Weapons of Mass Destruction: A Humanist Perspective
Presented By,
Matthew O’Neil
As mirror and conscience of society, sociology must define, promote and
inform public debate about deepening class and racial inequalities, new
gender regimes, environmental degradation, market fundamentalism, state
and non-state violence. I believe that the world needs public sociology - a
sociology that transcends the academy - more than ever. Our potential publics
are multiple, ranging from media audiences to policy makers, from silenced
minorities to social movements. They are local, global, and national. As public
sociology stimulates debate in all these contexts, it inspires and revitalizes our
discipline. In return, theory and research give legitimacy, direction, and
substance to public sociology. Teaching is equally central to public sociology:
students are our first public for they carry sociology into all walks of life.
Finally, the critical imagination, exposing the gap between what is and what
could be, infuses values into public sociology to remind us that the world
could be different.
-Michael Burawoy 2004 ASA President
Refocusing Current Thinking on WMD
“Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop
thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do
we.” George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., Aug. 5, 2004.
This analysis is not about whether the invasion of Iraq was appropriate or not.
I’d like to get into that, but it’s a whole different issue.
Instead, this presentation is a humanist analysis of WMD usage by the United
States. How many times did we hear of Saddam Hussein “he gassed his own
people” in the run up to war? The repugnance for that level of brutality is rooted
deep in the human consciousness. Saddam was perceived as a threat “if he did
that to his own people, what could he do to us?” The focus was on the bad things,
the other guy did.
This research looks at it the other way. What have “we” done with WMD? In a
representative democracy what is done in our name reflects broader cultural
values and norms By shifting the focus back on ourselves, we may be able to
better understand why we were not met on the streets of Baghdad with flowers
and heartfelt thanks. Further, by examining our own position more closely we
have the potential to redirect foreign policy that validates our common humanity
and nurtures a shared vision for the future.
WMD Background
For the purposes of this research, weapons of mass destruction (WMD) include
nuclear, biological, chemical and, increasingly, radiological weapons.
As the previous map suggest there are some chemical weapons facilities in the
United States. So what?
How far down the historical rabbit hole do you want to go? The Geneva Protocol,
prohibiting use of chemical weapons in warfare, was signed worldwide in 1925.
Several nations, the United States included, signed but reserved the right to
retaliate in kind if chemical weapons were used against them (the United States
did not ratify the Protocol until 1975). While the United States has reduced its
overall arsenal of WMD, it remains the world leader in nuclear, biological,
chemical and radiological weapons.
The following is an abbreviated exploration of WMD used throughout the world
by the United States. The facts collected here are an attempt to refocus our
understanding of WMD and to frankly assess current and future U.S. policy as it
relates to WMD.
U.S. Use of WMD
World War II
Nagasaki’s “Fatman” atomic bomb claimed 140,000 lives
Hiroshima’s “Little Boy” atomic bomb claimed 80,000 lives
50,000 survivors with significant radiation exposure
The Korean Conflict
The Commission of International Association of Democratic Lawyers' Report on
U.S. Crimes in Korea, March 31, 1952, concluded that the U.S. used both germ
("deliberate dispersion of flies and other insects artificially infected with
bacteria, with the intention of spreading death and disease") and chemical ("use
of poison gas bombs and other chemical substances") warfare against both
civilians and combatants in North Korea.
Vietnam
Between 1962 and 1971 the United States sprayed an estimated twenty million
gallons of herbicide on the people of Vietnam, resulting in an estimated 50,000
deformed Vietnamese children.
Depleted Uranium (DU)
Dense munitions to penetrate
tanks, armor. Made from
low-level reprocessing waste.
Depleted Uranium (DU)
Releases radioactivity when
explodes or burns, leaves behind dust
Huge cancer rates in
southern Iraq (387 tons
of DU left behind)
.
Gulf War 1991
Approximately 944,000 rounds of DU-enhanced ammunition were used in Iraq
and Kuwait in 1991. The estimated delivery of depleted uranium all over Iraq
was 800 tons. 3,500 Iraqi civilians acute deaths were reported.
