iraq
news and reports
Iraq: 'Strategic failure' in Iraq and Afghanistan
Withdraw the troops now
Editorial from The Socialist, Friday 20 July 2007
Iraq: Bush continues his dangerous blunder
"The most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since Vietnam".
The Socialist, Thursday 18 January 2007
Iraq: Bloody chaos in Iraq shatters US war strategy
In less than a week the Bush and Blair administrations have been forced into humiliating public retreats over their Iraq policy.
Kevin Simpson, Committee for a Workers International, London, Wednesday 25 October 2006
Iraq: Anti-war demonstrations - Belgium, Netherlands
Protests in Brussels and Amsterdam
Marijke Descamps and Bas de Ruiter, Thursday 23 March 2006
Iraq: Is there a way out of the Iraq quagmire?
A 'Pandora's Box of sectarian conflict'
Ken Smith, Socialist Party, England and Wales, Saturday 18 March 2006
Iraq: Teetering on the edge of all out civil war
Sectarian militias on the streets as US imperialism’s disastrous policies are exposed
Kevin Simpson, cwi, London, Monday 27 February 2006
Iraq: Sectarianism strengthened
Does anyone still say this is not a quagmire? From Socialism Today.
Manny Thain, Socialist Party, London, Friday 27 January 2006
Iraq: Anger grows at brutal occupation
60% of Americans think 'blood shed' in Iraq is not worth it.
Editorial from The Socialist, Sunday 27 November 2005
Iraq: New Constitution will not bring peace or prosperity
Constitution passed but nightmare remains
Tanja Niemeier, CWI, Wednesday 2 November 2005
Iraq: Women's rights pushed back
Increasing attacks on women's lives, their rights and conditions
Jane James, Socialist Party, Monday 24 October 2005
Iraq: The tragedy of Baghdad
1000 Shia pilgrims killed in Iraq’s bloodiest day
Peter Taaffe, Socialist Party, Wednesday 7 September 2005
Iraq: After the constitutional stitch-up…
The fragmentation of Iraq?
Lynn Walsh, editor, Socialist Today, Monday 5 October 2005
Iraq: Deeper in the quagmire
No-one believed US vice-president Dick Cheney when he said the Iraqi insurgency was in its "last throes".
Judy Beishon, Friday 1 July 2005
Iraq: Occupation and the resistance
Two years ago, the US regime promised a short war to 'liberate' Iraq - 'operation shock and awe'.
Manny Thain, Socialist Party, Sunday 20 March 2005
Iraq: Imperialisms continuing bloodshed threatens sectarian break-up
cwi comment and analysis.
Tony Saunois, cwi, London, Friday 18 February 2005
Iraq: Iraq's post-election - problems grow
Mass movement of working-class and oppressed masses needed
From The Socialist, Friday 18 February 2005
Iraq: Nothing resolved by Iraqi elections
How can democratic election take place under the guns of a foreign occupation force?
Editorial from The Socialist, 7 February 2005
Iraqi elections: Debacle facing US and British imperialism
The bloody war in Iraq led by US imperialism worsens every day as the death toll mounts and the country plunges deeper into civil war and ethnic and religious clashes.
Tony Saunois, Secretary of the cwi, 21 January 2005
Iraq: Elections - but no peace or democracy
Suicide attacks becoming a daily occurrence
Chris Thomas, 9 January 2005
Iraq: US plans crumble in Iraq
"IT IS a mess in Iraq"
Editorial from The Socialist, 14 December 2004
Iraq: Withdraw the troops
Socialists counterpose the policies of mass resistance by the working class and the small farmers of Iraq to the policies of kidnapping and suicide bombings - conducted by small and unrepresentative groups acting 'on behalf of the Iraqi people'.
Editorial from The Socialist, 16 October 2004
Iraq: Tony Blair declares a new war
Capitalist commentators call for withdrawal
Editorial from The Socialist, 23 September 2004
Iraq: US imperialism weakened further
The dreams of the US right-wing 'neo-cons' lie in tatters on the battlefields of Iraq. One of the only certainties in the turmoil of Iraq is that imperialism's occupation is doomed to failure.
From The Socialist, 3 September 2004
Iraqi Kurds: Waiting for another betrayal?
Imperialism will never solve national question it created
Tim Lessels, Socialist Party, England and Wales, Wednesday 4 August 2004
Iraq: White House tries its creature Saddam
Saddam Hussein appeared in court on 1 July and was charged with a list of crimes.
Kevin Parslow, 12 July 2004
Early 'handover' reveals White House crisis
New 'Iraqi regime' will not end imperialist occupation
Robert Bechert, cwi, 1 July 2004
Workers’ struggles – historic and today
Links to three articles on www.uslaboragainstwar.org
Compiled by Hugh Caffrey, England and Wales Socialist Party, 24 June 2004
A transition to discontent?
