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| Volume 4, Issue 1 -- February 2007 |
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Reconciliation & Peace: Iraq in the Balance Winter greetings from the JPIC Office! The new year brings an updated JPIC newsletter that we hope you will find both informative as well as thought- and heart-provoking. As we announced in January, we are moving from a twice-a-month format to once a month, and each newsletter will be guided by a particular theme presented through the lens of our JPIC priorities: migration, economic justice and the environment. In making this change, we hope to explore a wider range of social justice and peace issues while continuing to make the connections to our fundamental priorities. This February, guided by the liturgical calendar and the beginning of Lent, we have chosen Reconciliation and Peace as our overarching theme. We are also keenly aware that we are approaching the fourth anniversary of the war in Iraq. Therefore, we think it is particularly appropriate in this Lenten season of asking for forgiveness and repentance to reflect not only on our personal sin, but also as a society and part of a global community on how we perpetuate violence. As followers of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, we must ask ourselves how we can be a part of the healing process in Iraq. First we must humbly recognize that we as a nation cannot alone right the wrongs that have been committed. We must look first to the Iraqi people for guidance in determining how we can help to construct peace rather than wage war. We must work with the international community in partnership. And we must encourage our elected officials to choose policies that promote peace and not destruction. If we believe that we are all part of the Body of Christ, and that when one part of His body is suffering, then we all suffer together. We must also believe that as part of the Body of Christ, when we act with kindness and love it is the entire body that experiences that love. We are waiting only for ourselves to bring healing to Christ’s wounded body. We hope that this month’s newsletter will provide you with material for reflection and prayer on one of Christ’s deepest contemporary wounds, the war in Iraq. We have also provided suggestions for repentance in action. There is a wonderful song by a Guatemalan singer, Ricardo Arjona, in which he sings, “Jesus is verb, not a noun.” I am reminded of this song in particular with regards to Iraq because often we confuse pacifism with passivism. Non-violence does not mean non-action. May this Lent be a time of prayerful conversation not only about our personal needs for forgiveness and healing, but collectively as part of Christ’s body.
Economic Justice: Reconstruction & Reconciliation With high rates of unemployment among the Iraqi population, huge gaps in basic services and a desperate need to sway public opinion in a positive direction, the logical place to start a new approach to the Iraq quagmire would seem to be in reconstruction efforts. Sadly, much as in New Orleans (see Washington Post article link below), reconstruction efforts remain under-funded and tied up in bureaucratic knots and corporate profiteering. Although President Bush’s new proposal would add $1.2 billion to the $750 million allocated for reconstruction efforts in 2007, this is not even half of what the Iraq Study Group recommended, let alone what will actually be necessary following on the devastation of war. And out of a $100 billion budget being proposed for the ongoing military conflict, it represents fundamentally misdirected use of resources, prioritizing militarism over reconciliation. Not only is the reconstruction effort substantially under-funded, but it has been significantly flawed from the outset. Corruption is rampant. Corporate profits have been prioritized over peoples’ needs. Accountability and oversight are almost nonexistent. Billions of dollars have been poured in, yet there has been very little to show for it. The majority of reconstruction money spent in Iraq so far has gone to security, administrative and overhead costs. Projects have been contracted and subcontracted out to foreign contractors, despite ample skills and rampant unemployment within the Iraqi population. Paul Bremer legislated 100 orders through the Coalition Provisional Authority, completely redesigning Iraq’s economy in order to impose the basic tenets of neo-liberalism, including the privatization of 192 state-owned enterprises, complete trade liberalization, a change in tax code and opening the economy to unrestricted foreign ownership and investment. Meanwhile, no-bid contracts were awarded to companies such as San Francisco’s Bechtel, structured to guarantee significant profit margins for the company whether or not the projects are actually ever completed. According to a sociology professor at the University of New Mexico, Jason Yossef Ben-Meir, reconstruction and reconciliation are two sides of the same coin. The failure of top-down efforts at reconstruction led by foreign contractors has served only to further alienate and frustrate the Iraqi population. Instead, Ben-Meir advocates for a bottom-up approach that puts to use local materials and know-how, and allows communities to take ownership of the reconstruction