TFF PressInfo

While President Bush and President Hussein surely differ in many respects, this piece of homespun philosophy argues that they also display surprising similarities. Bush and Hussein, as well as their respective bands of cheering supporters, try to convince the rest of us that they share absolutely no characteristics and have nothing in common with each other. This is undoubtedly part of the (subjective) truth, but it is never the whole truth about a conflict. While not denying the differences, this article turns the spotlight on the similarities. Conflicts usually put the disagreement between the parties on display, and the parties to a conflict usually emphasise how different they themselves (the good guys) are from the others (the bad guys). Thus, it is perfectly normal that conflicting parties deny that there could be any similarities between “them” and “us”! But professional conflict-analysts know that no conflict is possible unless the parties...

I går “anbefalede” Washington, at inspektørerne fra IAEA og UNMOVIC så vel som alt FNs humanitære personale fra UNOHCI skulle forlade Irak så hurtigt som muligt. FNs mission i den demilitariserede zone mellem Kuwait og Irak (UNIKOM) var allerede under evakuering. Disse missioner er FN missioner. De er i Irak på grundlag af en Sikkerhedsrådsbeslutning. De er der, for at tilvejebringe fred med fredelige midler og for at hjælpe borgerne i Irak. Efter et kort sikkerhedsrådsmøde bag lukkede døre, oplyser generalsekretær Kofi Annan verden om, at disse missioner har fået besked på at tage sig ud. Det ser altså ud til, at ét medlem udsteder en ultimativ “anbefaling” og FN adlyder og dermed lader det irakiske folk i stikken for at blive truet, ydmyget, dræbt, såret og i løbet af få uger sulte. Artikel 99 i FNs Charter fastslår, at generalsekretæren “kan forelægge sikkerhedsrådet ethvert spørgsmål, som efter hans opfattelse...

I write with a heavy heart. Our cause has shifted from trying to prevent a needless war to seeking to end an illegal war. The audacity of the Bush administration takes one’s breath away.  The United States is bombing Baghdad, engaged in its “shock and awe” strategy. Shock yes, but there is no awe. To suggest awe reflects only the arrogance of the Bush militarists. US attacks on Iraq are shocking and awful.  Shocking that we are at war in violation of international law and our Constitution.  Shocking that our government is committing aggressive warfare, which is a crime. Shocking that a large majority of the US Congress has been so compliant and cowardly, handing over their responsibility to declare war to the president. By giving up their Constitutional powers, Congress is putting the future of our Republic in jeopardy.   Shocking that Bush has demonstrated contempt for the strongly held...

, in the wake of the Gulf War, the Security Council decided about inspections and sanctions it must have suffered from some kind of hubris. Iraq should be punished for the invasion of Kuwait – and it did invade and it was foolish and illegal to do so. Sanctions should put pressure on the regime and, it was hoped, turn the people against the leadership. Hard as the sanctions were, they were designed to last for a short time, the time it was assumed to take to find and disarm Iraq’s weapons of mass-destruction. The winners of the war dictated the conditions. Iraq, the loser, had to obey unconditionally. Lifting the sanctions was made dependent upon the delivery of an inspection report to the Security Council that would state that all that could be used in the production of nuclear, biological or chemical weapons had been found and destroyed and...

“>Christian Hårleman, TFF Boardmember When, in 1991, in the wake of the Gulf War, the Security Council decided about inspections and sanctions it must have suffered from some kind of hubris. Iraq should be punished for the invasion of Kuwait – and it did invade and it was foolish and illegal to do so. Sanctions should put pressure on the regime and, it was hoped, turn the people against the leadership. Hard as the sanctions were, they were designed to last for a short time, the time it was assumed to take to find and disarm Iraq’s weapons of mass-destruction. The winners of the war dictated the conditions. Iraq, the loser, had to obey unconditionally. Lifting the sanctions was made dependent upon the delivery of an inspection report to the Security Council that would state that all that could be used in the production of nuclear, biological or chemical weapons...

När säkerhetsrådet i kölvattnet på Gulfkriget beslutade om inspektioner och sanktioner måste det har drabbats av något slags hybris. Irak skulle straffas för invasionen av Kuweit – och invaderade gjorde Irak och dumt och olagligt var det. Sanktioner skulle sätta press på regimen och, hoppades man, vända folket mot ledningen. Sanktionerna var hårda och de var uppgjorda för att pågå en kort tid, den tid som antogs behövlig för att hitta och förstöra Iraks massförstörelsevapen. Krigets segrare dikterade villkoren. Irak, som förlorat, tvingades lyda villkorslöst. Hävandet av sanktionerna gjordes beroende av att en inspektionsrapport inlämnades till säkerhetsrådet som skulle uttala att allt som kunde användas vid framställning av kärnvapen eller biologiska eller kemiska vapen hade påträffats och förstörts och att ingenting fanns kvar någonstans i Irak. Här har vi fällan som gillrats av segrarens hybris. Detta har lett till att sanktionerna är vårt moraliska problem; vi behandlade detta i PressInfo...

