‘US fails to install puppets in Iraq’
A political commentator says that the United States government has failed to achieve its imperialistic goal of installing a US ally government in Iraq.
According to the security and medical sources, the death toll from the most recent spate of bomb attacks across Iraq has exceeded 55 with almost 200 injures. On Monday, six car bombs went off in five neighborhoods of the capital, Baghdad. Iraq is preparing for its first elections in three years. The bombings come as the provincial polls are due to be held in 12 of Iraq’s 18 provinces on April 20.
Press TV has conducted an interview with Richard Becker, with the A.N.S.W.E.R Coalition from San Francisco to shed more light on the issue at hand. What follows is a rough transcription of the interview.
Press TV: Looking at the situation in Iraq right now, it is very interesting to note that we are seeing the assassination of certain candidates that are standing up in the country’s provincial elections. specifically those that are showing leanings toward the government which is currently in power in Baghdad.
How disturbing a trend, do you think, this is for a country which has endured decades of dictatorship and almost ten years of foreign military occupation?
Becker: Well, what we see in Iraq today is a consequence of the US war, which really began in 1990 with the imposition of the sanctions, a blockade of Iraq that lasted until 2003 and then, as you said, we have had ten years …, although most of the US troops are out, the effects of the occupation are far, far from ended for Iraq.
Iraq has been largely torn apart as a country and the violence, the recurrent violence, the bombings and killings that we see are going on including the horrific attacks that took place today, are a reminder of how much damage the US policy has done to Iraq and it was done really deliberately.
It was a policy, the US occupation policy included as a critical element setting different parts of the population against each other, encouraging the internecine conflict inside of Iraq and the people of Iraq are having to live with the consequences after millions of people were killed and wounded and displaced. Many of whom remained displaced today.
Press TV: Well, now looking at the security situation now, this country is a young democracy.
It is trying to find its path towards independence and stability, however that is not happening, many have blamed former regime supporters for what is happening right now. Do you agree?
Becker: Well, I think that it is very hard to say. The conflicts that are going on and the different forces, there are numerous forces that are in contention with each other.
I do not think that Iraq has really advanced much in the way of a real democratic government.
I think that there is government that was installed by the United States…, its colonial governments in 2003, 2004, 2005 and then turned over to what they hoped would be a reliable ally, that has not turned out to be the case.
The United States’ war was not a triumphant war, it was not a victory for the United States but it was a defeat for the people of Iraq.