In 1989, birth defects in Iraqi children were 11 per 100,000 births; in 2001 there
were 116 per 100,000 births..
Cancer has increased dramatically in southern Iraq. In 1988, 34 people died of
cancer; in 1998, 450 died of cancer; in 2001 there were 603 cancer deaths.
159,238 U.S. combat veterans have been awarded service-connected disability
by the Department of Veterans Affairs for health effects collectively known as
the Gulf War Syndrome. Symptoms of Gulf War Syndrome are a clinical match
to those of DU exposure. Congressional testimony from soldiers with Gulf War
Syndrome indicate possible exposure to DU munitions.
Sixty-seven percent of babies born to veterans who suffer from Gulf War
Syndrome have birth defects.** American Free Press April 12, 2004
The Official U.S. State Department Response
NATO studies and other scientific research studies indicate Depleted Uranium
poses no serious health risks. (bringing up the junk science issue)
Depleted Uranium has not affected the health of Gulf War veterans.
There have been no independent studies related to Depleted Uranium inside Iraq.
Since 1991, Iraq has refused to allow health inspectors assess the alleged impact of
Depleted Uranium.
Depleted Uranium does not cause birth defects. Iraqi military use of chemical and
nerve agents in the 1980's and 1990's is the likely cause of alleged birth defects
among Iraqi children.
Keep in mind however, it took the United States 40 years to acknowledge Agent
Orange had any links to cancer or birth defects. Before that, steady denial was the
official response.
Bombing civilian
chemical plants
Toxic cloud after NATO bombing of
Pancevo plant in Yugoslavia, 1999
Bosnia/Kosovo
The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) confirm that depleted
uranium (DU) from U.S. weapons used in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1994 and
1995 contaminated local supplies of drinking water at and can still be found after
10 years in dust particles suspended in the air.
In U.S.-led NATO airstrikes against Bosnia in 1994 and 1995, about 10,800
depleted uranium rounds were fired around Sarajevo. 31,000 rounds of depleted
uranium munitions were fired by American aircraft during the 1999 war in
Kosovo.
Local Physicians estimate that there will be a 30% increase in the next ten years of
people sickened by cancer, leukemia, kidney and respiratory disorders from
contaminated regions. Doctors at Belgrade University Children’s Hospital report
that between 1999 and 2000 the number of children suffering from respiratory
illnesses, pulmonitis, asthma, chronic bronchitis and various allergies had
increased by about 100%.
Columbian Spray Program
Arial Spraying of herbicide to reduce the
flow of cocaine to the United States
Columbia
The United States has sprayed tons of Roundup and Roundup Ultra, produced by
Monsanto, from fast moving airplanes purportedly to stem the flow of drugs from
Colombia since 1989. Mixed in this is a military subsidy for Columbia that
suppresses leftist “guerillas” who do not favor turning over Columbia’s natural
resources to American corporations (see the film Plan Columbia) for the full story.
The use of these herbicides has consistently produced health complaints from
campesinos in the Colombian countryside. Burning eyes, dizziness and respiratory
problems being most frequently reported.
Although Roundup is billed as "safe" for mammals including humans by the U.S.
State Department, there have been too many persistent reports of skin and other
problems after fumigation incidents involving farmers and their animals to ignore.
Other studies implemented by local departmental health units in Colombia
reported an increase in dermatological, gastrointestinal and respiratory cases
following aerial fumigations in their regions. Those complaints have gone largely
ignored by government officials in Washington and in Columbia and the Andean
Initiative, President’s Bush II’s solution to the problem actually increased the use
of chemical defoliant in Columbia and expanded to Bolivia. Meanwhile Columbian
production of cocaine has increased, 90% headed to the United States.
