The Great Mirage

The British Medical Journal published a few days ago “Fifty years of violent war deaths from Vietnam to Bosnia: analysis of data from the world health survey programme”

In the study’s abstract, the conclusions read: “War causes more deaths than previously estimated, and there is no evidence to support a recent decline in war deaths.”

The lead researcher, Ziad Obermeyer, a research scientist at Brigham & Women's Hospital, in Boston, says:

"There is a notion in political thought that the number of deaths due to war has been declining in recent years," Obermeyer noted. "That is attributed to a lot of different things, but among them technological innovations like 'smart' bombs and different strategic priorities. This idea appears to be supported by media reports. But what we are finding is these reports are not a reflection of reality." Contemporary media reports of deaths are not to be fully trusted, Obermeyer added. "The reason we should be skeptical of media reports is that they are subject to political pressures and cannot always be verified," he said. "These numbers can be pushed up or down, depending upon what kind of political pressure is being exerted."

Now, compare and contrast this with what John Sloboda, executive director of the Oxford Research Group and founder of Iraq Body Count said on 17 March 2008 at “Is a Just War Possible?”, a conference held at Cumberland Lodge:

“How many people have died in Iraq since the 2003 invasion? No-one knows how many have died in Iraq, not even the governments concerned, because their efforts to find out have ranged from half-hearted to non-existent. (…) It has been largely left to citizen initiatives to enact the moral imperative here implied, such as the volunteer Iraq Body Count (IBC) project, which has accumulated details on nearly 90,000 publicly documented deaths to date. Last week (beginning 9 March), another 352 were added to that meticulously compiled total, built from day-by-day scanning of the outputs of hundreds of press and media sources. More imprecise, sample-based surveys carried out in different ways and at different times have provided estimates ranging all the way up to 1.2 million.
The sheer weight of numbers overwhelms and numbs us. As Joseph Stalin is believed to have said, “One death is a tragedy; a million is a statistic”. Losing the details of individual victims behind anonymous and easily disputed “expert estimates” dehumanises them, and contributes to a growing indifference to the truth. Iraqi dead have simply “ceased to count” for many of us.” [PDF Link]

Mr. Sloboda could hardly be more misleading, could he? Iraq Body Count has been continuously quoted by the warmongers - Bush’s “30,000, more or less”, remember? - and the state-corporate media; even more disgracefully, IBC is also been the darling of the Western so-called anti-war movement, its think-tanks and alternative media. The hypocrisy is overwhelming!

Just two recent examples – among many – of this deadly hypocrisy.

Robert Fisk, known as the best British reporter, wrote a few days ago, “tens of thousands dead in Iraq”, when the best estimates tell us that the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq, the Nuremberg’s supreme international crime, may have slaughtered well over 1.2 million Iraqi citizens.

Why does Robert of Arabia, the Middle East correspondent of the British Independent, keep deceiving his readers on the most important point of the most outrageous scandal of our times, the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq?

In a recent correspondence with Human Rights Watch, I was told: “We do not do any numbers on this, as it would be just guessing – no one really knows how many have died.”

Human Rights Watch’s hypocrisy is nauseating if only one considers the efforts they put for well over a decade in promoting the story of Saddam’s genocide against his own people. The propaganda is thick and repeated as a mantra; for a different take, here some material you may want to read:

A Glimpse of The Past: A War Crime or an Act of War?
Stephen C. Pelletiere – NYTimes

Report Suppressed: Iran Gassed Kurds, Not Iraq
Raju Thomas, Times of India

Saddam Hussein Did Not Commit Genocide
Jude Wanniski

What Happened at Halabja?
Jude Wanniski

In Defense of Saddam Hussein
Jude Wanniski

In Defense of 'Chemical Ali'
Jude Wanniski

Human Rights Watch had a leading role in the Empire’s propaganda to brainwash the public opinion both in the preparation for the invasion of Iraq (and after, in normalizing its occupation) and, more broadly, in selling the oxymoronic “humanitarian interventions”. Read for example:

Human Rights Watch in Service to the War Party

Lynching Saddam – Part 7: the Myth of Human Rights

Watching Human Rights Watch
Open Letter to Kenneth Roth, Executive Director Human Rights Watch

We live inside the Great Mirage, the most sophisticated illusion-machine ever created by humankind: a ruthless, immoral, greedy global empire of Anglo-American flavour, hidden behind a façade of liberalism and fake opposition. In these hours the machine is working to serve the next delusion, Barack Obama, with the complicity of the self-deluded Lib-Left, because – as an Italian wrote last century – "Everything has to change so that nothing changes".

