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Women's Rights
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WomenMatter will continuously post updates on all this and other issues as we monitor the continuing philosophical and practical debates nationwide.
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Making Peace: The U.S. Attempts to Restore Relations with U.N. to Rebuild Iraq
Making peace in Iraq and making Iraq peaceful have proved to be more difficult than starting war. We were able to start a preemptive strike alone, but now we need the world’s help to control, rebuild and create a new balance in Iraq.
On September 3, 2003, the Bush administration distributed a proposal to the United Nations Security Council. The plan increases U.N. participation in the creation of a new Iraq.
Committed to Iraq
Peacekeeping and restructuring Iraq is dangerous and expensive. So Bush has dramatically changed his do it our way policy and is appealing to the U.N. to get other countries to contribute their funds and soldiers to the effort. Right now, the U.S. is footing the bill for Iraq reconstruction. And it’s costing us somewhere between $4 and $5 billion a month (different sources suggest different figures). Bush is planning to ask Congress for another $60-$80 billion for the next fiscal year. The Iraq effort is not even part of the budget that Congress passed.
Of course, money and effort towards Iraq means less money and effort towards projects at home. Our budget and deficit have been greatly affected by this war.
The Bush administration committed the United States to democratizing Iraq, perhaps without fully realizing the size and weight of the project. Asking for other nations’ help is their new strategy for lightening that commitment.
Before battle…
The U.S. government decided to recreate Iraq without foreign aid or U.N. backing. The administration felt that it was essential to move quickly, to attack Iraq and dismantle the Hussein regime before it increased in strength.
When Bush gave Saddam Hussein an ultimatum (“step down in 48 hours or face war"), the world divided. Some countries, like England, Japan and Australia, applauded our decisiveness. Others, like France, Germany, and Mexico felt that we gave up on diplomacy too soon.
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder questioned the legitimacy of attacking without U.N. backing, and many other nations, like India, criticized the U.S. for protecting only U.S. interests, unilateralism, instead of common ones.
The U.S. ignored the criticism and the U.N. and decided to go ahead. The Bush administration claimed Iraq to be a serious threat with weapons of mass destruction. At that point, additional Americans felt that diplomacy had failed and that seizing Iraq was our best protection. Assuming, of course, that there was imminent danger from that regime/
After battle…
Although the U.S. alienated the international community by going to battle without their consent, the United Nations is willing to aid in the rebuilding.
However, France and Germany have rejected Bush’s September 3 draft proposal. They claim that it does not create an Iraqi government, which should be the main objective. France has also made it clear that the U.S. must share information and power with the U.N. if the U.N. is to share in the burden of reconstruction. The U.S. must win France’s approval because France is a permanent member of the Security Council, and can therefore veto any resolution.
Secretary of State Colin Powell says he welcomes France’s and Germany’s input. The September 3 proposal was recognized by all to be a first draft.
As it stands, the draft invites the U.N. to help in a variety of ways:
- The proposal calls for a multinational military force controlled by the U.N. but headed up by a U.S. general.
- Requests that the U.N. help equip and train an Iraqi police force.
- Suggests that the U.N., U.S. officials, and the Iraqi Governing Council (the temporary governing body appointed by the U.S.) work together to create a plan for the drafting of a new constitution and for democratic elections.
- Asks all U.N. member states to contribute funds to the Iraqi reconstruction effort.
- Pleads with Middle Eastern countries to help fight terrorism.
The final U.N. resolution on the rebuilding of Iraq will greatly impact the United States. It may ease our financial burden as well as the violence against American soldiers. If American soldiers were to be aided by U.N. forces, there would be greater numbers to prevent guerilla warfare. In addition, the face of reconstruction would change; it would shift from American to International.
Ironically, ignoring the United Nations when waging the war has made us dependent upon their approval and help now that the war is over. To some extent, the U.N.and world opinion is indirectly shaping U.S. domestic policy. And in another way, dramatically rejecting the U.N. and now turning to it for help has strengthened the U.N.
The level of international funding to Iraq affects the level of domestic funding to domestic projects. Since we are spending billions on Iraq, there is less to spend on other life issues, like healthcare. Now, our national security is threatened in a different way –through budget constraints created by the costs of war.
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Article Posted on: 9/8/2003
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