Bombing civilian
chemical plants
SCENES FROM AFGHANISTAN: Operation Enduring Freedom Aftermath
Operation Enduring Freedom-Afghanistan
In 2003 scientists from the Uranium Medical Research Center (UMRC) studied
urine samples of Afghan civilians and found that 100% of the samples taken had
levels of non-depleted uranium (NDU) 400% to 2000% higher than normal
levels. The UMRC research team studied six sites, two in Kabul and others in the
Jalalabad area. The civilians were tested four months after the attacks in
Afghanistan by the United States and its allies. The type of bombs used in
Afghanistan contained a new type of chemical weapon that used non-depleted
uranium. It has a half-life of 4.5 billion years.
At a meeting of the International Criminal Tribunal for Afghanistan held
December 2003 in Tokyo, the U.S. was indicted for multiple war crimes in
Afghanistan, among them the use of DU. Leuren Moret, President of Scientists
for Indigenous People and Environmental Commissioner for the City of
Berkeley, testified that because radioactive contaminants from uranium weapons
travel through air, water, and food sources, the effects of U.S. deployment in
Afghanistan will be felt in Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan,
Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China and India.
Bombing civilian
chemical plants
SCENES FROM IRAQ: Operation Iraqi Freedom Aftermath
U.S chemical weapons in Fallujah
Operation Iraqi Freedom
It has been widely documented (outside of the United States of course) that in the
current incarnation of the War in Iraq, chemical weapons both new and old are
being used.
Reports by the Iraqi Minister of Health Dr. Khalid ash-Shaykhli indicates a new
version of napalm called MK77, has been used throughout the city of Fallujah,
“melting bodies” is a quote from his work.
White Phosphorous powder, referred to as Willy Pete by the Army, has also been
deployed as a chemical weapon. White phosphorus is fat-soluble and burns
spontaneously on contact with the air. According to globalsecurity.org: "The burns
usually are multiple, deep, and variable in size. If service members are hit by
pieces of white phosphorus, it could burn right down to the bone."
A documentary film produced by Italian filmmaker Maurizio Torrealta, reveals
dramatic footage showing the effects of the WP bombardment on civilians, women
and children, some of whom were surprised in their sleep. There are pictures but
frankly they are far too graphic for this presentation.
To date, independent analysis puts the Iraqi civilian deaths as a result of U.S.
military operations at 38,000 people.
Slow Accumulation of Data
What do we know about exposure to depleted uranium? The extensive use of
depleted uranium during the last 15 years could have resulted in substantial
inhalation exposure. Although depleted uranium is considered toxic to the
kidney because of its properties as a heavy metal, recent data have linked
systemic exposure to depleted uranium to neurotoxic effects as well.
The exposure to depleted uranium combined with the exposure to extensive
combustion products from oil fires and blowing sand from the desert
environment, like Iraq I & II however, is unique and the extent of exposure to
respiratory irritants during the Iraq war(s) was probably greater than in
previous wars. Some symptoms linked to DU exposure:
Chronic Fatigue
Skin rashes and hair loss
Headache
Muscle pain
Neurologic/Neuropsychological signs (including memory loss)
Signs or symptoms involving upper or lower respiratory system
Sleep disturbances
Gastrointestinal signs or symptoms
Cardiovascular failure
Menstrual disorders
Applying the Message
Exploring the meaning and context of Professor Burawoy’s quotation in the initial
slide of this presentation in relation to the mounting evidence that the use of
WMD, is a daunting and soul retching experience.
If perceptions within the United States on WMD have been managed and the
manufacture of consent is what allows the public to remain blissfully patriotic,
what challenges and opportunities does that present for us as sociologists?
I considered myself fairly knowledgeable and broadly read, and I had no idea
before I started this project how pervasive WMD use has been and is. Following
current trends, consolidated corporate media will likely continues to limit or bias
information generally available to the public. Is there a place for sociology to
inform and challenge popular conceptions on social issues? Can we do this in a
way that is accessible without being labeled “muckrakers?”
Perhaps a more direct appeal to regular working class people, who attend our
classes on scholarship and mop the floor at the gym serves the discipline and the
public more fully than the prevailing trend to rely on statistics and publish for our
peers. Our knowledge and scholarship have the possibility to expand perceptions
and spark change and by doing so we bring attention to social issues. We should
accept this challenge.
