Guest opinion - An Iraqi-American's view of the war Guest opinion - An Iraqi-American's view of the war (October 29, 2004)

By Hala Alshahwany

Being Iraqi-American has been very trying to me in the last few years. Painfully, I have watched the changes in regimes and foreign policies that have directly turned the Iraqi civilians' lives into a daily living nightmare, and it doesn't seem that it will end any time soon.

When I left Iraq in 1979, the country's gross domestic product was estimated at $128 billion, making its income per capita one of the highest at the time for a Third World country.

Unfortunately, that was also the year that a tyrant named Saddam Hussein took power and maintained it with an iron fist. He engaged Iraq in two devastating wars (with Iran in 1980, and with Kuwait in 1990) which drained and diminished the country's rich economy and culture.

Many middle-class families, including professionals and business owners, could barely survive the harsh economic conditions after international forces led by the U.S. attacked Iraq's military and infrastructure in 1991 to defend Kuwait.

The destruction was beyond imagination for many Iraqis. No electricity, running water, fuel, basic foods or medical care were available to most people for many months.

I remember one of my relatives saying, "What does a sewer plant or water purification plant have to do with invading Kuwait? How does anyone expect us to survive without these basic civic needs?"

To make things much worse, Saddam was left in power and was allowed to retain his presidency. There was no U.N. tribunal court for all the atrocities he committed against thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of people.

As if that weren't enough, the U.S. government decided to impose economic sanctions on Iraq. According to UNICEF reports, more than a half million Iraqi children died from 1991 to 1998 as a result of malnutrition and lack of medical care caused by the economic sanctions.

When the U.S. invaded Iraq in March of 2003, most Iraqis were very skeptical of the intent. The U.S. knew long ago about Saddam's history and his tyranny. In fact, it aided him with weapons and military secrets that helped him defeat Iran in the 1980s.

Is the invasion by the U.S.-led coalition really bringing democracy to Iraq, or is it putting their hands on the second-largest oil reserve in the world?

The Iraqis' skepticism has proven accurate. The oil industry was the first entity that got complete security and control by the U.S.-led military force. The official government buildings, the Iraqi museum (with more than 70,000 ancient antiquities), businesses, homes and even the borders were left wide open to thieves and vandals.

My relatives in Iraq ask, "How long do we have to endure living in these conditions as these unjust foreign policies and governments take place?"

My friends in the U.S. ask, "How many civilians and solders have to die before the government changes its course and clears its intention in that region?"

All I can say is that I hope it won't take too long.

Hala Alshahwany is the chair of the city's human relations commission.

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