Spoils of War

by Dan Jacoby

Back in the old days, conquerors would take what they wanted from the homes, towns and people they conquered. They would return to their home countries with loot taken from the vanquished. They would display their booty in public to demonstrate how successful their war was.

Fortunately, in these more civilized times, that no longer happens. When a civilized country like, oh, for example the United States, invades a barbaric country under the rule of a vicious dictator -- let's call the country "Iraq" -- the invading soldiers respect the country's treasures and leave them alone.

Don't they?

CNN reports (March 18, "Soldiers put Iraq 'war trophies' on eBay") that if you go on eBay, you can purchase several items that used to be in Iraq. Rugs from Saddam Hussein's palace, silverware bearing the crest of the Iraqi army, even a Koran, are all available for a price. It seems that American troops had no trouble lifting this loot and bringing it all home with them.

We're supposed to be helping the Iraqi people, not stealing from them. Officially, our military personnel are not allowed to bring home "war trophies". Apparently, this idea never made it all the way down to the field commanders.

Are these soldiers who stole Iraqi items and are selling them on eBay war profiteers? Absolutely. Should they and the commanders who let them get away with their loot be punished? Absolutely.

Will this happen? Almost certainly not.

The people who are stealing Iraqi "souvenirs" put their lives on the line, and many of their comrades lost their lives. They deserve to be honored and compensated for their sacrifice. But allowing them to take these items home is the wrong way to go about it.

What's worse, according to the CNN report, these items were declared with U.S. Customs when the troops returned home. This means the U.S. Government gave its stamp of approval to massive larceny. Where is the outcry? Where are the congressional demands for an investigation? Where are the courts martial? They either don't exist, or exist only behind an iron curtain of secrecy. Either way, when word gets back to the Iraqis and their Arab neighbors, the end result will be a significant increase in terrorist recruitment.

These troops and their commanders are supposed to be making America safer. Instead, their selfish pursuit of the spoils of war is hurting America. And the lack of aggressive media coverage and government action will result in more attacks on America -- many of them directed at the American military thieves' innocent replacements.

What is the Bush administration doing to stop this and return the items to Iraq? Sadly, this is probably under the radar. After all, the largest war profiteers are "best buds" of the Vice President. Profiteering on the level of tens or hundreds of dollars by individuals in uniform just doesn't compare to Halliburton stealing billions from the U.S.

What should President Bush do? First, he should order the Department of Defense to issue new rules making it absolutely clear that returning troops may not bring anything home that wasn't properly purchased. Second, he should order the Department of Defense to investigate just who brought what home, and which commanders allowed it. Each of these people should be prepared to face a court martial. The stolen items must be returned to Iraq, where they belong. And all of this must be done quite publicly, to make it clear that America will not tolerate this type of activity.

How can we tell the Iraqi people that we're there to help them, when our troops are stealing their possessions?

 

Copyright 2004, Dan Jacoby

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