Assessing the Information
What does the data, a loose collection of facts to be sure, tell us? How should we
interpret this information?
Looking at common elements in nearly all the incidences of WMD usage by the
United States (excluding WW II) one is immediately struck by the contrast
between how most Americans view themselves and how the United States acts.
There is a chasm, a gulf between our perception of ourselves and our culture and
what is done in our name abroad. Dichotomizing this complex issue into an either/
or postulate as is the current fashion of the day, we can either remain blissfully
ignorant or silently complicit. We cannot do both.
The relative ignorance surrounding WMD and other nefarious foreign policy
activities being conducted around the world under the banner of the United States
is the perfect opening for a public sociology to emerge.
My sense is many of you learned a new fact or are walking away from this
presentation with a new question (why did I sit through that…) here today. Which
I am happy to report, is a public sociology in practice. Whatever the issue,
sociologists can inform and enliven public debate.
Doing Something About it
By sparking the critical imagination, sociologist are afforded the wonderful
opportunity for both teaching and learning. By promoting exchange and
pushing the bounds of public debate, social change can occur. By exposing the
gap between what is and what could be, we offer hope for a better world.
In terms of WMD, it is clear that American hands are not clean. Much has
been done in our name and the consequences will be felt around the world for
decades to come. Whether for or against the current War in Iraq, it is hard to
imagine anyone supports civilian death and environmental degradation. It is
even harder to imagine a peaceful and sustainable world while WMD continue
to fall from the sky.
I thank you very much for your time.
References:
Al Jazeera.com. U.S. used banned weapons in Fallujah – Health ministry 3/3/2005
8:30:00 PM GMT. Retrieved March 5, 2006
http://www.aljazeera.com/me.asp?service_ID=7216
Al-Ali, J. Effects of War on Iraq World Uranium Weapons Conference, Hamburg,
Germany, Oct 16-19, 2003. Retrieved March 1, 2006
http://traprockpeace.org/jawad_al-ali_iraq.html
Bigwood, J. Toxic Drift: Monsanto and the Drug War in Columbia. June 21, 2001.
Retrieved March 1, 2006
http://www.globalpolicy.org/socecon/inequal/labor/monsanto0626.htm
BioFact.com. Gulf War Syndrome. Retrieved March 1, 2006
http://www.biofact.com/gulf/#symptoms
Durakovic, A. Horan, P. Dietz,L. The Quantitative Analysis of Depleted Uranium
Isotopes in British, Canadian, and U.S. Gulf War Veterans. Military Medicine 167,
8:620-7, 2002.
Durakovic, A. The Quantitative Analysis of Uranium Isotopes in the Urine of the
Civilian Population of Eastern Afghanistan after
Operation Enduring Freedom. Military Medicine 170, 4:277-84, 2005.
Dietz, L. Contamination of Persian Gulf War Veterans and Others by
Depleted Uranium. Feb. 21, 1999. Retrieved March 1, 2006
http://www.wise-uranium.org/dgvd.html
Darko, N. A socio-ecological approach to investigating the environment in
Yugoslavia. February 2001. Retrieved March 1, 2006
http://www.stopnato.org.uk/du-watch/nadic/socio-ecology.htm
Carson-Brown, J. Meissonnier, M. Tests show Gulf warvictims
have uranium poisoning. THE SUNDAY TIMES (London) September 3, 2000.
Retrieved March 1, 2006
http://www.xs4all.nl/~stgvisie/VISIE/duracovic.html
Centro de Estudios y Observatorio de Drogas y Delito (2005). Impact
Assessment of Crop Eradication in Afghanistan and Lessons Learned from
Latin America and South East Asia. Retrieved March 1, 2006
http://www.senliscouncil.net/modules/publications/009_publication/part_two
Cnn.com. NATO urged to probe 'Balkans sickness‘. January 5, 2001. retrieved
March 1, 2006
http://transcripts.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/01/05/nato.troops/index.html
Counterpunch Wire. Weapons of Mass Destruction: Who Said What When.