Perhaps it is not the most well-known peace mission of the UN, but you will be sure to hear more about it soon as it is situated on the border between Iraq and Kuwait. Its name is UNIKOM (UN Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission), http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unikom/index.html. It was established by Security Council Resolution 687 in 1991. During TFF’s fact-finding mission to Iraq in January this year, we visited the UN mission there. Reports from the last few days tell that armed US Marines and vehicles have entered this demilitarised zone, DMZ, between Iraq and Kuwait. On the Kuwaiti side, they have cut down fences and set up 7 gates, presumably in preparation of an invasion and occupation of Iraq. We, the authors, are not experts in international law and shall not judge whether this is a breach of the Security Council Resolution and/or other parts of international law, or whether there is some fine...

Måske er det ikke FNs mest kendte fredsmission, men vi kan være sikre på snart at høre mere om den, idet den befinder sig på grænsen mellem Irak og Kuwait. Navnet er UNIKOM (UN Irak-Kuwait Observation Mission), http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unikom/index.html. Den blev etableret ved FNs Sikkerhedsråds-resolution 687, i 1991. Da TFF var på analyserejse i Irak i januar i år, besøgte vi denne FN-mission på pladsen. Rapporter fra de seneste dage fortæller at bevæbnede USA-marinesoldater er gået ind i denne demilitariserede zone, DMZ, mellem Irak og Kuwait. På Kuwait-siden er indhegningen blevet skåret op og 7 porte sat ind, tilsyneladende for at forberede en invasion og besætelse af Irak. Vi, forfatterne, er ikke eksperter i folkeret og kan ikke bedømme om dette er et brud på en Sikkerhedsrådsbestemmelse og/eller andre internationale love, eller om der et eller andet sted med småt står noget, der kan legitimere dette under visse betingelser. Men vi betvivler...

Some time ago, CBS’s Dan Rather interviewed President Saddam Hussein who at one point suggests that he and President Bush ought to have a televised dialogue to avoid war and to give their frank views so people could judge their arguments and views. This is how it was stated and how Rather reacted (excerpts): What makes this so interesting, so revealing? Dan Rather has worked with the spoken and written word for more than 50 years. At first, it seems that he is surprised and needs to clarify the President’s proposal, not sure that he has understood what he hears. When it is explained again to him, he hints that it could be a joke – or perhaps recognises that what he thought may have been a joke was not a joke. Then, patiently, the Iraqi President explains why it is not a joke and why people should be able...

For et stykke tid siden interviewede CBS’s Dan Rather præsident Saddam Hussein, som på et tidspunkt foreslår, at han og præsident Bush burde have en debat på TV for at undgå krig og for at videregive deres oprigtige opfattelser, så folk selv kunne bedømme deres argumenter og synspunkter. Her følger hvordan det startede og hvordan Rather reagerede (i uddrag): Hvad er det, der gør dette så interessant, så afslørende ? Dan Rather har arbejdet med det talte og det skrevne ord i mere end 50 år. Først ser det ud som om, han er overrasket og har behov for at få afklaret præsidentens forslag, ikke helt sikker på, hvad han har hørt. Når han får det forklaret igen, antyder han, at det kunne være en spøg – eller måske opfatter han netop, at hvad, han måske tænkte kunne være en spøg, ikke var en spøg. Så forklarer den irakiske præsident...

Det kanske inte är den mest kända av FNs fredsmissioner, men vi kommer säkerligen att få höra mer om den inom kort eftersom den är placerad pågränsen mellan Kuwait och Irak. Dess namn är UNIKOM (UN Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission), Läs om den här. UNIKOM etablerades 1991 av Säkerhetsrådets resolution 687. Under TFF’s analys-resa till Irak i januari i år besökte vi denna FN-mission. Enligt de senaste dagarnas rapporter i pressen har USAs Marinkår och amerikanska fordon gått in i denna demilitariserade zon (DMZ) mellan Irak och Kuwait. På Kuwaits sida har stängsel tagits ned och 7 grindar satts upp, förmodligen förberedelser inför en invasion och ockupation av Irak. Vi, artikelförfattarna, är inga experter på internationell lag och skall inte bedöma huruvida detta är en kränkning av Säkerhetsrådets resolution och/eller delar av annan internationell lag, eller om det finns något finstilt skrivet någonstans som legitimerar detta under speciella omständigheter. Dock betvivlar vi...

For many decision-makers it is convenient to focus on the brutality of the Iraqi regime under Saddam Hussein and leave the deeply inhuman consequences of our sanctions over the last 12 years untold. But, in the eyes of a visitor to Iraq, the moral high ground of the West has crumbled. Before going to Iraq, we too were quite ignorant about the facts and complexities; we were shocked by the reality. During our fact-finding missions we collected statistics from international organisations, interviewed virtually all the heads of missions of the United Nations and humanitarian organisations. We met with Iraqi officials and visited hospitals. Playing down the effects of our sanctions – without evidence Governments that have no embassies and no independent fact-finding in Iraq can hardly know much. They must base their policies on what is politically correct and convenient for their policies in relation to other issues and other...