22 June 2006

Australia: trampling on the dignity and sovereignty of Iraqis

"They are trampling on the dignity and sovereignty of Iraqis," Abdel Falah al-Sudani, a member of Parliament's dominant Shiite bloc, said on state television.

The minister lashed out at Australia after escorts guarding an embassy delegation that visited him at his Baghdad office shot dead one of his own guards and wounded several others.


Yes. The Iraqi people have no sovereignty. Iraq is under occupation by the Anglosphere. There is no other explanation. A country in which the representatives of a foreign power travel around with weapons and can shoot anyone they like. American soldiers and even "civilian contractors" (mercenaries—remember every time that you read or hear that ambiguous phrase that it means mercenaries, men trained, armed and licensed to kill, for money and nothing else) can basically kill anyone they like. Even including, in this case, the security entourage of an Iraqi minister. Imagine this. Of course, Iraq is dangerous, an this explains how the Australians came to murder this man. It's not just the homicide—it's what it means. Which is approximately nothing. The Australian 'Defence' Force "apologises". There's no question that they have to account for their actions, as they would have to do were they actually in Iraq not as invaders but as guests, or as friends.

Update: The Iraqi government is demanding compensation and threatening trade deals. And so they should. But it makes very clear their lack of sovereignty. Though this is notionally, allegedly their country, they cannot take direct action against the perpetrators, but rather only diplomatic-style sanctions against Australia per se! Incredibly, the whole incident is summed up perfectly by none other than Kim Beazley, leader of the loyal Australian opposition:
The point is this - we shouldn't be there.