Once again, Iraq has become the focus of attention around the world on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war, which broke out on March 20, 2003.
A string of suicide bombings have occurred in Iraq recently on the one hand. The humanitarian situation in Iraq after the US-led invasion is still among the most critical in the world, the Committee of Red Cross (OCRC) said in a report titled "Iraq, No Let-up in the Humanitarian Crisis" issued on Monday, or March 17.
On the other hand, former US Vice-President Dick Cheney said Monday during his tour of Iraq that the United States will not pull out its forces in a hurry. Meanwhile, President George W. Bush also said in a recent speech that "my decision to remove Saddam Hussein was the correct decision."
General public and mainstream media in the United States have reacted vehemently and indignantly for days. Massive anti-war protests and demonstrations were held in Los Angeles and other major American cities on March 15 and, on the following day, both the New York Times and the Washington Post in their respective lengthy commentators' articles probed into the true purpose or motivation of the US government in launching the war as well as the U.S.' loss and gain in the war.
In a signed article, the Washington Post said there are two major objectives behind the US invasion of Iraq. First, some top political figures in the U.S. are closely connected to giant oil companies in the country, and they intentionally wanted to take the advantage of the war for the service of these firms and, secondly, they attempt to take hold of petroleum and gas resources in the Middle East so as to ensure the leading position of the U.S. in global affairs.
If facts are really as what the commentator's article says, the first objective seems to have materialized. The war has indeed enabled American oil firms to reap huge profits from the Middle East. At the spur of a number of factors since the outbreak of the war, noted the relevant statistics, crude oil price has risen more than three-fold, with the annual profits of several big oil firms shooting up to 121 billion US dollars from 40 billion dollars.
However, wherever there are gains there are losses, as the drastic rise in oil price poses a double-edged sword. When American oil giants make windfalls, ordinary taxpayers would suffer a great deal. Meanwhile, drastic oil price increase goes side by side with the weak US dollar and the sub-prime mortgage crisis, which together incline to slip the US economy into a recession, and this is something the new American conservative forces have not expected.
As for the issue on the stationing of American troops in Iraq to beef up its leading position around the globe, it has drawn more suspicion and doubts. Hefty rise in the global oil price has enabled such oil producing nations as Iran and Venezuela to profit substantially and amass more capital to vie with the U.S. Iran, in particular, reaped more profits. With the U.S. removal of the Saddam regime and the improvement of its ties with Iraq, Iran has exerted more influences in the Middle East, so that it can engage or maneuver with the U.S. on the nuclear enrichment program for a long period of time.
It seems that what one readily wants to get cannot necessarily be fulfilled, and the U.S.' loss in the war has been apparent. So far, some 4,000 American soldiers have been killed, and approximately 30,000 seriously wounded in this war – for absolutely nothing. Furthermore, It is estimated that the war, likely to cost the United States about 12 billion dollars a month, has been the most expensive war fought so far except for the World War II.
Even if the Iraq war will proceed with developments of the most ideal situation, it will possibly cost the U.S. additional 1.7 trillion US dollars by 2017. The US government has not hesitated to spend lavishly on the mammoth war while it is reluctant to cover medical bills for taxpayers, some critics acknowledged. Of course, most proportions of this huge sum would reflux into the hands of American arms dealers.
The US government launched the Iraq war on the charge that Iraq had developed weapons of mass destruction and had connection with al Qaeda five years ago. Ironically, five years later today, no evidence of nuclear or weapons of mass destruction has been found in Iraq. On March 13, the US Defense Department confirmed in a report that there was no direct connection between former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda.
At present, it is generally acknowledged that the United States has not only lost base of support in the Iraq war but it is obviously "losing points" in this war game.
By People's Daily Online and its author is Li Xuejiang, chief PD resident reporter in the United States
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