Political discontent and violence growing
From The Socialist, 21 June 2004
"Democracy" arranged
It is the US presidential election campaign which is governing US policy half a world away in Iraq.
Editorial from the latest issue of the Socialist, newspaper of the Socialist Party in England and Wales.
Update on workers’ conditions and labour protests
Compiled by Hugh Caffrey
socialistworld.net, 7 June 2004
Iraq after 30 June: Old occupation, new face
Deep crisis for US imperialism and Bush
Per-Åke Westerlund, CWI Sweden., 3 June 2004
Sinking deeper into the Iraq quagmire
The photos that lost Bush the war
Editorial from The Socialist, 18 May 2004
"Multiple insurrections" are a turning point
“Bush’s Vietnam” conflict worsens
Peter Taaffe, CWI, 14 April 2004
one year on: From bad to worse
Women in occupied Iraq
Jessica Moore, Socialist Alternative, US, 1 April 2004
Protest against occupation and for workers’ rights
An update on workers’ struggles
Compiled by Hugh Caffrey, 31 March 2004
one year on: World wide protests against occupation
Reports part 2. Brazil, Canada, CIS, Sweden and New Zealand. Pictures.
Socialistworld.net, Monday 22 March 2004, 23 March 2004
one year on: World wide protests against occupation
Reports from CWI participants, from Japan to New Zealand to New York…
Pictures.
Socialistworld.net, 22 March 2004
one year on: Kick out the Warmongers
For a socialist alternative
Text of Socialist Party leaflett, 22 March 2004
one year on: Ending the US-led occupation
Is it possible and what will follow?
Niall Mulholland, cwi, 19 March 2004
Fear of civil war as Shia bury their dead
Hatred of imperialist occupation intensifies
Karl Debbaut, CWI, Friday 5 March 2004
Stark choices in Iraq
Bush faces increasingly organised Iraqi opposition
Robert Bechert, cwi, 28 February 2004
Still no Exit sign
Celebrations by Bush and Blair at Saddam’s capture were brief.
Robert Bechert, cwi, 27 January 2004
occupation: Grim reality hits US leaders
US DEPUTY defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz gets a taste of Iraqi realities.
Dave Carr, 31 October 2003
27 September global protests against occupation
Dozens of demonstrations and took place across the world last weekend to protest against the imperialist occupation of Iraq.
cwi online, 29 September 2003
Worldwide protests demand: End Occupation Now!
International demonstrations on February 27, in around 40 countries, will see hundreds of thousands protesting against the occupation of Iraq
Robert Bechert, CWI, 27 September 2003
After imperialist conquest: What way forward for the Iraqi working class?
A socialist contribution from the Socialist Party (England and Wales) and the CWI.
CWI, 8 September 2003
Iraq/Afghanistan Occupying forces face hostility
The British military in Basra, Iraq's second biggest city, is under attack.
From The Socialist, England and Wales, 22 August 2003
Opposition to US/UK occupation mounts
The death of Saddam Hussein's sons has not stopped attacks on coalition forces.
Dave Carr, from The Socialist, 25 July 2003
Bush's Vietnam
US secretly building two giant intelligence facilities in Iraq
Stephen Boyd, from Socialist Voice, 22 July 2003
Who's winning the war of occupation?
Rosy outlook lasted barely one month.
From The Socialist, 4 July 2003
Occupiers, privatisers and exploiters
Dozens of state-owned industries ear-marked for privatisation.
From The Socialists, 15 June 2003
After Saddam The chaos of imperialist occupation
Six articles from a special feature in The Socialist.
CWI online, 26 May 2003
Capitalism means war and terror
AS THE war against Iraq drew to a close, an opinion poll in Britain found that a majority of people, including those who supported the war, thought it would make the world a more dangerous and unstable place to live.
Editorial from The Socialist, 23 May 2003
The occupation of Iraq
SADDAM’S REGIME HAS crumbled under the impact of the US-British invasion, though fierce, sporadic fighting continues in Baghdad and other cities.
Editorial from Socialism Today, 17 April 2003
The chaotic aftermath of war
LAST WEEK, Bush and Blair were celebrating their 'victory' over Iraq.
Editorial from The Socialist, 16 April 2003
War and reconstruction, the lessons of the Balkans, Timor and Afghanistan
Following its bloody conquest of Iraq, the US administration is now attempting to impose a ‘reconstruction’ plan on the broken country.
CWI online, 16 April 2003
The endgame
THE WAR on Iraq has entered its end stage. Overwhelming US military might has broken the back of Iraqi military resistance on the ground.