The Anti-war.com’s Midsummer Night's Dream

The Anti-war.com’s Midsummer Night's Dream

To celebrate the summer solstice, Ivan Eland, the director of the Center on Peace & Liberty at the Independent Institute, wrote a romantic comedy published by Antiwar.com, titled “Lessons for Iraq from the Former Yugoslavia”.

Eland writes:

“Unfortunately, in the 1990s, violence during Yugoslavia's break up tended to be directly proportional to the ethno-sectarian diversity of the geographical entity. Slovenia – the most ethnically, religiously, culturally, and linguistically homogeneous of the former Yugoslav states – had the least violence during the disintegration. After a war of independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 that lasted only 10 days and killed only 70 people, Slovenia has flourished politically and economically. In contrast, in the more ethnically and religiously diverse Croatia, severe violence occurred in its subsequent war of independence. Even worse, the most ethnically and religiously heterogeneous piece of geography in the former Yugoslavia – Bosnia – had a brutal civil war with the worst atrocities committed in Europe since World War II.”

Like in every comedy, there must be some humor. Here you go:

“The Western powers, led by the United States, became involved and forced the parties into the uneasy Dayton peace accord. The primary reason that Bosnia has not exploded into renewed civil war since the 1990s is the Dayton accord's creation of a decentralized Bosnian state. Such a governing arrangement allows each group – the Serbs, the Croats, and the Muslims – to have autonomous governance and a veto over decisions by the weak central government. The structure is not perfect, but it has helped prevent further eruptions of ethno-sectarian carnage.”

In other words, the barbarians were helped by the generous Western powers who “became involved” to bring about peace. Of course that is exactly what happened; the NATO and the US’ role was precisely that one. No doubt about that!

For a “slightly” different reading of what happened then in Yugoslavia, please read: The Dismantling of Yugoslavia: A Study in Inhumanitarian Intervention (and a Western Liberal-Left Intellectual and Moral Collapse) written by Edward S. Herman and David Peterson

Now, back to the Anti-war.com’s Midsummer Night's Dream. Barbarians in Yugoslavia, barbarians in Iraq. Thank God the world can count on Uncle Sam and its many nephews, always so enlightened and generous of brilliant ideas. Eland gives us the solution for Iraq:

“Given Iraq's history of one group dominating the central government machinery – the Sunnis – and using it to oppress the other groups – the Kurds and the Shi'a – [ALERT: you’re reading PROPAGANDA] the groups will likely eventually fight over any significant central government power. Thus, to prevent an all-out civil war when the United States finally pulls its finger out of the dike and withdraws its military forces from the country, the power of the Iraqi government will probably have to be reduced to a weak confederation of autonomous regions based on voluntary tribal or ethno-sectarian associations. And even then, the best Iraq can probably hope for is uneasy stability – similar to that afforded to Bosnia by its weak confederation.”

Back to reality. The US illegal invasion and occupation is responsible for the Iraq genocide, including the sectarian violence and the ethnic cleansing occurred AFTER THAT INVASION. The myth [the bad Sunni oppressing Kurds and Shi’a] on which the Antiwar.com’s author builds his shameful proposal [the partition of Iraq], is just one of the many propaganda tools the Empire sold its ruthless adventure. [Just out of curiosity, have you noticed that since the 2003 US-led invasion-occupation of that country, Iraq’s citizens are not called Iraqis anymore but Muslims or Christians, Sunni or Shi’a, Arabs or Kurds? Interesting, isn’t it?].

This is the so-called anti-war movement in the West. The old Zionist dream, the partition of Iraq – probably the real, initial goal of the 2003 illegal invasion and occupation – is now sold to the brainwashed Western audiences with an antiwar label on it.

Of course it’s difficult to get rid of this white-man syndrome, especially the Anglo-Saxon variety; the very core of imperialism and colonialism, this racist idea that nourishes even in the best intentioned minds: teaching these inferior races how to live their lives and run their business. Ivan Eland and Antiwar.com should maybe consider if instead a better idea could be the partition of the United States of Amnesia. This planet (including the vast majority of the US citizens) would surely live much better. And in peace, at last!

HAPPY DAYS - Part I: Human Rights Watch's Amnesia

Part I - Human Rights Watch's Amnesia: An e-mail exchange with Human Rights Watch's John H. Biaggi - Acting Director Human Rights Watch International Film Festival

Dear John Biaggi,

I’m sure you’re very busy with the HRW Film Festival these days, but there is an urgent matter I’d kindly like you to consider.

