Burn, Baghdad, burn

Peace researcher Jan Øberg is against a new war against Iraq. He agreed to be photographed together with a 134 cm. long stuffed toy tiger.

What is war?

- War is the continuation of politics by other means. The purpose of war is to keep the peace. You only use violent means when your fundamental existence is threatened.

What is a soldier?

- A soldier is an element of the state. Soldiers perform their duties according to the decisions made by the political leadership of the state.

And if necessary they kill?

- Yes.

Could you do that yourself – kill?

- I don’t wish to answer that question.

Is Iraq our enemy?

- You can’t put it that way. You can say that if Iraq is considered a threat to world peace then it will ultimately affect the security of Denmark.

The Danish military is ready for a war against Iraq. Navy Commander Senior Grade Jens Claus Hansen refused to be photographed with a 134 cm. long stuffed toy tiger.

What is war?

- War is a misunderstood attempt to solve conflicts. There will always be conflicts, but war can be avoided. The proclaimed purpose is always good, but the moral dimension is ignored. We want to get rid of a tyrant but first we’ll have to commit a lot of crimes.

- It’s part of the Western culture. Since World War II, we have initiated and participated directly or indirectly in 130 to 140 wars. We believe in the technological fix. We think that high-tech weapons can force others to behave. In general one finds a technological surplus and an intellectual deficit.

What is a soldier?

- Today a soldier is rather like a technician. It has become easy to kill from a distance, from thousands of kilometers away. Previously one had to have a strong conviction in order to go and kill. The fact that this is no longer necessary corrupts any moral qualms. We are no longer prepared to sacrifice the lives of our soldiers for our grandiose values. The wars we fight nowadays are wars of cowardice.

Is Iraq our enemy?

– Iraq is not our enemy. We have chosen to make Iraq an enemy. Iraq is the highest developed and most secular Arab country, the Arab country that most resembles Europe.

- The true barbarians are the sanctions that we have imposed on Iraq, killing more than one million civilians. The sanctions have blocked the Iraqi people from access to education and from mustering the strength to topple their president. Actually, we have killed far more people with our sanctions than Saddam ever has.

Text: Ulrik S Kohl Photos: Anders Schørring