Match 29, 2003. Retrieved March 1, 2006
http://www.counterpunch.org/wmd05292003.html
Federation of American Scientists. Special Weapons Primer. Retrieved March
1, 2006. http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/intro/cw/intro.htm
Ford, Peter. Surveys pointing to high civilian death toll in Iraq. The Christian
Science Monitor May 22, 2000. Retrieved March 1, 2006
http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0522/p01s02-woiq.html
Hiller, S. (2004). Scientists Uncover Radioactive Trail in Afghanistan.
Retrieved March 1, 2006
http://www.projectcensored.org/publications/2005/4.html
Honolulu Star Bulletin. State needs answers on chemical weapons. Retrieved
March 1, 2006.
http://starbulletin.com/print/2005.php?fr=/2005/11/11/editorial/editorial01.ht
ml
Hyland, J. NATO Admits To Use Of Radioactive Munitions in Yugoslavia
May 2000. Retrieved March 1, 2006
http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/duadm.htm
Iraq Body Count. Retrieved March 27, 2006 http://www.iraqbodycount.net/
Johnson, L. Iraqi cancers, birth defects blamed on U.S. depleted uranium
Seattle POST-INTELLIGENCER. Tuesday, November 12, 2002. Retrieved
March 1, 2006.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/iraq2002/95178_du12.shtml
Kirby, A. Afghans' uranium levels spark alert. May 2,, 2003, BBC News
Online. Retrieved March 1, 2006 http://traprockpeace.org/bbc22May03.html
La Repubblica. .U.S. Used Chemical Weapons In IraqVeteran admits: Bodies
melted away before us. November 7, 2005. Retrieved March 1, 2006
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10901.htm
Mangieri, G.'Buried at Sea' -- Chemical weapons offshore
Army documents detail chemical weapons off coast. KHON 2 Broadcast
October 29, 2005 05:49 PM. Transcript Retrieved March 1, 2006
http://khon2.com/khon/displayStory.cfm?storyID=8511
Monboit, G. The US used chemical weapons in Iraq - and then lied about it. The
Guardian November 15, 2005. Retrieved March 1, 2006
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,5673,1642831,00.html
Christopher J. Petherick. Birth Defects Tied to GWS. April 12, 2004
http://www.americanfreepress.net/06_29_03/Birth_Defects_Tied/birth_defects_ti
ed.html
Radiation Effects Research Foundation. Frequently Asked Questions about the
Atomic-bomb Survivor Research Program
The study of long-term health effects in the survivors of the atomic bombings of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Retrieved March 1, 2006
http://www.rerf.or.jp/eigo/faqs/faqse.htm#faq1
Sakanond, B. Toxic legacy of the Vietnam War. Asia Times May 21, 1999.
Retrieved March 1, 2006 http://www.atimes.com/se-asia/AE21Ae03.html
Strauss, K. When the Dust Settles: Do Armor-Piercing Munitions Pose Threat
Long After War? ABCNEWS.com March 05,2005. Retrieved March 8, 2006
http://traprockpeace.org/abcnews05may03.html
U.S. Department of State. Fact Sheet on the Health Effects of Depleted
Uranium. Retrieved March 1, 2006
http://usinfo.state.gov/mena/Archive_Index/Fact_Sheet_on_the_Health_Eff
ects_of_Depleted_Uranium.html
Uranium Medical Research Centre. UMRC’s preliminary findings
from Afghanistan & Operation Enduring Freedom.
http://www.umrc.net/os/AfghanistanOEF.asp
Weisberg, J. The Complete Bushisms. Slate Magazine Online. Retrieved
March 1, 2006 http://www.slate.com/id/76886/
Willson, S. Forgotten" Crimes Continue to be Revealed at Various
Locations in Korea; Germ Warfare in South Korea? Personal report as
member of six-person Veterans Delegation to South Korea
August 2-9, 2000. Retrieved March 1, 2006
http://www.brianwillson.com/awolgermkor.html