Ad for Iraq war crimes report now carried in Army/Navy/Marine Corps Times

[JohnyCanuck]

This war crimes report is being advertised for the month of December in the Announcements section of the classified advertising sections of Army, Navy, Marine and Air Force Times which is distributed to subscribers and U.S. military bases worldwide. An advertising representative of Military Times, the publisher of the newspapers, said that these papers reach at least one million military personnel each week.

http://www.consumersforpeace.org/

War Crimes Committed by the United States in Iraq and Mechanisms for Accountability

SNIP

1. Introduction

The opening of the U.S./British invasion campaign against Iraq in March 20031 was one of
intense aerial bombardment designed to create “shock and awe” among Iraqis. The goal was to
terrorize the Iraqi people and intimidate the Iraq military. For the U.S. public, watching through
their television screens, the opening of the war was little different than a video game. Military
briefings illustrated the effectiveness of “precision bombs”. Later, as the land campaign got
underway, military and media reports showed U.S. forces quickly moving north into central Iraq
and meeting less resistance than had been anticipated.

From the outside, the war seemed quick and contained. However, even at this stage multiple
breaches of international humanitarian law occurred. The precision bombs touted by the military
often were not. Hundreds of civilians were killed, and massive amounts of civilian property were
destroyed. Cluster bombs were dropped on urban areas, including residential neighborhoods.
Munitions containing depleted uranium were used in bombs and artillery shells. Tanks fired into
hotels and residential areas. The basic infrastructure of Iraq’s urban areas was, in many cases,
destroyed or disrupted by the invading forces.

Less well known is how the subsequent U.S./British policies and military actions in Iraq,
stretching from months into years, have included regular and serious breaches of international
law.

This paper describes the multiple and overlapping breaches of international humanitarian law
that have occurred during the U.S./British occupation of Iraq since 2003. Those infringements
have occurred at many levels, from senior members of the Bush administration, to senior military
leaders, to individual unit commanders, and to individual troops.

In responding to some of the most egregious violations of humanitarian law, the U.S.
administration and military authorities have focused on those who are sometimes termed “a few
bad apples.” This paper argues, however, that the choices made at more senior levels than the
ranks of individual soldiers have created the context in which regular abuses of civilians in
occupied Iraq are occurring. It is argued that: the failure to adequately rebuild the civilian and
social infrastructure; the failure to provide civilians with appropriate security; and the choices of
weapons and tactics often used in military operations all constitute war crimes. Regardless of the
rationale for invading and occupying Iraq, the U.S. and British governments, their commanders
and all their soldiers in the field are accountable for these grave breaches.

http://www.consumersforpeace.org/pdf/war_crimes_iraq_101006.pdf

The report is in "pdf" format so you need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software
( available here )to read it.