WE KILL BECAUSE WE CARE:

Refugees in Iraq (Diane Rehm, March 12, 2003)

War in Iraq would disrupt food supplies to the millions of Iraqis who depend on government-provided rations to survive, and an extended conflict could displace hundreds of thousands of people - or more. Diane talks with representatives from some of the many relief organizations preparing to cope with a possible refugee crisis in and around Iraq. With: Kenneth Bacon, president, Refugees International, and Bob Laprade, director of Emergencies and Crisis, Save The Children

The most interesting bit came in a question about U.S. bombing and its killing of civilians. Ken Bacon, hardly a hawk, said that Human Rights Watch estimates that bombing in the First Iraq War was responsible for about 3,500 civilian deaths; that Saddam then killed about 35,000 after the armistice, as he put down revolts; and, of course, Iraq claims something like 1.5 million have died as a result of sanctions during the long truce. Though no mathematician, it seems like war is far and away the best option for Iraqi civilians. Posted by Orrin Judd at March 12, 2003 2:12 PM