process. In bypassing foreign contractors and expensive imports, not only will the success rate of projects jump, but it would minimize the corruption draining away from funding and allow more immediate implementation. According to Ben-Meir, both bottom-up reconstruction and the reconciliation process “require direct dialogue among community members, recognition among participants of each other’s experiences, needs and interests . . . Further, in successful reconciliation models, once the parties to a conflict acknowledge each other’s pain and suffering and express regret, the process moves to joint development efforts that help meet local people’s basic needs.” (See Foreign Policy in Focus, “Reconstructing Iraq” for complete article: http://www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/3932). It is clear that the United States has a moral obligation to the people of Iraq to rebuild what we have destroyed. The structure of that reconstruction effort, however, must be seriously re-evaluated in order to facilitate reconciliation rather than fuel additional conflict. Economic development should directly benefit the Iraqi people, not multinational corporations, and local control of resources, industry and reconstruction should not be undermined, but rather encouraged. Migration: World’s Fastest Growing Refugee Crisis According to Refugees International, Iraq is the world’s fastest growing refugee crisis. The numbers are staggering: 1.7 million are internally displaced, another 2 million have fled to neighboring countries, and an additional 3,000 are leaving the country each day. Yet the United States has granted refugee status to only 466 Iraqis since 2003, and budgeted only $20 million for Iraqi humanitarian concerns for all of 2007. Congressional leaders and human rights groups have been calling on the U.S. government, particularly in light of our role in the conflict, to significantly step up our aid. “The U.S. has a special obligation to help, since the violence in Iraq and the growing displacement comes in the aftermath of our invasion and occupation,” stated Ken Bacon, president of Refugees International, testifying before a Senate committee in January. The burden of the refugee crisis is currently falling on Iraq’s neighbors, particularly Syria and Jordan, as well as other Middle Eastern countries including Lebanon, Egypt, Iran, and Turkey. Iraqis are considered “guests” of these countries, rather than refugees, and are, for the most part, given only short-term visas and not permitted to work. Overwhelmed by sheer numbers of refugees, the countries also are beginning to charge for basic services, such as healthcare, that have traditionally been free. Resentment is growing within these countries against the refugee population. The influx of Iraqis into the urban centers of neighboring countries has driven up prices for housing and other basic necessities. Syria faces shortages of electricity and water, while Jordan is struggling with overcrowded schools, an inflation rate that has doubled and rising prices for food, gasoline and heating oil. Further compounding the economic worries is fear of the chaos of Iraq spilling over and leading to internal violence and instability in neighboring countries. Immigration policies have become increasingly sectarian in their outlook. After the bombing of three hotels in 2005, Jordan cracked down on immigration, particularly shutting its door to young men, leading to the separation of refugee families. As new directions and options are weighed for Iraq, the refugee question must be addressed. Civilian life in Iraq has become untenable due to the rapidly increasing level of violence leading to a severe refugee crisis that is growing by the day. As Iraq’s people flee, hoping for safety and security, we must recognize our responsibility, provide adequate support and funding, and help find long-term solutions, including resettlement and asylum, for Iraq’s refugee population. For more information, visit Refugees International at: http://www.refugeesinternational.org/content/article/detail/9679Care for Creation: Environmental Devastation in the Wake of War The sad truth of war is that the casualties stretch far beyond the already heart-breaking initial body counts. Destroyed families and communities and the emotional scars left behind do not go away with the signing of peace treaties. Nor does the devastation wrought on the environment. While information about environmental damage caused by the war is hard to come by, given the enormity of the human devastation, it seems likely that the gravity of the environmental wreckage will continue to take its toll long after the arms have been put down. It has become clearer and clearer that access to oil was a primary, motivating factor for the U.S. invasion of Iraq and remains a key determining issue for our ongoing presence and commitment in the country. Our nation’s addiction to oil has and continues to fuel international conflict, climate change, and environmental degradation around the world. Yet, despite the President’s State of the Union address, our commitment to supporting sustainable alternative fuels and, more importantly perhaps, to energy efficiency and cutting back on our extravagant use of fuel, remains minimal. However, it is another, even more fundamental