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Monday started out wonderfully efficiently with requisite attention being distributed across a number of errands. Things seemed to be shaping up well for getting to the Bettinger Foundation on time for the lecture.

Unfortunately, I ran into a few obstacles along the way. One problem was a character-testing traffic jam. When I finally was able to extract myself from that mess by detouring through some side streets, I ran into a variety of construction projects, one-way signs, and a cul-de-sac or two.

By the time I reached the Foundation, located the entrance to the underground parking facilities, parked, made my way to the lecture room on the second floor, and tiptoed my way to a seat, the time was around 2:40 p.m.. The speaker was in the process of thanking the audience for its kind attention and opening things up to questions from the floor.

The speaker was an attractive woman who appeared to be in her early thirties. The program I had been handed as I came into the room identified her as Rachel Donaldson. She was an assistant professor of moral and political philosophy at some college I had never heard of in Colorado.

Hardly any time was required for someone from the audience of about forty people to accept Professor Donaldson's invitation concerning questions. Moreover, if the opening salvo was any indication, Dr. Jameson was dead-on accurate about the liveliness of the Q and A period associated with the lectures.

A man in the first row arose and said: "Professor Donaldson, maybe I missed something during your talk, but there seemed to be quite a few points made by you which sounded like you were trying to blame the United States for the Gulf War. If memory serves me well, we were not the ones who invaded Kuwait. I'm wondering if you would elaborate on some of your views in this regard."

"Dr. Clarke," she began, "I believe the term I used with respect to the moral responsibilities of the United States in the Gulf War was 'complicity'. In fact, the idea of complicity could be applied with varying degrees of relevancy to all of the participants of that war.

"Let's be clear about something right up front. And, please, Dr. Clarke, bear with me a little on this.

"Somewhere between 15,000 and 25,000 Iraqi civilians died as a result of Coalition bombing of targets in Iraq. Since the end of the 43-day Gulf War in 1991, there have been hundreds of thousands of further deaths of Iraqi children.

"Many of these children have died from a variety of infectious diseases that have been epidemic in Iraq since the cessation of bombing. These diseases have arisen because of the unsanitary living conditions that have been created by the Allies destruction of sewage systems, potable drinking water facilities, pumping stations and power-generating capabilities.

"Malnutrition also has been a very important contributing factor in many of these post-war deaths. Due to a variety of reasons, including our continued application of sanctions against Iraq, food there is both scarce and very expensive. Many Iraqis are poor or unemployed or both and cannot afford the simple necessities of life."

She paused slightly and stared at the wall to her right, as if there were information there to be read off. When she found what she was looking for, she turned back to the audience.

"When the US encouraged and promoted an uprising in southern Iraq following Desert Storm and, then, abandoned those people to Iraq's still largely intact Republican Guard, a further 6,000 or more people died. In addition, there were another 2,000 Kurds who were killed in an uprising, again encouraged and abandoned by the Allies, which occurred at the same time as the uprising in the south.

"Furthermore, although the actual number of Iraqi military casualties probably will never be known because of the bulldozing tactics employed by the Allies, informed estimates indicate that anywhere from 75,000 to 110,000 Iraqi soldiers died during the war. There are further estimates of some 300,000 seriously wounded Iraqi soldiers who undoubtedly overburdened an already overtaxed and undersupplied Iraqi medical system.

"We need to add to the foregoing, the 144 Americans who died during Desert Storm, as well as the roughly 300 Kuwait citizens who lost their lives. And, we must not forget the two Israelis and 8 Palestinians who died in Israel and the occupied territories."

Professor Donaldson began pacing, slowly back and forth, along a six foot strip of the raised platform from which she delivering her ideas. She spoke as she paced.

"In addition, let us consider the large scale displacement of people that went on just before, during, and just after the 43 days of war. For instance, about 400,000 people, mostly Egyptians, fled Iraq prior to the bombing. Another 1.5 million refugees left Kuwait, many of whom were foreign nationals working in Kuwait who, as a result of the displacement, lost jobs, homes, possessions and their savings.

"The Saudis deported about 700,000 Yemeni residents from Saudi Arabia simply because the Yemen government was not in favor of the Coalition's War Plan. In addition, the Kuwaitis forcibly, and with considerable abuse, deported some 150,000 Palestinians from Kuwait after the war.

"This forced exodus came as a result of two major reasons. On the one hand, the Kuwaiti leaders objected to the way many Palestinians, both inside and outside Kuwait, were pleased with the Iraqi attempt, before the onset of Desert Storm, to link the solution of the Palestinian problem to a negotiated withdrawal of Iraq from Kuwait.

"Since the Kuwaitis had been among the biggest financial benefactors of the PLO prior to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, the Kuwaitis interpreted the Palestinian support of the linkage issue with a betrayal of, and ingratitude toward, Kuwait. Apparently, the Kuwaitis were prepared to help the Palestinians with a few dollars, but the Kuwaitis just were not interested in making the sort of sacrifices which would help solve the problem once and for all.

"The other reason for the forced exodus of Palestinians from Kuwait revolved around the fact that some Palestinians apparently collaborated with the Iraqis during the latter's occupation of Kuwait. However, there was no serious effort to determine who exactly was involved in these acts of collaboration. Furthermore, there was little, if any, remorse on the part of the Kuwaiti leaders for the repeated violation of human rights that accompanied the forcible expulsion of the Palestinians from Kuwait.

"Between March and April of 1991, there was a further displacement of roughly 2.5 million people. Most of these displaced people were Kurds from the North who, as a result of the forced migration, were reduced to living in sub-subsistence conditions along the borders of Iraq, Turkey and Iran."

Dr. Donaldson stopped pacing. She removed her glasses from her face with her right hand and began massaging her eyes with the thumb and first two fingers of her left hand. After a few seconds, she put her glasses back on.

"Finally," she said, "let us consider the tremendous environmental damage which has ensued from the Gulf War. To begin with, there are the obvious ramifications that come from the burning of oil tankers and terminals.

"The delicate marine ecology of the Gulf area has been seriously compromised. Phytoplankton, algae and sea grasses which are fundamental parts of the food chain have been affected. Consequently, the shrimp, fish and other aquatic forms of life that depend on these biological species for their continued existence are also threatened.

"While the oil fires were raging, calculations indicated that more than 100,000 tons of soot particles and some 50 tons of sulphur dioxide were being released into the atmosphere on a daily basis. Some of the projections for the dispersal distances of these chemicals suggest that 2000 kilometers or more is quite likely.

"These substances play a central role in the formation of acid rain. And, shortly after the war, there were reports from Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, and Russia concerning the destructive effects of these pollutants in their countries. Ground water, soil, and life forms are all being affected.

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