The Western world rightly deplores the war criminal Russian invasion of Ukraine but simultaneously ignores the horrendous impact of (a) bloody US invasions of 52 countries since WW2, and (b) the US application of deadly sanctions against numerous countries. The most shocking victims today of this US-imposed mass murder are starving Afghanistan and starving Yemen, but the Developing World faces famine from wheat price rises from the US-provoked Ukraine War.
Lord Kelvin (a founder of thermodynamics and hence of the Industrial Revolution) famously stated that it is very useful in any discussion to adduce numbers. The dead from violence in wars is hard to estimate and indeed an American general Tommy Franks boasted “We don’t do body counts”. However UN Population Division statistics going back to 1950 make it possible to accurately determine war-, threat-, poverty- and sanctions-associated avoidable mortality (excess mortality, or deaths that should not have happened) that is the difference between actual deaths in a country and deaths expected for a peaceful, decently-run country with the same demographics (e.g. the same proportion of children in the population). The 2007 and 2022 editions of my book “Body Count. Global avoidable mortality since 1950” [1, 2] enable quantitative assessments of this otherwise resolutely ignored avoidable mortality carnage.
The 2007 first edition of my book “Body Count. Global avoidable mortality since 1950” [1] exhaustively estimated avoidable mortality and under-5 infant mortality for every country in 2003 and in the period 1950-2005, noting that avoidable mortality as defined above was exquisitely estimated for all countries using different procedures for rich and poor countries (the reason being that in rich countries the mortality rate is higher because there is a higher proportion of older people, but the avoidable mortality rate is extremely low because there is a high standard of living and excellent education and health). The primary demographic data came from the UN Population Division [3] that enable one to successively determine population, births and then under-5 infant deaths for all countries and all periods since 1950 [3]. The major findings were (a) that 1950-2005 avoidable mortality and under-5 infant mortality totalled about 1,300 million and 880 million, respectively; (b) that in 2003 avoidable mortality and under-5 infant mortality totalled 16.0 million and 10.6 million, respectively; and (c) that avoidable mortality and under-5 infant mortality each expressed as a percentage of a country’s population are very low for rich countries but increase enormously with increasing poverty that is typically associated with colonialism, neo-colonialism, war , threat of war and sanctions.
The 2022 second edition of my book “Body Count. Global avoidable mortality since 1950” [2] includes and builds on the 2007 first edition [1] in providing updated, avoidable mortality-related short histories of about 200 countries, and analysing avoidable mortality from war and imposed deprivation for every country in the world that is updated for the year 2020. In this updated analysis under-5 infant mortality was determined for every country in the world for the year 2020 as predicted in the 2019 Revision of the UN Population Division’s World Population Prospects made before the COVID-19 Pandemic [3]. This data for all countries thus provides a unique baseline for future estimates of the mortal impact of COVID-19, not just through disease but also due to the economic and other impacts of COVID-19. In the first edition [1], total global avoidable mortality in 2020 was 1.5 times under-5 infant mortality but for Afghanistan avoidable mortality was 1.4 times under-5 infant mortality. Accordingly the 2020 avoidable mortality for all countries was conveniently and conservatively simply determined as 1.4 times the unambiguously assessed under-5 infant mortality.
The major findings for 2020 are as follows: (a) avoidable mortality and under-5 infant mortality totalled 7.4 million and 5.3 million, respectively; and (b) that, as in 2003, avoidable mortality and under-5 infant mortality each expressed as a percentage of a country’s population are very low for rich countries (e.g. 0.0088% and 0.0063%, respectively, for Europe) but increase enormously with increasing poverty that is typically associated with colonialism, neo-colonialism, war , threat of war and sanctions (e.g. 0.3531% and 0.2505%, respectively, for non-Arab Africa). The good news is that avoidable mortality and under-5 infant mortality had apparently halved over the 17 year period of 2003-2020, but the bad news is that 7.4 million people (mostly children) presently die avoidably each year on Spaceship Earth with remorselessly neoliberal and US-dominated One Percenters in charge of the flight deck [2].
