The following is an archived copy of a message sent to a Discussion List run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
Views expressed in this archived message are those of the author, not of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
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The BBC have systematically avoided references to the relatively very good state of Iraq's welfare and economic state prior to the invasion of Kuwait. This has been followed by a over a decade of largely ignoring or dismissing the effects of sanctions. Most of their news focus was on demonising Saddam and 'the regime' in a very much black and white way. Very little mention was made of the Baath party before the invasion. Now Baathist has become the latest dirty word on the BBC. The current line is to refer to 'neglect' when trying to explain away the appalling conditions to be found in Iraq. Exposing the effects of sanctions is important not only to help people be more sceptical when people like Blair and Straw talk about 'helping the Iraqi people' in order to get UN oversight of the transition but also to try and persuade the guilty governments to cough up much more money and help without needing to control Iraq. Exposing the condition of Iraq and Iraqis before the first Gulf War is important in order to ensure that the US & UK continue coughing up money and help rather than set up a state where the vast majority of Iraqis live like many Americans and Brits expect to see Arabs living. Mark Parkinson Bodmin Cornwall _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk