By Nazario Rodriguez Jr.
Horizon news staff

HOW long will the United States win its war on terror? How many more civilian casualties will the international media count in Iraq? How many more families of fallen GI’s will suffer the consequences? How many more money will the US pour into its Armed Forces to make bombs? How many more Iraqi bombs will explode? How many more women and children will die in the war zones? How many more media people will be caught in the crossfire? Ever since the United States and its close allies like Britain and Australia started their so-called war on terror in Iraq and other parts of Asia, we’ve always been concerned about the innocent civilians that include women and children who are the real victims, dead or alive. What future will these children have?
Killing in Iraq or in Lebanon or in other war-ravaged countries in Asia and Africa has become a way of everyday life. And that really stabs the heart.
According to recent reports from international media, over 3,000 American soldiers and servicemen have already been killed while casualties from the other side had been estimated by the hundreds of thousands, which no doubt include children and women.
As it is now happening, the execution of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein would not end hostilities between sectarians in Iraq. Instead it sparked further violence. Who are we to blame the Iraqi people to fire their own guns against the Americans? Who are we to blame them explode bombs? Are they not in the middle of a war, a war of their own against foreign invaders? Aren’t those Iraqi people have their rights too to defend their own land from being robbed by multinational companies, who are supported by US armed forces in the guise of war on terror?
Isn’t the US playing the same divide and rule tactic that it used to quell Nationalist movements in South America and Asia?
We may be wrong, but the execution of Saddam gives a warning to leaders of other countries that are critical of US policies like Iran, Lebanon and North Korea.
But the real issues now is that how would the United Nations would be able to put pressure on the US to prevent more casualties.
There is an ongoing political debate between the Democratic and Republicans over the increasing unpopularity of the war in Iraq. But whether one is on what sides of the political fence, US policies over Iraq would not change.
It seemed that the Republicans are just using the issue to attack the Democratic and there is no real vision by the US on how to stop the war in Iraq by going through a more humanitarian way than by the force of arms.
The real issues now are the respect for human rights that every citizen in Iraq so deserves.
We’ve been saying that we’re lucky enough here in Palau that such gory scenes like in the streets of Beirut and Baghdad. We’re just lucky that we go the open seas and catch fish on anytime of the day while hungry people in the war zones of Iraq and Beirut scourge for food in the dead of night.
Browse through the internet and read stories about women are raped and then killed. We’re just lucky enough really.