January 26, 1999
Resolution to Condone the Lifting of the UN Sanctions On Iraq
Whereas, the United Nations, particularly the United States, has enforced the most extensive embargo in history on the Iraqi people for more than 8 years.
Whereas, the embargo's effects have violated the humanitarian principles that all decent human beings, including this University and the students, administration, and faculty, claim to uphold.
Whereas, the sanctions caused directly the death of over 1.4 million Iraqi citizens and are killing children at the rate of 5000 a month according to the United Nations.
Whereas, there is a clear causal link between the embargo and the unprecedented rate of death and disease in Iraq.
Whereas, Representative Lynn Rivers claims "I have some very deep reservations about the efficacy of the sanctions currently imposed on Iraq," thereby reflecting the widely-recognized failure of the sanctions to meet their intended goals.
Whereas, the clear international consensus demonstrated by the recent French proposal, the adamant criticism of the sanctions by Russia, China, Iran (Iraq's neighboring rival), and numerous world-wide humanitarian and grass-roots activist organizations, is against the sanctions.
Whereas, in 1991, President Bush guaranteed that we "have no quarrel with the Iraqi people" and Secretary of State Madeline Albright admitted the sanctions are not harming Saddam Hussein at all (Robert Fisk, Sydney Morning Herald 12-19-98)
Whereas, former UN Humanitarian coordinator of the oil-for-food program, Denis Halliday, resigned in October in protest because "We are in the process of destroying and entire society. It is illegal and immoral." (Robert Fisk, Sydney Morning Herald 12-19-98)
Whereas, the Iraqi people have more than suffered enough for the crimes of an unelected dictator and do not deserve to be "living from hand to mouth" (The Economist 12-12-98)
Therefore be it resolved, the Michigan Student Assembly publicly supports the lifting of the economic sanctions with special conditions for military technology and machinery, and expanded humanitarian efforts to help the Iraqi people recover from the crushing effects of the sanctions.
Submitted by Will Youmans, DAAP Caucus
Passed — 11 for, 10 against, 9 abstaining.