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/ Iraq / Society / War in Iraq /

U.S. Acknowledge Impotence in Iraq

16.02.2007 12:20 M. Panin

The U.S. Department of State’s decision to grant political asylum to 7,000 Iraqi refugees in 2008 sounded like a discordant note in the official Washington chorus praising its “final plan” of winning in Iraq.

It does sound bizarre if one recalls that the U.S. government has allowed in only 463 Iraqis since 2003, and only 202 last year. The UN has often criticized the U.S. for its extremely “modest” contribution to this humanitarian effort. According to estimates, 3.8 million have left Iraq since the war began nearly four years ago.

Most of the refugees settle in the neighboring Arab countries: around 700,000 Iraqis are staying in Syria, 700,000 more in Jordan, between 20,000 and 80,000 are believed to be in Egypt and 40,000 in Lebanon. And as many 1.7 million displaced persons inside Iraq are potential refugees, too.

According to the UN High Commission on Refugees, up to 50,000 Iraqis flee their country every month for fear of sectarian violence, terrorist attacks, U.S. shelling, famine and war ruin. Local observers say the flow of refugees increased dramatically after the bomb attack on the Shia Mosque in Samarra in February 2006. That explosion triggered off a landslide of bloody clashes between Iraq’s Sunni and Shia communities, which entailed thousands of casualties.

Now the U.S. decides to raise entry quota for Iraqi immigrants. DoS spokespeople described the figure of 7,000 as a "target" and not a ceiling for the number of Iraqis who will be allowed into the country. The Department’s people are to interview thousands of Iraqi refugees who seek asylum by the end of September 2007. Bureaucratic verifications take several months, but once this is done, the refugees will be allowed into the U.S.

The 7,000 “lucky ones” are supposed to be picked among the refugees currently staying in one of the above countries, primarily Syria and Jordan, which have made efforts to restrict the inflow of Iraqi refugees of late. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres described Washington’s plan as “a very good step in the right direction,” adding, however, that "The problem is so huge that nothing is, any time, enough."

The U.S. administration also said it will immediately contribute a modest $18 million to the UN for a worldwide resettlement and relief program. The United Nations has asked for $60 million from nations around the world.

Independent observers note that the measures planned by the U.S. are largely of symbolic nature. For example, a source in the Jordanian government pointed out that the figure of 7,000 is still insignificant compared to the number of refugees already taken in by the Kingdom of Jordan – a mere 1%, to be precise.

In addition, according to Washington’s plan, the U.S. will primarily take in those Iraqis who had provided “valuable services” to the U.S. By immigrating to the United States those collaborators and their families would at least avoid revenge of the rebel fighters who regard such people as traitors and take the law in their own hands.

One can of course make guesses as to the motivation which led the White House to announce this generous gesture; by appearance, however, it looks like an acknowledgement of its impotence to solve the security problem in Iraq.

State Department Undersecretary Paula J. Dobriansky recognized it, in fact, by saying “The United States and the international community can best help displaced Iraqis by quelling the violence in Iraq.” She said the United States also is committed to responding to the immediate needs of those who have fled their homes.

Only it’s a pity Ms. Dobriansky failed to mention the obvious fact: the United States bear a major responsibility for the anarchic violence and instability which force hundreds of thousands of Iraqis to flee their homeland in search for better places.

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