America’s Role in Creating the Refugee Crisis

Iraq

An illegal war in Iraq to destroy non-existent weapons of mass destruction left approximately 165,000 Iraqi civilians dead from the time the invasion commenced in 2003 through April 2015.  These deaths were due to direct war-related violence inflicted by the U.S., its allies, opposition forces and the Iraqi military and police.  This death toll is a conservative estimate; it’s highly likely the actual number is far greater.

It’s estimated that at least twice that number of Iraqi civilians died due to collateral damages of war, i.e., damages to the systems responsible for providing food, healthcare and clean drinking water, and as a result, dying from illness, infectious diseases, and malnutrition that would have been otherwise preventable or treatable.

President Obama was the fourth consecutive U.S. president to authorize the bombing of Iraq; Trump is the fifth.

Out of 26,171 bombs the U.S. dropped in 2016, about 12,095 bombs were dropped on Iraq.  In the one week and one day that Trump has been in office, there have been 60 airstrikes carried out in Iraq.  Again, bear in mind that each airstrike can drop multiple bombs.

The commission of war crimes by U.S.-led troops played a large role in the 2011 withdrawal from Iraq after the Iraqi government stated it would not offer immunity to soldiers accused of war crimes. In 2014, the current prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, offered “privileges and immunities” to U.S. soldiers; President Obama then authorized more military operations in Iraq.

President Obama was the fourth consecutive U.S. president to authorize the bombing of Iraq; Trump is the fifth.  In the eight days that Trump has been in office, 60 airstrikes were carried out in Iraq.

Trump’s appointee for Secretary of Defense, General Mattis, who dislikes his nickname “Mad Dog,” in essence earned the nickname “Mad Dog” because of war crimes committed under his lead in Iraq.  When the Center for Investigative Reporting reported on it, U.S. Representative Duncan Hunter — a former U.S. Marine who was likely participating in some of the ops in question at the time — issued a statement about Mattis’ tactics.  Hunter’s statement literally said “get over it.”  One of these alleged war crimes includes bombing a wedding party that killed 42 people, including 13 children.

President Trump regrets that while in Iraq, the U.S. did not pillage their oil (a clear-cut illegal war crime and violation of international law) and says that “maybe we’ll have another chance” to go to Iraq and loot.  Trump began to make statements that America should have taken Iraq’s oil back in 2007, and has continued to make such statements as President, most recently making the comment again in a speech to the CIA on his first full day as President, January 21st.  

Today, many parts of Iraq are still without access to safe housing and clean drinking water, despite more than $100 billion committed to aid and the reconstruction of Iraq.