Editorial from The Socialist, 10 April 2003
Italy 2 April – one million workers struck against war
One million members of seven different ‘unions of the base’ in Italy went on strike for eight hours last Wednesday, 2 April, to say no to war.
Clare Doyle, CWI, 9 April 2003
Revisiting Vietnam
"People say to me, you (the Iraqis) are not the Vietnamese. You have no jungles and swamps to hide in. I reply, ‘Let our cities be our swamps and our buildings our jungles’." (Tariq Aziz, Iraqi deputy prime minister.)
Peter Taaffe, CWI, 4 April 2003
Powell's speech deepens capitalist splits
US IMPERIALISM is paying for this war, unlike in the 1990-91 Gulf War when other countries financially under-wrote US war plans and paid for nine-tenths of it.
From The Socialist
Opposing the imperialist war
WHEN THE military chiefs and politicians feel the need to come onto the TV and insist that everything is going to plan in the war against Iraq, and that everyone is united, you know that the exact opposite is true.
Editorial from The Socialist, 3 April 2003
Bush's peace plan: Road to nowhere
GEORGE BUSH'S "road map" to a political settlement of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, supposedly leading to a Palestinian state by 2005, is a cynical exercise in placating Arab opinion while US forces invade and occupy Iraq.
From The Socialist, 30 March 2003.
EU "Don't mention the war!"
The Swedish Social Democratic government is now attempting to lead the protest against the war in order to derail it.
Per-Åke Westerlund, Rättvisepartiet Socialisterna (CWI Sweden), 30 March 2003
The ‘reconstruction’ of Iraq – lessons of the Balkans
At the same time as massacring Iraqi people and destroying infrastructure, US/British imperialist spokespeople claim they only want to "liberate" Iraq and to "rebuild" the shattered country.
CWI Online, 29 March 2003
Step up action against this bloody war
AS WE go to press, the battle for Baghdad seems about to begin.
Editorial from The Socialist. 28 March 2003
Where next for the anti-war movement
SO THE 'liberation' of the Iraqis is beginning - with massive carpet bombing.
Three articles from The Socialist, 20 March 2003.
US war marks a new world era
Below, in ten points, is an edited version of an article by Per-Åke Westerlund, which looks at the new world era ushered in by US imperialist aggression and war.
CWI Online, 18 March 2003
No war for oil – US and British troops out of the Gulf
We are now only hours away from a bloody imperialist onslaught against the people of Iraq.
CWI Online, 18 March 2003
Britain: Stop work to stop the war
DESPITE THE biggest demonstration in the history of Britain and unprecedented anti-war protests, Blair is determined to go to war with Iraq over the next few days.
Editorial from The Socialist, 13 March 2003
Opposition to war grows in Chile
The opposition to the US war plans has increased in Chile in the past weeks.
CWI online
European TUC calls for action on 14 March
A call for work stoppages throughout Europe to protest against the war at midday on Friday 14 March was made by the European Trade Union Congress.
Clare Doyle, CWI, 10 March 2003.
"Third rate forgery"
The closer war approaches the more intense Bush and Blair’s propaganda becomes.
Robert Bechert, CWI, 10 March 2003.
Russia and the Iraq crisis
Russian president Putin almost gloated on the TV after the attack on the twin towers in New York.
Rob Jones, Moscow, 10 March 2003
US cranks up war machine
THE FIRST phase of the US-led war against Iraq has started. American and British warplanes have stepped up their bombing of Iraqi defences in the 'no-fly zones', targeting surface-to-surface missile batteries.
From The Socialist, paper of the Socialist Party, CWI in England and Wales. 9 March 2003.
Mass action needed to stop war
THE HUGE parliamentary revolt last week against Blair's war plans was all the more remarkable given that the Tory party officially lined up behind Blair and the payroll vote of Labour ministers and parliamentary secretaries - Blair's Human Shield - were obliged to vote for the government's motion.
From The Socialist, paper of the Socialist Party, CWI in England and Wales. 8 March 2003.
Turkey, US imperialism and the popular anti-war mood
The Bush administration suffered a serious blow to its war plans against Iraq after the Turkish parliament rejected a draft law allowing the deployment of some 62,000 US troops to Turkish bases.
Niall Mulholland, CWI, 7 March 2003
Step up action against the war
AFTER THE magnificent events of 15 February, many hoped that worldwide demonstrations of tens of millions would halt the warmongers Bush and Blair in their tracks.
From The Socialist, paper of the Socialist Party, 3 March 2003
War, occupation and aftermath
The US has mobilised a massive war machine, poised for an invasion of Iraq. Lynn Walsh, 2 March 2003
A human tide against the war
In an elemental tide of protest against US preparations to attack Iraq, millions marched against war on 15 February, an estimated 30 million in 600 cities.
