Should the U.S. Immediately Begin Withdrawal from Iraq?

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Although it was predicted and became true that the U.S. invasion would provoke a humanitarian crisis in Iraq, no one prepared for what has become the fastest growing refugee crisis in the world. Today, 8 million Iraqis live in poverty and more than 15% of the population have fled their homes. More than 2 million have sought refuge in neighboring countries and an estimated 2.4 million are internally displaced. Despite urging from many different quarters that economic development and reconstruction are key to stabilizing Iraq, Iraqis are left with inadequate support from the Iraqi Government, the UN, the U.S. or other international donors. According to the recent Testimony of Bill Frelick before the Congressional Human Rights Caucus:

"The Bush Administration has boosted its 2008 emergency request to fund the Iraq and Afghan wars to $196.4 billion, bringing the total price tag to more than $800 billion. Less than one-fifth of 1 percent of that request, $240 million-less than the amount the U.S. spends each day to wage the war-is slated for emergency relief, basic health services and education for the 4.4 million Iraqis who have been forced from their homes. While the Administration's war spending could be characterized as profligate, it has been pinching pennies when it comes to meeting the war's human costs. Its humanitarian response has not only been stingy, but prosaic."

Jordan, Syria and even provinces within Iraq have closed their doors to Iraqi refugees because of the lack of international assistance to help provide for the massive influx of Iraqis fleeing from their homes. Recent reports from the Iraqi Government, UN agencies and international NGOs all warn of the threat to Iraq's orphaned and vulnerable children.