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Iraq: Why Did The USA Want "Regime Change"? Iraq was not a Democracy

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"Democracy" is one of those words used to rally support.

• In February 2003, the USA special envoy to Iraq, Zalmay Khalizad admitted that after the removal of the Iraqi leadership, the infrastructure of the ruling Baath party would remain intact with the top two officials in each ministry replaced by USA military officers. Kanan Makiya is an Iraqi exile who has argued for war in Iraq to introduce democracy. He has criticised the new plan as "an appeasement of the existing bankrupt Arab order".

  Sami Abdul-Rahman, the Deputy Prime Minister of the northern Kurdish region of Iraq, stated: "If the USA wants to impose its own government, regardless of the ethnic and religious composition of Iraq, there is going to be a backlash". Another Kurdish leader, Hoshyar Zebari, asks "We want to know if we are partners in regime change or not. [We oppose plans by the USA] to bring in an Iraqi from the USA who has not seen his country for years and impose him by armed force".

  After the invasion of Iraq, Donald Rumsfeld, the USA Secretary of State, declared that "Iranian style [Islamic government] is not going to happen in Iraq". This prompted the comment from Kassem al-Sa'adi, a 41 year old merchant, "I thought the Americans said they wanted a democracy in Iraq. [If so,] why are they allowed to make the rules?"

• In March 2003, the USA announced that contracts worth $ 900 million to reconstruct Iraq after a war will be awarded only to USA companies. Colin Adams of the British Consultants and Construction Bureau was angered by this "Our own view is, given what the UK is doing in terms of supporting the USA, it would not be unreasonable if the USA were to enable UK companies to bid for work". No mention was made by the USA or the UK of the Iraqis making their own decisions about who they would like to reconstruct their country.

• Several of the West's allies are not democracies. This includes Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and most of the Gulf States. Many of these countries are armed and supported by the USA which has military bases on their territories. In the Pakistan elections of 2002, the military leader of the country changed the constitution to allow him to remove the elected government at his discression. Saudi Arabia has never held a democratic election.

  Recently the USA administration has developed close relationships with a number of other dictatorial or authoritarian regimes in oil-rich post-USSR Central Asia. These include countries ruled by dictators who once served as a loyal agent of the USSR: Heydar Aliyev in Azerbaijan, Nursultan Nazarbaev of Kazakhstan, and Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan.

  In the latter country, government opponents have been killed by being boiled in water. When the UK Ambassador, Craig Murray, criticised the government, he was sent home after pressure from the USA.

• The USA has often supported and allied itself with non-democratic regimes. For example:

  El Salvador where up to 1992 $6,000 million of military aid was given to the country by the USA. Death squads and military actions killed 75,000 civilians.

  Guatemala where the USA armed and trained the military which used death squad tactics to suppress dissent. In the 30 years up to 1999, over 150,000 people have been killed or disappeared, tens of thousands have been forced to flee to Mexico, 1,000,000 have become refugees, and more than 440 villages have been destroyed.

  In 1998, the USA president, Bill Clinton, admitted that USA support of repressive forces in Guatemala "was wrong, and the United States must not repeat that mistake" but no apology or compensation was forthcoming.

  Indonesia where the dictator Suharto was armed and supported from 1965 to 1997 even though he killed over 500,000 people including 200,000 in East Timor.

  The USA has even removed democratic governments; for example: Chile in 1973, Iran in 1953 (with UK help), Guatemala in 1954 and Greece in 1967. These and other legal governments were replaced with military regimes or brutal dictators (like Augusto Pinochet).

• The USA and UK used to trade with apartheid South Africa (where voting was dependent on skin colour), ignoring all international calls to boycott this country. They now trade with China which is a one party totalitarian state and massacred hundreds of civilian demonstrators in 1989.

• In the USA election in 2000, many voters were removed from the electoral register in the finely balanced state of Florida in areas where the opposition had its supporters. Road blocks were set up to deter voters from minority communities. The current president's brother was governor of Florida. In addition, overseas votes were counted even if their submission dates were incorrect. Finally, the result was decided by a judgement from the USA Supreme Court whose members were appointed by allies of the president's family.

• On 19th September 2003, the USA governor of Iraq, Paul Bremer, enacted a new law called Order 39. This allows the privatisation of 200 state industries including electricity, telecommunications, engineering and pharmaceuticals. The law would allow foreign companies 100% ownership of banks, mines and factories. All the profits could be taken out of Iraq. Trade tariffs were removed; the tax rate was reduced from 45% to 15%. Companies or individuals will be allowed to lease land for 40 years.

  All these changes are in violation of Iraq's constitution. Under the 1907 Hague Convention (signed by the USA), an occupying country must respect "the laws in force in the country" It also states that the occupying power "shall be regarded only as an administrator". Order 39 and its implications are not publicised by the Western media. The new law was written by USA officials and passed by the USA appointed governing council.

  In June 2004, a "new Iraqi government took over" in Iraq. All the members of the government were appointed by the USA and many had links with the USA's CIA and the UK's MI6. The USA military remained in the country "by invitation".