resource that has borne the brunt of the Iraq war with grave implications for ongoing human health and well-being. Access to water was severely interrupted by the invasion of Iraq in 2003, and has yet to recover. During the initial onslaught by the United States and its allies, much of Iraq’s key infrastructure was destroyed, including water treatment plants, sewage facilities and the electricity plants that provide power to run them. According to a Reuters report, raw sewage, power-plant runoff, and medical waste now flow uninhibited into the Tigris River, still used by many Iraqis for washing, bathing and drinking water. Air pollution and widespread contamination by heavy metals, depleted uranium and other toxic substances have been an ongoing problem following the bombing campaign as well. For instance, at the Al-Qadyissa metal-plating plant, demolished in 2003 after being bombed and looted, the U.N. Environmental Program found several tons of cyanide pellets scattered about the unsecured site, which is now used by children as a playground. The human dimension of this environmental destruction is alarming. The incidence of water-borne illness has skyrocketed in the aftermath of the occupation, particularly cholera and chronic diarrhea. Sixty-eight percent of Iraqis still lack access to safe drinking water, and only 19 percent have access to sewage treatment. According to the group MedAct, 70 percent of childhood deaths in Iraq currently are due to diarrhea and respiratory illnesses associated with unclean water and air pollution. As we look for how to bring about a just resolution of this war, Iraq’s environment should not be left out of the equation. Reconciliation and ongoing peace will require of us that attention be paid to the restoration and care of the natural world. Not only livelihoods, but the health and lives of Iraq’s citizens hang in the balance. Take Action: Christian Peace Witness for Iraq We invite you to join thousands in a “Christian Peace Witness for Iraq.” As followers of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, our faith compels us to make our voice heard—to repent of our complicity with the invasion and occupation of Iraq and to renew our commitment to peacemaking. We ask you to join us in praying for peace, studying the Scriptures, learning nonviolence, lighting candles of hope, and gathering together for an ecumenical public witness on March 16, 2007, the fourth anniversary of the war in Iraq. We stand in solidarity with sisters and brothers in other faith traditions and ask their prayers and support for our witness. Just as Jesus wept over Jerusalem because it did not know the things that make for peace, we weep over Washington, D.C., because of the tremendous human suffering and loss of life that have resulted from our government’s policies toward Iraq. We are convinced that peace in Iraq cannot be won militarily. It is time to bring the troops home and to support a comprehensive peace process there. Join thousands of Christian lay people and clergy on March 16 to voice your support for creating real security and peace in Iraq. Worship together and hold vigil together. Let’s express our commitment to life! For more information, please visit: http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=action.cpw&item=cpw_main Columban News: Columban Father Deported from the Philippines Irish Columban Father Frank Nally was held overnight at the Philippines International Airport on January 5 and immigration officials put him on a plane to Hong Kong the next morning, saying he was blacklisted. Fr. Nally had served for nine years in the Philippines in the 1980s and ’90s. Although given no official reason for his blacklisting, Fr. Nally had been part of a fact-finding commission on mining in the Philippines last year that included Clare Short, a member of the British House of Commons, and representatives of other concerned groups in Ireland and England. He was returning to Manila to launch a report detailing the effect of foreign mining companies on the Philippine environment and local communities. To read the report, visit: http://www.columban.com/MininginthePhilippines_ConcernsandConflicts[1].pdf Letter from Lomas de Poleo Columban Father Bill Morton shares the following communication he received from the lawyer carrying the case of the residents of Lomas de Poleo against the Pedro Fuentes Zaragoza family in their ongoing land dispute. Today is the 29th of January, and I am tired as it is already 11 at night, a bit overwhelmed, but also very encouraged. I don’t feel the tiredness for the happiness that I feel as today the District Court, which is part of the Federal Court, notified me that in proceedings 515/2006, they accepted the restraining order brought by 16 people. Ay, Father, hope returns in all her splendor, this restraining order is very ambitious for the aims of our people, for the reason that at last, the deeds of the Zaragozas are put into check, as we placed this restraining order against the Notary who issued the deeds. I clarify that it is not due to the merits of your servant—you already know Whom I have asked to be the lawyer. I also know that this is the result of your prayers. I ask God, allow me to deliver all these matters won, as I believe that it is for the good of the people, above all, for the most humble.
