By Lv Desheng and Zhang Wenwen
Discussions and reflections on the Iraq War have prevailed on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq, with the legitimacy of the war as one hotspot debate.
Twenty years ago, ignoring the unanimous objection from the international community and the authority of the UN Security Council, the United States attacked brutally to a sovereignty country, which was criticized as an enormous shock to the international system with the UN as its core, and unscrupulous trample on the basic norm governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. This war made distinct the "law of the jungle" philosophy upheld by the United States and the huge detriment of its hegemony to regional and global peace and stability.
The United States has not introspected on its brutal aggressive act up until now. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin even shamelessly said that their army would stick to Iraq since they had brought peace and dignity to it.
But what is the truth? After the American occupation of Iraq, the US army plundered countless treasures of the country. It took only 10 years for the US military to completely privatize the petroleum industry of Iraq and put it under the domination of western countries. They also systematically ransacked the Iraq National Museum, looting 170 thousand valuable relics. A considerable number of troops still remain in Iraq although the US had announced to withdraw troops early in 2011. What's startling is that the US army had assassinated Soleimani, Iran's Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, during his invited visit in Iraq. So where are the peace and dignity coming from for the Iran people in light of such an amount of immortal villainies?
Not only in Iraq, the US had also orchestrated the "Arab Spring" in Asia-Africa, instigated "color revolutions" in Eurasia, and practiced a "Neo-Monroe Doctrine" in Latin America. The US bypassed the UN Security Council and rallied its NATO Allies to launch airstrikes in Libya. The US troops stationed in Syria thriftlessly snatched oil, wheat and other resources in the country. A large number of facts have demonstrated that the US is the real wrongdoer to destroy international rules and infringe the international order. The hegemonism and power politics implanted in the US have become a severe barrier to threaten the civilization and peaceful development of human society. Even many American scholars have told bluntly more than once that the US has descended to a "rogue superpower".
Nowadays, more and more people choose peace over war, justice over hegemonism and cooperation over confrontation, which has been a common aspiration of the international community. The law of the jungle pursued by the US should have been swept into the trash can of history long ago, and inclusive growth for all is surely the right way forward.
The US needs to conduct serious soul-searching. It must wake up from the fantasy of its "force superstition" and "position of strength" in dealing with international disputes, let go of its arrogance and prejudice on "might makes right", quit its hegemonic, domineering and bullying practices and act in accordance with the purposes of the UN Charter. Otherwise, it will only encounter more resolute and forceful opposition from the international community.
