PACIFIC ISLANDS REPORT

Pacific Islands Development Program/East-West Center
With Support From Center for Pacific Islands Studies/University of Hawai‘i

By Alan Ah Mu

APIA, Samoa (Feb. 7) - The war in Iraq is a distant conflict, far from Samoa’s consciousness for most of the time since it was launched.

Until that is, a soldier dies there and turns out to be a Samoan.

That's when it hits home—this distant war.

When a Samoan dies in Iraq it causes the reasons for the United States and allies entering the conflict to be examined.

Except for the most devoted of observers, interested enough to follow the conflict with dedication to all its twist and turns, the reasons have faded into vagueness.

What is emerging from overseas media is a gathering opposition to the war in the United States and Great Britain, with explanations for continuing to be present in Iraq from these governments proving unconvincing.

The one memorable reason given for invading Iraq was to stop Saddam Hussein using weapons of mass destruction against his enemies, the west.

When post-invasion searches in Iraq found no such weapons, when claims of the existence of such weapons proved to have been false, the war started to make no sense at all.

Unless the one suspected, that the United States is after oil and nothing but oil, is considered.

But viewed in the context of the stated purpose of the invasion the war is becoming a tiresome story of death and destruction for unconvincing reasons, at least from our shores.

The credibility of the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, who pushed for the invasion of Iraq, was lost months ago.

Now the war drags on despite the loss of credibility and moral purpose.

The longer the fighting the more bodies the United States and allies will fly home in body bags.

One of them would be that of Private First Class David Tipo To'omalatai, who on Saturday, January 27, was killed by an explosive while on patrol in an armored vehicle - if it hasn't happened already.

Now this is an assumption but amongst the mourners for David is bound to be people here.

As a news release by Faleomavaega Eni Hunkin says, "PFC David To'omalatai is the son of Mr. And Mrs. Vailala and Sally To'omalatai - originally from Matautu and Lotofaga, Samoa who are currently residing in Long Beach, California."

Our Government is against the war, arguing for a less violent way of reaching solutions.

In view of what has been happening, it was the right posture to adopt.

Never mind the almost unimaginable amount of resources being spent on a war that doesn't make sense and lacking in morality.

The United States and company can afford it, it would seem.

The impact on small countries like Samoa of the subsequent rises in fuel prices would have been of no relevance at all to the big boys out to get what they want.

But according to news reports, David is the 10th Samoan to have died serving in the Iraqi war.

Even if they had joined the military out of American Samoa, there is no one from the islands of the Territory without family links to the islands of independent Samoa. And vice versa. The links are very close in some cases.

One respects the reasons why young men and women of Samoa join the military.

Amongst them—as stated by those of them who've returned home on leave from Iraq—is the military way of life and employment for the welfare of their families.

But it would be more acceptable if they were fighting and serving a cause that possesses conviction and is justified.

That way when some of them return in body bags there is strength to be had amongst the mourners in that they died fighting for what was right.

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