Transcript The “Humanitarian Justification”

Rebecca Schaeffer, Alexander Sellrup, and Dean Luo
Background and Motives for
Invasion
“Humanitarian Justification”
Originally, the major reason specified by
the American Government to enter Iraq
had less to do with humanitarian
reasons and more to do with Weapons
of Mass Destruction (WMD).
 However, recently the United States
government has been pushing the idea
that the Iraq invasion was a
‘humanitarian intervention.’

The Situation in Iraq
Since Saddam Hussein’s rise to power he
was estimated to have killed around 250
000 of his own people
 In 1988 he committed the Anfal genecide in
which somewhere around 100 000 Kurdish
people died
 In 1991 the conditions were bad enough
that the UN intervened to help the
persecuted Kurds (though not the Shiites)
 Hussein’s regime was known for brutal
executions, torture, and other atrocities

But at that time (2003)…
There was no evidence a mass killing was being planned
The killings had even calmed down from previous years
True, with a past record of humanitarian crimes, it was reasonable to
assume that some crimes would happen in the future… but they
weren’t happening then.
 The R2P report specifically states under the Right Intentions section:
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 4.33 The primary purpose of the intervention must be to halt or
avert human suffering. Any use of military force that aims from the
outset, for example, for the alteration of borders or the advancement
of a particular combatant group’s claim to self-determination, cannot
be justified. Overthrow of regimes is not, as such, a legitimate
objective, although disabling that regime’s capacity to harm its own
people may be essential to discharging the mandate of protection –
and what is necessary to achieve that disabling will vary from case to
case.
 However, some people (ie. Wheeler) believe that as long as
humanitarian actions take place, motives are irrelevant.
Other reasons for Invasion

A number of reasons have been proposed
for the Iraq invasion
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Humanitarian intervention
Prevent use of WMD
Eliminate a supposed terrorist threat
The US wanted free access Iraq’s oil and
natural gas reserves
 President Bush wanted to get revenge on
Saddam Hussein’s attempted assassination of
his father.
○ You never know. People can be pretty petty.
The Situation in the US: Terrorism
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After 9/11, the US government become paranoid about
terrorism.
Because terrorists are not tied down to any specific
country, and there is no one for other states to retaliate
against, the usual methods of deterrence become
obsolete.
In January 2002, President Bush identified Iran, Iraq,
and North Korea as potential terrorist group supporters.
 The “axis of evil”

However, there was no strong evidence to back up any
of these claims.
 Perhaps striking out against a tangible enemy because he
couldn’t find the real terrorists?
 Would the US have intervened had 9/11 not occurred?
Preventative War and the Bush
Doctrine

Post 9/11, President Bush claimed that the
USA could no longer rely on a reactive
approach to war, but when faced with ‘rogue
states’ one needs to consider preventative war.
 Preventative war is still war though. You can’t go to
war to prevent war. It’s contradictory.
 Article 51 of the UN charter explicitly states that you
can act in self defence only after you have been
attacked.
 However, some people say an argument can be
made for justifying a pre-emptive strike in the case of
clear an immediate danger – but is that really what
the United States did?
Weapons of Mass Destruction
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After the Gulf war, the UN prohibited Iraq from
the creation or possession of weapons of mass
destruction, and required that Iraq submit to
regular inspections confirming this. (Resolution
687)
However, Iraq was uncompliant.
On November 8, 2002, the UN adopted
resolution 1441 (unanimously) that demanded
Iraq comply with the UN demands to view
suspected weapons manufacturing facilities.
 A number of other demands were also included,
regarding suspected purchase of missiles, refusal to
compensate Kuwait for various war crimes in 1990-91,
etc etc.
International Support (or lack
thereof)

On February 5th 2003, the United States presented
evidence to the UN that Iraq was secretly stockpiling
weapons
 In particular, poison gasses, uranium and biological weapons
 In March, the UN inspectors claimed that thus far in their
investigations, no evidence of Weapons of Mass Destruction
had been found
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The US, UK, and Spain proposed an ‘18th resolution’
that would give Iraq a deadline to comply with
international demands (see resolution 1441,etc). If the
deadline was not met, then all necessary force could be
used.
However, the resolution was withdrawn due to strong
opposition from the other UN members
 In particular, France, Germany, Canada, China and Russia
were opposed and insisted on using diplomatic means.
The Invasion Begins: Operation
Iraqi Freedom

The US and allies (principally the UK and Australia)
invaded on March 20th, 2003
 They did not issue a declaration of war, but instead opted for
a surprise attack

A series of missile attacks on Baghdad were launched
in the hopes of destabilizing the Iraqi leadership.
 The US claimed to have intelligence on the movement of
important figures in the Iraqi government, which it targeted
 However, it was later revealed that this information was
inaccurate, and as a result, the bombing simply resulted in
heavy civilian casualties.

