The Socialist Alliance adds it voice to all those speaking out for peace, human rights and social justice to condemn the Howard government's decision this week to double the number of Australian military personnel in Iraq.
The presence of even more foreign combat troops in Iraq will not bring greater peace and freedom to the Iraqi people. More than 100,000 Iraqis have already died at the hands of the coalition of the killing and Howard's decision can only result in more death and destruction — not only for Iraqis but also for Australian servicepeople. Howard's claim that this intervention is not Vietnam revisited is utterly wrong.
As other Western governments withdraw their forces from Iraq, the Australian government is instead — and once again — putting its military and economic alliance with the United States government and big business ahead of the wishes of the Australian people, and the needs and democratic rights of ordinary Iraqis.
Howard says that more Australian troops in Iraq will strengthen democracy, yet the Iraqi people did not invite these extra troops. On the contrary, the people of Iraq have made it abundantly clear that they want their sovereignty, they want an immediate end to the brutal and illegal occupation of their country.
The Howard government does not have a mandate from the Australian people to increase its military presence in Iraq. Howard's intention to increase the number of Australian troops in Iraq was not even mentioned during the federal election campaign, and opinion polling consistently shows that a majority of Australians oppose any increase in Australia's intervention in Iraq.
The Australian government's decision to take Australia deeper into the quagmire of this brutal occupation, and its persistent refusal to enact the will of the majority, will be condemned and challenged across Australia on March 18-20. As part of an international weekend of protest on the second anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, people around the world will take to the streets to demand: End the occupation of Iraq, bring the troops home!
[Issued by the Socialist Alliance national convenors on February 23.]
From Green Left Weekly, March 2, 2005.
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