Shiraz Maher
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, has called on the international community to “give, and give generously” at a conference for the reconstruction of Iraq. He said that the rebuilding of Iraq would be a long-term challenge that will “require effort and engagement for many years.” Washington has estimated that around $30 billion in pledges will be needed ? although the final figure is expected to fall significantly short of this mark.
The tragic irony of Kofi Annan?s plea is that Iraq previously served as the cradle of the Islamic civilisation. In 750CE, Baghdad was the Capital of the Abassid Khilafah. Under Islam, Baghdad became not only a centre of power in the world, but also a world famous centre of learning, commerce, and culture producing pioneering works of scientific and literary culture. It was the intellectual peak of the world and many consider this the time, when Islam reached its zenith, the Golden Era of the Abassids.
Despite Saddam?s tyranny, the UN has also been pivotal in eroding Iraq?s great heritage. For over a decade, the UN ruthlessly enforced an American policy of sanctions which starved Iraq?s children, while extending a mandate to US and British forces to patrol the so called ?no fly zones.?
Saddam ran up foreign debts of between $95bn and $150bn, and the World Bank is set to loan $3bn ? 5$bn to help Iraq pay off some of these debts. However, the UN?s supposed gesture of goodwill will do little to alleviate Iraq?s real problems; it will only exacerbate them. Behind the UN agenda lies a very malicious tool of western imperialism ? Debt.
The debt tool, so frequently employed against developing nations, is a highly potent weapon of the West in breeding a dependency culture. With America now firmly in charge of Iraq’s wealth, it will no doubt take a massive portion of that wealth to pay for its “liberation efforts”, in addition to the ongoing costs of maintaining its oppressive occupation. In addition, American companies will charge overpriced contracts to carry out repairs to the infrastructure that the western nations accurately and keenly obliterated. All this will leave Iraq a poorer nation, depending on foreign aid and assistance to pay off an ever-growing debt burden.
There is no reason why Iraq should not go on to once again become a beacon of light for the whole earth. There is no reason why it will not once again rise to become a global centre of culture and excellence. Yet, whilst its economy and political system remains in the hands of the colonialists, there is little hope that it will ever be able to regenerate economic growth and become politically independent. It will never be able to utilise its resources to its own advantage.
"Verily, those who disbelieve spend their wealth to hinder (men) from the Path of Allah, and so they will continue to spend it; but in the end it will become an anguish for them. Then they will be defeated”.
The Holy Quran, Al-Anfal:36
Article courtesy of 1924.org
