Iraqi Voices


October 18, 2002

Best British Articles: Only the West can free us from Saddam
Yasser Alaskary
opendemocracy.com

As the Western world weighs up the pros and cons of attacking Iraq, says Iraqi dissident Yasser Alaskary, there's one thing no one seems interested in: how the Iraqis themselves feel about it. What those who call for peace fail to take into account is the 'continuous psychological oppression' inflicted on ordinary Iraqis by Saddam's regime. People are scared of letting their eyes drift in case they are seen looking at a picture of Saddam in a disapproving manner. Whole towns are wiped out within hours if anyone is found opposing the government. It is no good arguing that if Iraqis want regime change they should instigate it themselves - over half a million Iraqis have died trying to do so. An attack on Iraq might kill thousands of innocents, but it would still be the lesser of two evils. The alternative is 'for another million Iraqis to be slaughtered' by Saddam, and for the whole nation to continue to suffer. The 'moral and ethical grounds' for enforced regime change are 'indisputable'.

You can find this online at http://www.iprospect.org.uk/mmtw18oct.php