Editorial from the March edition of Socialism Today, monthly journal of the Socialist Party. 27 February 2003.
John Pilger investigation condemns UN sanctions as "genocide"
Iraq has been cruelly burdened with UN imposed sanctions for 14 years.
Niall Mulholland, CWI, 26 February 2003
Italy A week of strikes and blockades against war
Last week-end saw dramatic scenes of direct action in Italy to stop the movement of US military supplies in the country.
Clare Doyle, CWI, 25 February 2003.
EU ‘Unity’ over war lasts twenty-seven minutes
The emergency summit of the EU last Monday ended in a show of ‘unity’, which lasted all of twenty-seven minutes, according to the Swedish daily, Aftonbladet.
Per-Åke Westerlund and Niall Muholland, 21 February 2003
No to war US Congressman proposes re-instating the Draft
"If our great country becomes involved in an all-out war, the sacrifice must be shared. In that regard, I am preparing legislation to authorise instatement of the universal draft and other forms of mandatory national service."
Eljeer Hawkins, Socialist Alternative (CWI in US), Harlem, New York, 20 February 2003
United States Mayor Bloombery bans NY anti-war march
Mayor Bloomberg’s administration in New York (and the Bush administration standing behind the Republican city boss) has shown their true ‘democratic’ colours by banning the right to march and protest against the war on Iraq.
Socialist Alternative members in New York, 14 February 2003
Italy No war for oil - No war for profits.
A broadsheet [in Italian] produced by the Italian group of the Committee for a Workers’ International - ‘Lotta per il socialismo’ - for the mass anti-war protest in Rome on 15 February.
CWI Online, 14 Ferbuary 2003
United States The arrogance of the US Empire
Colin Powell presented his speech to the UN Security Council on 5 February 2003.
Tony Saunois, London, CWI, 14 February 2003
Portugal Trade union and anti-war protests shake right wing government
One week after 60,000 workers and youth went onto the streets of Lisbon as part of a struggle for jobs, decent wages and to stop the bosses’ offensive, many thousands of workers and youth we will be on the march again on 15 February in demos.
Francisco, Lisbon, 14 February 2003
Special anti-war issue of The Socialist
The Socialist Party in England and Wales (CWI) has published a special anti-war issue of its weekly paper, The Socialist, to sell at the enormous protest in London this coming weekend.
CWI online
Blair caught lying (again) over links between Iraq and al-Qa’eda
In a speech before the House of Commons last week, Tony Blair said, "we do know of links between al-Qaeda and Iraq – we cannot be sure of the exact extent of these links".
Karl Debbaut, CWI, 6 Ferbuary 2003
US threatens "nuclear option"
The US administration is discussing the possible use of nuclear weapons against the people of Iraq.
Niall Mulholland, London, 3 February 2003
United States: Saddam - Made in the USA
How the Reagan/Bush Sr. administrations backed Saddam
Jeff Moore, Socialist Alternative, CWI in the US
No to war in Iraq Blood for oil
A US-led war against Iraq will have enormous, political, social and economic repercussions in the Middle East and throughout the world.
Roger Shrives and Manny Thain, Socialist Party, England and Wales. 31 January 2003
"Cenários humanitários prováveis". As consequências devastadoras de uma guerra
Um documento tornado público na última terça-feira por um grupo de estudante britânicos, da "Campanha contra Sanções no Iraque" revelou que cerca de 500,000 iraquianos poderiam ser feridos e requer tratamento médico se os Estados Unidos e seus aliados lançarem uma guerra. O grupo obteve um relatório confidencial das Nações Unidas sobre "Planos de contingência".
Por Karl Debbaut, Londres, Tradução portuguesa de Francisco Raposo, 18 January 2003.
US hawks plan "pre-emptive" strike
In the light of Hans Blix and the weapons inspectors' report that there is no "smoking gun" or conclusive evidence of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq, the prospect of an immediate war against Iraq by the Bush regime appeared to have receded.
Peter Taaffe. An edited and updated version of this article will appear in the February edition of Socialism Today, journal of the Socialist Party, the CWI's affiliate in England and Wales. 15 January 2003
"Likely humanitarian scenarios" - The devastating consequences of a war
A document made public last Tuesday by a British student group 'Campaign against Sanctions on Iraq' revealed that as many as 500,000 people in Iraq could suffer injuries and require medical treatment if the United States and its allies launch a war.
By Karl Debbaut, CWI, London. 14 January 2003.
PO Box 3688, London, Britain, E11 1YE
Tel: ++ 44 20 8988 8760
Fax: ++ 44 20 8988 8793
cwi@worldsoc.co.uk
