Reparations for civilians?

"69 percent of Americans agree the United States should, as a gesture of goodwill, aid Afghan war victims, according to a recent poll by Zogby International. Unfortunately, the Bush administration is not supporting the idea of providing direct aid to civilian casualties and their families." -- Karen Aparicio and Jason Mark, Global Exchange

"Every dollar wasted on an over-charging, underperforming US contractor is a dinar not spent rebuilding Iraq's bombed-out water treatment and electricity plants. And it is Iraqis, not US taxpayers, who are forced to drink typhoid- and cholera-infested water, and then to seek treatment in hospitals still flooded with raw sewage, where the drug supply is even more depleted than during the sanctions era. There is no plan to compensate Iraqi civilians for deaths caused by the willful destruction of their infrastructure, or as a result of combat during the invasion. The occupying forces will only pay compensation for "instances where soldiers have acted negligently or wrongfully". According to the latest estimates, US troops have distributed roughly $2m in compensation for deaths, injuries and property damage. That's a third of what Halliburton admits two of its employees accepted in bribes from a Kuwaiti contractor." -- Naomi Klein (February 20, 2004)

"In every warlike situation, mistakes are made. . . . decent and honest people admit mistakes were made and make reparation." -- California Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher

"In that historic speech to the Knesset, Anwar Sadat spoke in words that are still compelling 25 years later: 'Any life,' he said, 'any life that is lost in war is a human life, be it that of an Arab or an Israeli. Innocent children who are deprived of the care and compassion of their parents are ours. They are ours. . . .'"--Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz

"Americans are united in this fight against terrorism. We're also united in our concern for the innocent people of Afghanistan. Winter is coming, and by acting today we can help the children survive." -- President George W. Bush

"We estimated that 2,000 Afghans would request help, and it would cost an average of $10,000 each to get medical care, rebuild their homes, restock their possessions, and compensate for the loss of a breadwinner or caretaker. The total, a mere $20 million, was less than the $30 million we spent during each day of bombing. But we found a lukewarm response to the idea in Congress, and downright hostility in the Bush Administration. . . . As one Defense Department official told us, 'We are worried that taking responsibility for civilian casualties will significantly increase the cost of making war.'" --Medea Benjamin, Global Exchange

"[N]ations are not liable to compensate civilians killed in the normal conduct of war," -- Major Ted Wadsworth, U.S. Department of Defense

 

 

Back to Previously Featured Quotations