Today’s Talk

November 23rd, 2006 by CD

The increasing violence in Iraq is putting a strain on U.S. and international troops along with the civilian population. The civilian population is faced with daily instances of walking passed dead bodies that have been tortured and dumped along side the road or being faced with the fear of being blown up by bombs. The sectarian attacks which are on the rise left 3,700 people dead last month according to a U.N. study.

The government plan that was initiated on June 14th, 2006 , which was aimed at addressing the increased level of violence and growing criminality has not been working. The U.N. reports that since the Samarra attack on February 2006, 200,000 individuals have been displaced. The reconstruction, development and humanitarian assistance that was promised by the U.S. can be summed up as an utter failure. Today, Iraq is faced with an acute crisis in terms of its human and humanitarian crisis. The law of order is not run by the Iraqi government or the U.S. but rather the growing power of the militias who show their power through indiscriminate killings and targeted attacks. In addition, kidnappings and torture continue unabated in many parts of the country where U.S. forces claim to have control.

The U.S. has made Iraq a haven for terrorist and one of the most unstable and dangerous places in the world. A strategy must come forth from the U.S. and international community that enables a framework for reconciliation and peace that takes into account the lack of security and numerous human rights violations.