An endlessly greedy, cowardly and pathologically racist America subverts all countries [1, 2, 4, 5], has 800 bases in over 70 countries [6], and has invaded 72 countries (52 since WW2) [7, 8]. War is the penultimate in racism and genocide the ultimate in racism. Avoidable mortality derives from violent deaths in war and non-violent deaths from war-imposed deprivation, noting that countries under threat of subversion and invasion have to divert scarce resources from basic sustenance and health needs to defence. Avoidable mortality is also associated with backing wars (such as the US-backed war on starving Yemen), the deadly freezing of national foreign currency reserves (such as the present deadly US freezing of Afghan foreign reserves), and sanctions – the US presently has major sanctions against 5 countries (Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria and Venezuela) as well as sanctions against numerous individuals in many countries, and against parties it chooses to describe as “terrorists” such as the national liberation groups of Hamas in Palestine and Hezbollah in Lebanon that have major popular support in the respective impoverished and violated countries [9].
With this background, and noting the fundamental injunction “Thou shalt not kill children” [10], we can now make some quantitative assessments of the horrendous avoidable mortality and under-5 infant mortality cost of US-imposed sanctions and US Alliance wars.
(A). The under-5 infant mortality and avoidable mortality cost of US sanctions against impoverished countries.
(1). Cuba. Through good governance Cuba has a remarkable record of exceptional performance in surviving 64 years of criminal US sanctions mercilessly applied by the US since 1958. It was subject to the unsuccessful US-backed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961. For Cuba in the sanctions period of 1958-2022 (average population 10.6 million) average annual avoidable deaths and under-5 infant deaths and totalled 3,760 and 2,690 and, respectively, or as a percentage of the average population, 0.03548% and 0.02538%, respectively. By way of comparison, for the US in the 64 year sanctions period of 1958-2022 (average population 252.1 million) average annual avoidable deaths and under-5 infant deaths totalled 60,560 and 43,260, respectively, or as a percentage of the average population, 0.02402% and 0.01716%, respectively, or slightly better than Cuba. For Cuba in the 64 year 1958-2022 sanctions period avoidable deaths and under-5 infant deaths and totalled 241,000 and 172,000, respectively (for the US in 1958-2022 avoidable deaths and under-5 infant deaths and totalled 3.88 million and 2.77 million, respectively).
Cuba now. In 2020 avoidable deaths and under-5 infant deaths totalled 850 and 610, respectively, and as a percentage of the population 0.0075% and 0.0054%, respectively. In 2020 the “under-5 infant mortality as a percentage of total population” (0.0054%) was 3.7 times greater than for Japan (0.00145%; the world’s best result), but 1.9 times lower than that in 2003 (0.0100%). By way of comparison, the US has performed slightly worse – for the US in 2020 the “under-5 infant mortality as a percentage of total population” (0.0084%) was 5.8 times greater than for Japan (0.00145%), and 1.4 times lower than that in 2003 (0.0120%) [2].
(2). Venezuela. Impoverished Venezuela has been subject to US sanctions since 2019 but has been subject long-term to US hegemony and subversion. US threat and hostile actions ramped up after 1998 when leftist Hugo Chavez was elected president, with massive US-backed, right-wing opposition strikes and demonstrations after re-election of Hugo Chavez in 2000, and which continued after his death in 2013 and replacement by Nicolás Maduro. Indeed the US recognized the opposition leader as the unelected president, and in 2020 Venezuela was subject to unsuccessful US-backed invasion in Operation Gideon. In 3 years of US-imposed subversion and sanctions Venezuela (population 28.4 million) has suffered huge avoidable deaths and under-5 infant deaths totalling about 85,000 and 45,000, respectively – by way of comparison, in the same 3 year period Cuba (population 11.3 million) suffered avoidable deaths and under-5 infant deaths totalling 2,600 and 1,800, respectively.
Venezuela now. In 2020 Venezuela (population 28.4 million) suffered avoidable deaths and under-5 infant deaths totalling 28,430 and 15,090, respectively, and as a percentage of the population 0.0743% and 0.0531%, respectively. In 2020 the “under-5 infant mortality as a percentage of total population” (0.0531%) was 36.6 times greater than for Japan (0.00145%) and 1.2 times greater than that in 2003 (0.046%) [2].
