[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 99 (Tuesday, June 19, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7879-S7880]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IRAQI HUMANITARIAN CRISIS

  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, when the United States went to war with 
Iraq in 2003, a number of observers feared that a massive humanitarian 
crisis could occur if a smooth transition was not successful. Despite 
the quick collapse of Saddam Hussein's

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dictatorship, the heroic performance of our servicemembers, and the 
predictions of some in the administration, the transition was far from 
smooth. Nonetheless, we did not initially see a humanitarian emergency 
in Iraq.
  Four years later, however, this emergency is now unfolding in the 
cruelest of ways. With Iraq enmeshed in civil war, the relentless 
violence has displaced numerous civilians not only within Iraq but 
outside of it as well.
  There are a range of possible factors behind the current situation: 
as the war is increasingly defined by its sectarian nature, the growing 
potential for neighborhoods to be ``cleansed'' by one ethnicity or 
another may accelerate displacement patterns; the overall increase in 
violence that occurred following the golden dome shrine bombing of 
February 2006 may have served as a catalyst that changed the face of 
the war and the tactics of those fighting it.
  Regardless of the reasons, the results are clear--millions of Iraqis 
have been forced from their homes because of entrenched fear and 
rampant violence. Basic survival needs such as food, clean water, 
shelter, sanitation, and health care are in short supply. The 
government infrastructure has collapsed--if it ever truly existed--
taking with it the communities it served.
  The U.N. High Commission for Refugees estimates that there are nearly 
2 million displaced people within Iraq and close to 2.5 million seeking 
refuge in neighboring countries. In total, that is almost 4.5 million 
people, Mr. President, 4.5 million individuals or approximately 13 
percent of the total Iraqi population. Many of these individuals are 
from Iraq's shattered middle class and will be critical to rebuilding 
the country. But who can say where they will be when that time comes 
and whether they will be willing or able to contribute to that process.
  The United States has admitted only a small number of Iraqi refugees 
since the beginning of the war. According to the State Department, 
there have been just 687 Iraqi refugees admitted to the United States 
since the war began in 2003. We have a particular responsibility to 
provide aid and safe haven for Iraqis whose lives are threatened 
because they worked for us.
  Fortunately, many neighboring countries have been willing to step up 
to the plate and allow those Iraqis fleeing their homeland to seek 
temporary shelter despite the fact that many of their needs are 
straining the already weak and overburdened social services. Indeed, 
most of Iraq's neighbors are unable to provide adequate assistance to 
those living within their borders, citizens and refugees alike. The 
introduction of more than 2 million additional people into these 
already precarious environments could tip the balance in the wrong 
direction.
  This humanitarian disaster is emblematic of this administration's 
poor planning when it comes to virtually every aspect of the war in 
Iraq. The administration's failure to respond adequately to the needs 
of these refugees and displaced people will have dramatic consequences 
for regional and global stability. We still have a chance to reverse 
course in Iraq, however, to refocus our strategy, and regain our 
credibility so we can work with the international community and resolve 
this crisis appropriately.

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