I’ve just read in the Village Voice an article that reads:

The body count at the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival rivals any in Hollywood's summer shoot-'em-ups: 400,000 killed in Laos; 250,000 slaughtered in Chechnya; 40,000 murdered in Chad; 3,000 Chileans disappeared under Pinochet; 1,000 Lebanese felled by Israeli bombs. Now add Iraq to the equation—some 90,000 violent civilian deaths and counting, according to IraqBodyCount.org—and you have a serious accounting of carnage, both past and present, reflected at this year's 19th annual event. [The Political Is Personal at the Human Rights Watch Fest. Putting a human face on global atrocity. by Anthony Kaufman June 3rd, 2008]

From the article I don’t understand if the figures about Iraq taken from Iraq Body Count has been adopted by HRW or it was just an insert from the Village Voice’s journalist.

As you surely know, the best estimates indicate the real figure is likely in excess of one million dead. I’m sending here below some resources I hope can be useful both to Human Rights Watch Film Festival and to the press.

Thank you and good luck with the festival.

Best wishes,
Gabriele Zamparini

Useful resources:

Iraq: the Human Cost

Updated Iraq Survey Affirms Earlier Mortality Estimates

ORB Update on Iraqi Casualty Data

Answers to Questions About Iraq Mortality Surveys

Counting Iraqi Casualties -- and a Media Controversy

What is the real death toll in Iraq?

Iraqi deaths survey 'was robust'

***

Hi Gabriele,

All the figures in this article are entirely the journalists, not HRW figures. Thanks for pointing this out.

Regards,
-John

***

Hi John,

Thank you for your quick reply. I appreciate it, especially knowing how busy you must be in these days with the HRW film festival.

The Village Voice’s article is indeed misleading. I wrote to them but I didn’t get any reply.

If I can abuse of your time and kindness for just one more question, do you know if HRW has an official position on the death toll in the Iraq war? Or can you please tell me to whom I may ask this question within HRW? I really would appreciate your help a lot.

Thank you very much – and by the way, I’m truly a great admirer of your festival which I think is really the best, more intelligent film festival running today.

Best wishes,
Gabriele

***

Hi Gabriele,

I’m asking around, will hopefully come back with a person here who can answer your question.

Thanks for the kind words about the festival!
-John

***

Got a response. We do not do any numbers on this, as it would be just guessing – no one really knows how many have died.
-J

***

Thanks John,

Sorry to bother you again with this, but I don’t understand. In 2006 a study was published in the British medical journal The Lancet. The Washington Post reported at the time:

Ronald Waldman, an epidemiologist at Columbia University who worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for many years, called the survey method "tried and true," and added that "this is the best estimate of mortality we have."

This viewed was echoed by Sarah Leah Whitson, an official of Human Rights Watch in New York, who said, "We have no reason to question the findings or the accuracy" of the survey.

"I expect that people will be surprised by these figures," she said. "I think it is very important that, rather than questioning them, people realize there is very, very little reliable data coming out of Iraq."

I sent you the the following important links in a previous e-mail:

Iraq: the Human Cost

Updated Iraq Survey Affirms Earlier Mortality Estimates

ORB Update on Iraqi Casualty Data

Answers to Questions About Iraq Mortality Surveys

Counting Iraqi Casualties -- and a Media Controversy

What is the real death toll in Iraq?

Iraqi deaths survey 'was robust'

Frankly, I’m really surprised by your reply. Is that the official position of HRW? This is quite a delicate matter, so I’d like to be sure I understand correctly.

Thank you again for your time and kindness.

Best wishes,
Gabriele

***

The correspondence ends here since I haven't got any further reply from Human Rights Watch. But please stay tuned! More on Human Rights Watch and the Brave New Empire in HAPPY DAYS - Part II

Robert Fisk keeps deceiving you

Dear Editors of CommonDreams,

You have today reposted an article from the UK Independent by Robert Fisk

Disgracefully, in his article Robert Fisk writes: “tens of thousands dead in Iraq”.

I have no illusions whatsoever that the corporate Independent may consider to issue a correction and have no interest in speculating why Fisk keeps ignoring the Iraq’s reality and deceiving his readers.

However I still hope CommonDreams may respect at least the memory of those Iraqis killed by our governments. Once again I urge you to issue a formal, visible correction of this dreadful charade of journalism.

When the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq, the Nuremberg’s supreme international crime, may have slaughtered well over 1.2 million Iraqi citizens, Fisk’s words equal genocide denial.

Thank you

Kind regards,
Gabriele Zamparini
http://thecatsdream.com

P.S. ONCE AGAIN! Here some useful resources:

Iraq: the Human Cost

Updated Iraq Survey Affirms Earlier Mortality Estimates

ORB Update on Iraqi Casualty Data

Answers to Questions About Iraq Mortality Surveys

Counting Iraqi Casualties -- and a Media Controversy

What is the real death toll in Iraq?

Iraqi deaths survey 'was robust'