You may have seen the box near the bottom of this page which displays the number of civilian deaths since the Iraqi invasion began. It is supplied by the site Iraqbodycount.org There are actually two sets of numbers, a low and a high. Deaths are confirmed by reliable sources whenever possible, and a list of the dead and how they died is available at the site. I believe these numbers to be accurate or I wouldn't post them.
The high number has now passed the 50,000 mark. Even if the numbers are wrong, as some people will surely claim. How many civilian lives are too many? Innocent women and children are always the ones who suffer the hardship of 'war' the most. Please don't forget that the United Nations was created for a reason, and this invasion was not, and still is NOT sanctioned by the United Nations.
Iraq may have had a terrible dictator in Saddam Hussein, on that, I think we can all agree. The real question now is: Do Iraqi's have a better quality of life now than prior to this invasion?
I think the majority do not. The country is essentially in the midst of a civil war at this point with the U.S. and the UK (and their invasion allies) stuck in the middle.
It is in the interest of all mankind to support the UN and what it stands for and make the UN an organization that has some muscle in the world. I don't know how that happens, but I do know that I have never supported this invasion and still don't. I'm proud that Canada has not taken part in Iraq, and I am proud that we are taking part in Afganistan and making a difference there.
It is time for a plan with the United Nations so the Iraqi people can have their country back. A withdrawl could take place over several months, with UN officials immediately taking over administration along with the Iraqi government (to ensure fairness amongst the various Iraqi stakeholders) until the Iraqi government can manage things themselves with a new democracy, or whatever form of government the Iraqi people create for themselves.
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