Resources & Events Annunciation House’s 2007 Voice of the Voiceless Award Annunciation House, located in El Paso, Texas, has accompanied the migrant, homeless, and economically vulnerable people of the border region through hospitality, advocacy and education since 1976. Columban Father Bill Morton serves on their board. Annunciation House has recently announced that its 2007 Voice of the Voiceless Award will be presented to Cardinal Roger Mahony, the archbishop of the Diocese of Los Angeles. The presentation will be on Saturday, April 14, and will honor Cardinal Mahony’s long-time advocacy and solidarity with immigrants and the undocumented and more recently, for his courageous stand in opposition and intention to defy the anti-immigrant Sensenbrenner bill, HR 4437. For more information, please visit http://www.annunciationhouse.org/boderupdates.html. Ecumenical Advocacy Days 2007 From March 9-12, we will gather for the fifth annual Ecumenical Advocacy Days conference. Our theme, “And How are the Children?”, will guide and inspire this gathering of more than 1,000 religious advocates from a wide array of Christian communions. Experts will train participants how to do advocacy and inform them of U.S. domestic and international policies that affect all of God’s children and are shaping the future of our world. The gathering will conclude with a visit to Capitol Hill where participants will ask their Congressional representatives to make the needs of children the center of the 2007 legislative agenda. For more information, please visit http://www.advocacydays.org/index.php. SOA Watch’s Strategy Meeting & Lobby Days School of Americas (SOA) Watch annual strategy meeting and lobby days will take place February 19-20. Thirty-four representatives that voted against cutting funding for the School of the Americas/WHINSEC lost their seats in the November elections, dramatically improving the chances of closing the SOA/WHINSEC through legislative action. This year SOA Watch will focus on the upcoming congressional vote to close the SOA/WHINSEC and will continue to look at building a movement beyond the School of the Americas. The meeting will evaluate and strategize around the November Vigil, media and direct action strategies and new Latin American organizing initiatives. For more information, please visit http://www.soaw.org/new/article.php?id=1433. Pax Christi: Wrestling with Presence: Reflections for Lent 2007 This Lent, Linda Ballard’s reflections call us to struggle with God’s presence in our lives, to wrestle with God as Jacob did, and to be changed. “Presence among us is not orderly. God is disruptive and unsettling, intentionally calling us beyond the paralysis of our own lives and locations into the waters of new life.” To order a copy, please visit http://paxchristiusa.3dcartstores.com/Wrestling-with-Presence-Reflections-for-Lent-2007_p_13-172.html In Other News Care for Creation:
Washington Post: Climate Experts Worry as 2006 is Hottest Year on Record in U.S.
World Council of Churches: Seeds of Life—Looking for Alternatives to the Dominant Agribusiness Model Economic Justice:
Columban Fact Finding Mission Report: Mining in the Philippines
Foreign Policy in Focus: Postcard from . . . Seoul
NACLA: The Camisea Cover-Up
Washington Post: As Aid Lags, Volunteers Shoulder Rebuilding on Gulf Coast Migration:
American Immigration Law Foundation: Children of Undocumented Immigrants Pay the Price
Kyodo News: ASEAN Leaders Sign Accord to Protect Millions of Migrant Workers Peace
Foreign Policy in Focus: Protesting Guantanamo
Inter Press Service: Anti-War Marches Draw Hundreds of Thousands
Friends Committee on National Legislation: Iran: We Need to Stop the Next War
Inter Press Service: How Should Nations Respond to Atrocities? Center of Concern
The World Social Forum: Why It Was Worth It
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