Despite this, the American troops were initially
welcomes with open arms.
The Invasion continues

Multiple ground troops were deployed from all sides of the
country targeting major strategic points.
 US troops started by entering Iraq from Kuwait and attacking the
southern front
 The Kurds attacked from the north, with US troops coming in
later to supplement their numbers
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There was a strong Iraqi resistance (more than initially
expected), however the Western powers quickly overcame
them
By April 15th all major targets had been acquired
 Baghdad fell on April 9th, and the last target was Saddam
Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit on April 15th.

On May 1st, President George W Bush announced the
success of the Iraq invasion force aboard the Abraham
Lincoln carrier at sea.
Government Building
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Shortly after the invasion (21 April), a provisional
government was created called the Coalition
Provisional Authority
The UN assisted with the creation of the government,
which was meant as an interim body that would run
the country until a stable Iraqi democracy could be
built
The government was disbanded in June of 2004,
giving way to a US supported Iraqi government
The Iraqi transitional government began work on
ratifying a new constitution in 2005, which was
ratified on October 16 2005
A new assembly was elected that December with
members from the Kurds, Shia, and Sunni
Occupation Problems
The Iraqis in general didn’t like being an
occupied country
 Guerrilla tactics such as sniping, suicide
bombers, insurgencies became a huge problem
very quickly after the occupancy began and
accounted for much of the loss of American life
 However, the US retaliations for these attacks
made sure the Iraqi civilians paid a much higher
cost in blood

 For example, after 4 Americans were attacked and
mutilated, the US attacked Fallelujah, killing around
600 Iraqi civilians.
Occupation Problems
The murder of more than 300 government
officials in the former Iraqi government, most
notably the death of Saddam Hussein in
December 2003 appeared to calm the
insurgencies for a short time, but it was only a
lull.
 Agitation among the Iraqis continued though for
the disbanding of the coalition government and
the creation of a new Iraqi government
 Even after the new Iraqi government was put in
place, insurgent tactics continued.
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War Crimes
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Accusations and then evidence that the US was
torturing Iraqi prisoners came to light, causing what
little faith Iraqi’s had left in the US occupying forces
to evaporate, and drawing huge international anger.
There were a number of incidents of US brutality
 For example, in 2005, 5 US soldiers raped and killed a 14-
year old Iraqi girl and her family, then burned the bodies to
hide the evidence
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Massive civilian casualties– estimates range widely,
but agree that it was over 100 000. Casualty
numbers go much higher if you include soldiers
Can something with such a high cost of life really be
judged as humanitarian?
A Short Lesson in Hypocrisy
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjInHtu0e8&feature=related
Withdrawal
In 2009, President Barrack Obama
announced an 18 month US withdrawal
from Iraq.
 On April 30th 2009, British forces withdrew,
and on July 28, Australian forces withdrew
 The majority of the US forces left by the 18
month deadline, however about 50 000 still
remained
 These remaining US forces in Iraq had fully
withdrawn by 2011

Weapons that Mostly Didn’t exist

The Weapons of Mass Destruction we heard so
much about weren’t really there.
 President Bush points now claims that they had “the
capacity to produce weapons of mass destruction.”

