"The Dogs of War"

President Bush used 9/11 to declare a War on Terror and subsequently attacked both Afghanistan and Iraq. The entire infrastructure of Iraq was destroyed by the US, including water systems, sewage systems, and electrical systems, (illegal according to the Geneva Convention). As the US does not keep civilian death statistics, the only attempt to determine civilian deaths was a study done by John Hopkins University, which determined the war resulted in the loss of about 100,000 innocent civilians. Additionally in the 10 year run-up to the war, the UN, at the insistence of the US, maintained the most brutal sanctions ever imposed on any nation, resulting in the loss of about one million innocent lives.

Now, as the horrible bombs explode in London, some are in shock. Did American administrations really think the world would just sit by idly and accept the deaths of 1.25 million innocent people without fighting back? Did you really believe that they would not seek revenge? Did we sit back passively after 9/11?

Although not reported by the media, those who claimed responsibility for the London bombings stated unequivocally, the attack was in retaliation for Britain’s role in the “massacres” in Iraq and Afghanistan, and for Britain’s role in supporting Israel at the expense of the Palestinians. This weekend Tony Blair admitted the Middle East conflict was one of the major causes of terrorism.

Attacking and occupying a nation, bringing pain, suffering and death to its people will guarantee retaliation. When Mr. Bush attacked Iraq, many experts cautioned: when you make war, “the dogs of war are unleashed.” He of course knew better.