congressional switchboard: (800) 839-5276.Find out who represents you at www.house.gov.
Tell your Member of Congress: Working with the UN on rebuilding Iraq is an opportunity for the US to start redefining our relationship to the world. America needs a new foreign policy based on human rights and democracy, disarmament, and international cooperation. One of the first steps toward a foreign policy we can all live with is to support UN leadership in rebuilding Iraq. Please cosponsor Representative Tauscher's resolution: H. Con. Res. 122.
