George Bush on trial now!

George W. Bush, the 43rd President of the United States, is a war criminal. It is a disgrace that he has gone unpunished to this day.

Isn’t it remarkable that to this day the International Criminal Court has not even initiated investigations against George Bush, but instead, just in time for the 20th anniversary of the war of aggression on Iraq, which violated international law, has begun investigations against Russia for alleged war crimes? That speaks volumes about the independence of international jurisdiction. But we want the rule of law and not the rule of arbitrariness!

George W. Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq 20 years ago without a legal mandate. „Shock and Awe“ is what the Commander in Chief called his war tactics. And truly, George W. Bush taught the Iraqi people:  shock, terror and awe.

It was a war of aggression, it was based on lies and the US occupation regime have destroyed Iraq and destabilized it to this day. Entire cities, including Fallujah, have been effectively razed to the ground by U.S. attacks.

If there were justice, the neoconservative hawks around Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney and Condoleezza Rice and the US military-industrial complex would have to pay compensation to the relatives of the many dead and injured. To the mothers and fathers whose babies are born crippled by toxic Depleted Uranium munitions.

If there were justice, then Bush and Co. and the Military-Industrial Complex would have to pay reparations for the destruction of the civilian infrastructure in Iraq, for the destruction of the water supply and electricity grids, for the destruction of hospitals and schools.

Even though the German government did not directly support Bush and the neocons in the war at the time, Germany was a hub for the war. Ramstein was and is a hub for the projection of U.S. international military power. Without Ramstein, the U.S. drone targeted killings around the world would not be possible.

Those who do not keep their eyes and ears firmly closed must see how much Washington regards Europe as its backyard. Unforgotten are the attempts of the US hardliners to split Europe into an „old Europe“ and a „new Europe“, because Germany and France did not participate in the Iraq war in 2003 and the „coalition of the willing“ and loudly said „no“ – in contrast to the willing in Poland and the Baltic states.

Supported by the so-called “willing” in Poland and the Baltic states today, President Biden is sending us Europeans and above all the Germans, to do the proxy war against Russia in Ukraine. Germany is to supply battle tanks, which Biden does not want to send. Europe is to supply fighter jets. It is a question of time before the leadership in Kiev, which is 100 percent dependent on Western weapons and money, demands long-range missiles and NATO-troops.

This madness must be stopped. We are on the dangerous slide into a Third World War. The „Reaper“ incident over the Black Sea shows once again how deeply the West is already involved in the war in Ukraine.  (The US is providing Ukraine with real-time reconnaissance data for its military decisions). And it shows also how great the danger of further escalation is, whether intended or unintended. When will this madness finally end?

Instead of further arms deliveries, a ceasefire is urgently needed. Without preconditions. And just as we in Germany call on Chancellor Scholz to use diplomacy for a negotiated peace, we call on President Biden to support China’s peace initiative for Ukraine instead of undermining it.

We want and we need security and peace in Europe again. This includes security guarantees for all sides involved.

And it is right to condemn and punish war crimes in Ukraine. But if you want justice, you have to start with George W. Bush. Anything else is a double standard and imperial arrogance. Iraqi lives matter, too. The dead in Baghdad matter as do the dead in Bucha.

George W. Bush belongs in the dock for the lies he has used to legitimize his breach of international law. George W. Bush belongs in prison for the torture at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo.

It is a disgrace that today George W. Bush can paint oil paintings in the hobby cellar of his ranch in Texas legally unmolested and without punishment, while Wikileaks founder and journalist Julian Assange has been deprived of his freedom for 13 years. Julian Assange has been locked up for 1437 days in Belmarsh, the „British Guantanamo“, for exposing the war crimes of George W. Bush.

Those who commit war crimes belong in prison, not those who expose war crimes. So we call on President Biden here today: End the persecution of Julian Assange and stop your war in Europe. George Bush on trial now!

Foto: „030325-D-9880W-079“ by Marion Doss is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=openverse. Unverändert.