And Bush also admitted later that the Iraq
invasion had no connection to 9/11 despite his
earlier claims to the contrary.
 He does still acknowledge that Iraq may have had ties
to terrorist organizations, but the invasion was “in no
way” related to 9/11

So…. Why’d they invade?
KEY TIPPING
POINTS/IMPORTANT EVENTS
September 2002 Bush administration called for action
“Grave and gathering danger...The condition of the Iraqi
regime is a threat to the authority of the UN and a threat
to peace”
“Are Security Council resolutions to be honored and
enforced or cast aside without consequence?
Will the United Nations serve the purpose of its
founding or will it be irrelevant?”
-09/12/2002 UN Speech
UN Security Council Resolution 1441
Authorized the resumption of weapons
inspections and promised
"serious consequences" for non-compliance
“A final opportunity for Iraq to comply with its
disarmament obligations”
Failure of UN Security Council Resolution 1441

“Iraq has been and remains in material breach of its
obligations.....a final opportunity to comply with its disarmament
obligations under relevant resolutions.....a currently accurate, full,
and complete declaration of all aspects of its programmes to
develop chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons, ballistic
missiles, and other delivery systems . . . .” Paragraph 1

Material breach to Resolution = Material breach to UN Charter.

It did not specify what is to happen if a specially affected state at
some point concludes that Iraq is not cooperating fully.
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United States and its allies could argue that a material breach has
occurred and nothing stands in the way of their suspension of the
cease-fire that was based on Resolution 687, which has not been
rescinded since 1990 and gives the authority to use “all
necessary means to restore international peace and security in
the area.”
Failure of UN
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•
“ Found no evidence or plausible indication of the
revival of a nuclear weapons program in Iraq”
IAEA Feb. 2003
US Secretary of State Colin Powell presented to the UNSC
a computer generated image of a mobile biological
weapons laboratory.
Video source: ABC NEWS
Reactions to Powell’s presentation
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Report of Hans Blix
14 Feb. 2003
– Update of the situation in Iraq. More proactive in their cooperation.
– Questioned the satellite images provided by Powell
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Accepted as “proof” by many in the US.
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Did not change the fundamental position of the SC, including
France, Russia, China and Germany
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UK government did not believe the links between Iraq and alQaeda.
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7 Mar. 2003 – report on the status of UNMOVIC’s efforts to
verify Iraq’s disarmament.
Video Source: NBC Meet the Press
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Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces
Against Iraq
-Oct.2012
-64% supported by Feb.2003
Video Source: PBC
Numbers on Iraq
239,000 troops at its peak in 2006
 War cost US $800 billion
 Almost 4,500 Americans killed
 More than 30,000 Americans Wounded
 Estimate of total Iraqi deaths (civilian
and combatant): 150,000+
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“I have indicated it (Iraq War) was not
in conformity with the UN Charter.
From our point of view, from the
charter point of view, it was illegal.”
-Kofi Annan, 16 Sep. 2004
Iraq: Now
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The Bush administration gave promises
that the war would bring:
 Improved life quality for the people in Iraq
 Improved infrastructure
 More jobs
 Major improvement in medicinal
infrastructure
A Sad Reality
 The economy crashed after the war, but has
improved steadily since then.
 The poverty rate of today is 23 percent, a harsh
lifestyle for many Iraqis
 A high unemployment rate combined with
inflation results in hunger and poverty for around
6 millions people in Iraq
 Among the top ten most corrupted countries in
the world
 With money, almost anyone can be bribed for
most things
 No public transportation
Federal Government of Iraq
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Islamic, democratic and federal
parliamentary republic
Moved from a dictatorship under Saddam
Hussein to a "democracy"
Corruption. A minister recently was forced
to resign because he made a deal with a
German company
Inequalities in society
High violence in the streets in Iraq
Even the police are corrupted
Prime minister in Iraq: Nouri
Kamel al-Maliki
Living Conditions
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During Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship, the police
force had total control, thus limiting street violence to
a certain level
"You get what you pay for" policy in Iraq
Human rights are being violated
Tension between Sunni and Shia has increased
The Iraqi people’s main concern in modern Iraq is
security, since bombings and attacks across Iraq
continue to be the reality for many people
Iraqi government’s priority seems to be on improving
military rather than its degrading and outrageous
infrastructure system
2011, 3 billion dollar deal with the US
Water Shortages
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Severe water shortages
In Bagdad, a shortage of 1 million of cubic
liters of water per day
UN report regarding the water crisis in Iraq
states;
 " Quality of water used for drinking and agriculture is
poor, violating Iraq National Standards and WHO
guidelines. Leaking sewage pipes and septic tanks
contaminate the drinking water network with waste
water. 80 percent of households do not treat water
before drinking. Furthermore, just 18 percent of
waste water is treated, with the rest released directly
intro waterways.”
Just Cause = 1
R2P report; "military intervention for human protection
purposes is an exceptional and extraordinary
measure. ”
- Saddam Hussein and his regime had been known for
not respecting human rights and had been
responsible for several inhumane actions in past
years. However, during the time of the Iraq invasion
(2003), there was neither a "large scale loss of life"
nor a "large scale ethnic cleansing" and nothing
indicated that this would occur in the near future.
Thus the intervention cannot be qualified as "just
cause".
Right Intentions = 1

