Re: <nettime> Dealing with state terrorism

[Benjamin Geer <ben@socialtools.net>]

ericbj@club-internet.fr wrote:

> The U.N. oil-embargo permitted Iraq sufficient oil sales for
> the revenues to feed its population and maintain
> essential services.  Moreover the regime sold a lot more
> oil than permitted, exporting it as contraband, via
> Syria for instance.  However the oil revenues went
> mainly to military expenditure and into the private bank
> accounts of members of the regime.  It was therefore the
> regime that killed hundreds of thousands of civilians,

Yes and no.  The embargo kept out a lot of necessary supplies because 
they were classified as "dual-use".  For example, Iraq was forbidden to 
import chlorine, which was needed in water-treatment plants, on the 
grounds that it could also be used to make chemical weapons.  As a 
result, a lot of children died from water-borne diseases.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0804-04.htm

Ben

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