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Iraq Violence Demands UN Response: MADRE Calls for International Peacekeepers

March 2006

The current escalation of sectarian violence in Iraq demonstrates the urgent need for an end to the US occupation and the deployment of a United Nations-led peacekeeping force. At this critical time, MADRE, an international women's human rights organization, reiterates our call for an immediate end to the US occupation of Iraq. Because the United States has destroyed the governing capacity of Iraq, MADRE believes that any such call must be accompanied by a program to meet the needs of Iraqis for security, functional government, and the provision of basic services within a human rights framework. The recent upsurge in sectarian violence and the upcoming third anniversary of the Bush Administration's invasion of Iraq represent strategic opportunities for the global peace movement to press for a United Nations mandate to replace US-led occupation forces in Iraq.

Here are six reasons for this call:

• Many Iraqis want UN troops in Iraq. Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, a leader of the Shiite majority, and arguably the single most powerful person in Iraq, has long sought greater UN involvement. While Sistani is not a democratically elected leader, he represents the view of millions of Iraqis. Assessing the legitimacy of any military intervention requires listening to the opinions of the civilian population. In Iraq, there is a clear call for UN involvement.
• Unlike the US occupying forces, the United Nations is considered a legitimate authority by many governments and people in the Middle East. While the region's governments refuse to contribute troops to a US-led occupation, there have been indications (for example, during Dick Cheney's January 2006 talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak) that the Arab League might contribute troops to a truly multilateral force in Iraq. Such a force would help dispel perceptions of a US/European/Israeli conspiracy against Muslims that is currently being mobilized to garner support for militarism and a reactionary social agenda in many countries of the world.
• The deployment of an international force signaling an end to US occupation would greatly weaken Iraqi insurgent groups. These armed groups have committed grave human rights violations, mainly against Iraqi civilians. The insurgents' primary target is the US occupation and anyone deemed a "collaborator." An end to the occupation would deprive the insurgency of its primary target and nullify its most powerful recruiting message.
• George Bush invaded Iraq in flagrant violation of the UN Charter as part of a strategy to make the United Nations "irrelevant" to US conduct in the world. A reassertion of UN leadership in Iraq would be a victory for the rule of law and international cooperation at a time when the Bush Administration's contempt for these principles continues to threaten international peace and security.
• MADRE recognizes that UN peacekeeping missions are themselves politicized and have, in some cases, produced human rights violations, particularly sexual violence against women and girls. But the real-world alternatives are between ongoing occupation by a US Administration that seeks to defend and normalize grave violations of the Geneva Conventions and international human rights law in Iraq (the use of torture, summary execution, and banned weapons against civilians; the denial of emergency medical aid; and support for death squads, to name a few) and a multi-national force that has legitimacy in the region and is accountable to the principles of the UN Charter and international human rights standards.
• The US peace movement's call to "bring the troops home now" is a slogan, but not a policy. As we witness worsening scenes of armed violence and insecurity plaguing Iraqis, many doubt the wisdom and morality of an unconditional withdrawal of US troops. If "bring the troops home" is to be a credible call, it must be linked to concrete policies that address Iraqis' dire need for security and governance.

MADRE therefore calls for an immediate end to US occupation and the withdrawal of US troops to be replaced by a joint peacekeeping force comprised of UN blue-helmet peacekeepers and troops from the Arab League and the Organization of the Islamic Conference.

Read more about MADRE's programs in Iraq, and click here to support MADRE's work with women and families in Iraq and around the world.