R2P report; "the primary purpose of the intervention,
whatever other motives intervention states may
have, must be to halt or avert human suffering.”
- Since there were no severe pending humanitarian
emergencies in Iraq at the time of the invasion, this
cannot be used as a justification.
- The existence of WMD in Iraq and Saddam
Hussein’s potential of using them were used as
another excuse (preventative war, "War on Terror”) ,
however several sources including UN have proved
that there were no such things in Iraq.
Last Resort = 1
- R2P reports state that every non-military
option must be explored before a military
intervention takes place.
- At the time of the invasion, due to pressure
from international community, Saddam
Hussein had started to cooperate more
with organizations and states. Some
people might even argue that the
"humanitarian" situation in Iraq saw a
brighter future. Even so, the coalition
forces decided to invade Iraq, so this
cannot possibly be seen as a "last resort".
Proportional Means = 1
R2P report; The scale, duration and intensity of the
planned military intervention should be the minimum
necessary to secure the defined human protection
objectives."
- A bigger "humanitarian emergency" occurred
because of the war. Estimated civilian casualties are
around 100 000.
- If the "Iraqi freedom" operation were true a
humanitarian one, and if the goal was to save people
from oppression, why would the coalition forces
chose to bomb metropolitan areas in Baghdad where
innocent people were?
Reasonable Prospects = 3

R2P report; "The responsibility to rebuild; to provide,
particularly after a military intervention, full assistance with
recovery, reconstruction and reconciliation, addressing the
cause of the harm the intervention was designed to halt or
avert.”
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The coalition forces, because of their more advanced
equipment, tactics and their soldiers superior training and
education comparing to the Iraqi military, had a significant
chance of overwhelming the oppressive Saddam Hussein and
his regime.
However, there was a lack of competent people and resources
for the rebuilding of Iraq and the creation of a new democratic
and humane government.
Young and inexperienced men (soldiers) who did not
understand the Iraqi society acted as police officers. It can be
argued whether this heavy responsibility and pressure on these
soldiers can be a factor which resulted in several war crimes.
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Legitimate Authority = 1
Chapter 1, article 2, section 7 in then UN charter
clearly states the non- intervention norm. However
Chapter 7, article 51 gives the exception were use
of force against another sovereign state is accepted
in the case of self defense. But since Iraq at the time
of 2003 did not use force or acted aggressive on
neither the US nor the UK (and other coalitions
forces) this is another reason which cannot be used
as another justification of the invasion.
- In 2004 Kofi Annan stated about the Iraq war; "I have
indicated it is not in conformity with the UN charter.
From our point of view, from the charter point of view,
it was illegal."
- Illegal and "illegitimate”.
Bibliography
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http://www.worldology.com/Iraq/iraq_war.htm
Bellamy, Alex, “Ethics and Intervention: The ‘Humanitarian
Exception’ and the Problem of Abuse in the Case of Iraq” 2004
Journal of Peace Research, vol. 41, no. 2, 2004, pp. 131–147
Roth, Kenneth, “Was the Iraq War a Humanitarian
Intervention?” Journal of Military Ethics,Vol. 5, No. 2, 84/92,
2006
Thakur, Ramesh, “Iraq and the Responsibility to Protect”
GLOBAL DIALOGUE Volume 7 ● Number 1–2 ●
Winter/Spring 2005
Weiss, Thomas, “The Sunset of Humanitarian Intervention? The
Responsibility to Protect in a Unipolar Era” Security Dialogue
vol. 35, no. 2, June 2004
Wheeler, Nicholas, “The Bush Doctrine: The Dangers of
American Exceptionalism in a Revolutionary Age.” Asian
Perspective, Vol 7, No.4, 2003
Etc, etc