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SammyD
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Iraq War - International Opinion of the People?
March 24, 2007 - 02:23 PM
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In light of the recent fourth anniversary of the Iraq War which set off countless protests internationally, there have been a couple important developments regarding the war:
1. A recent report by the investigative arm of Congress, called the Government Accountability Office, reports that looted munitions from the Hussein era, which the US failed to account for and secure at the beginning of the war, have accounted for over half the deaths of US soldiers.
To quote The Boston Globe:"The human, strategic, and financial costs of this failure to provide sufficient troops have been high, with [improvised explosives] made with looted munitions causing about half of all US combat fatalities and casualties in Iraq and killing hundreds of Iraqis," the report said.
The assessment ... found that Iraq remains awash in unsecured mortar rounds, shells, and grenades left over from the former regime and that "the looted munitions will likely continue to support terrorist attacks throughout the region."
As of the latest casualties, according to CNN 3,233 American soldiers and 258 soldiers from other countries had died. That means that this drastic, and preventable, error has caused some 1617 American deaths, 128 deaths of other soldiers and many, many Iraqi deaths.
2. The surge of American troops is accompanying a surge of violence. On this Saturday alone, more than 60 people were killed. The Iraq body count is now somewhere around 60,000 Iraqis.
3. The big three (US, UK, Australia) are all showing wavering support in regards to Iraq. Democrats in the House of Representatives recently passed a bill that included a timeline for withdrawal from the Iraq war, although, admittingly, it also throws another $124 billion at the war in Iraq and the war in Afghanistan. Bush, however, like Australian Prime Minister John Howard, remains committed the war, saying he will veto the resolution once it gets to him. Howard said on Thursday that Australian troops should stay in Iraq and that it would be wrong to set a timetable for departure but he is also way behind the opposition leader for next years election in polls. In the UK, Prime Minister Tony Blair, longtime supporter of President Bush and supporter of the Iraq war, announced last month that he would decrease the number of British troops in Iraq by almost one fourth.
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SammyD
Joined: Mar 23, 2007
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Re: Iraq War - International Opinion of the People?
March 24, 2007 - 02:23 PM
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Anyway, I am interested in how people feel internationally about the Iraq war, particularly in Australia and the United Kingdom. Of the three major countries involved in the Iraq war, it seems that Australia has least materialized its discontent with the war. Is this due to its lack of discontent or due to the stubbornness of Howard? Here in the US, one can definitely sense that public opinion has turned sharply against the war. Is the same true in Australia and the United Kingdom? Additionally, how does the media portray the war? While in the U.S. it was instrumental in influencing public opinion towards the war in the beginning (bordering on propaganda), I feel that now that most of it is against the war, or at least portrays it in a negative light. Finally, if the US pulls out, do you feel that that would force any remaining countries, such as Australia and the UK to do so as well?
Thanks for any responses in advance.
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Walker Calkins
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Re: Iraq War - International Opinion of the People?
March 24, 2007 - 06:15 PM
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HI SAM
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