(3). Syria. Syria has been subject to US sanctions since 1986 and the US has had no diplomatic relations with Syria since 2012. US-backed Apartheid Israel invaded Syria in 1967, seizing the Golan Heights which were then largely ethnically cleansed of Arabs and subsequently illegally annexed in 1981. Zionist-beholden US presidents Trump and Biden recognized Israeli annexation of the Golan Heights in 2019 and 2021, respectively. In the 36 year sanctions period of 1986-2022 Syria (average population 16.4 million) suffered average annual avoidable deaths and under-5 infant deaths totalling about 14,700 and 10,500, respectively, and as a percentage of the average population of 0.0894% and 0.0638%, respectively. In 36 years of US-imposed sanctions Syria suffered avoidable deaths and under-5 infant deaths totalling 529,00 and 378,000, respectively.
Syria now. In 2020 in Syria (population 15.5 million) avoidable deaths and under-5 infant deaths totalled 8,600 and 6,140, respectively, and as a percentage of the population 0.0491% and 0.0351%, respectively. In 2020 the “under-5 infant mortality as a percentage of total population” (0.0351%) was 24.6 times greater than for Japan (0.00145%), but 2.1 times lower than that in 2003 (0.0750%).
(4). Iran. The US immediately slapped sanctions on Iran after the Iranian Revolution in 1979. The sanctions were temporarily suspended in 1981-1986 but cruelly continued from 1987 onwards. The US backed Iraq in the Iran-Iraq War, a war in which Iraq used US-supplied war gases and 1.5 million Iranians were killed. In the 37 years of sanctions, Iran (average population 65.6 million) suffered average annual avoidable deaths and under-5 infant deaths totalling about 49,470 and 35,340, respectively, and as a percentage of the average population of 0.0754% and 0.0539%, respectively. In 37 years of US-imposed sanctions Iran suffered avoidable deaths and under-5 infant deaths totalling 1,731,500 and 1,236,800, respectively.
Iran now. In 2020 in Iran (population 84.0 million) avoidable deaths and under-5 infant deaths totalled 28,100 and 20,070, respectively, and as a percentage of the population 0.0335% and 0.0239%, respectively. In 2020 the “under-5 infant mortality as a percentage of total population” (0.0239%) was 16.8 times greater than for Japan (0.00145%), but 3.3 times lower than that in 2003 (0.0790%).
(5). North Korea. In the 1950-1953 Korean War US bombing destroyed all buildings and 28% of the Korean population was killed [14]. Cruel sanctions have been applied by the US on North Korea since 1950. In 72 years of US-imposed sanctions North Korea (average population 18.8 million) suffered average annual avoidable deaths and under-5 infant deaths totalling 18,960 and 13,540, respectively, and as a percentage of the average population of 0.1005% and 0.0717%, respectively. In 72 years of US-imposed sanctions North Korea suffered avoidable deaths and under-5 infant deaths totalling 1,365,240 and 975,170, respectively.
North Korea. In 2020 North Korea (population 25.8 million) avoidable deaths and under-5 infant deaths totalled 8,160 and 5,830, respectively, and as a percentage of the population 0.0316% and 0.0226%, respectively. In 2020 the “under-5 infant mortality as a percentage of total population” (0.0226%) was 15.8 times greater than for Japan (0.00145%), but 4.0 times lower than that in 2003 (0.0900%).
(B). Deadly hegemony, occupation and economic violation through sanctions.
John Perkins in his book “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man” describes how the US Government and US corporations wage deadly economic war on impoverished countries through mendacity, corruption, subversion and perversion. When the rulers of victim countries fail to play ball they are successively threatened, sanctioned and thence removed by US-backed assassinations and coups or, if necessary, by outright invasion and violent regime change with installation of pliant puppet regimes [11]. The US Establishment with the complicity of corporations and Mainstream journalist, editor, politician, academic and commentariat presstitutes subverts all countries [4-6] and has invaded 72 countries (52 since WW2) [1, 2, 4, 5]. Australia as a fervently loyal US lackey has played a major role in supporting the US violation of circa 80 Indo-Pacific countries, including removal of 8 governments [12, 13, but Australian and other US Alliance Mainstream presstitutes maintain resolute silence over these atrocities.
While Western media are rightly saturated with horrific reports from the war criminal Russian invasion of Ukraine (one surmises that thousands have been killed so far in the Ukraine War), there is a Wall of Silence over 77 years of deadly American invasions and occupations since the end of WW2 that have killed tens of millions through violence and war-imposed deprivation [1, 2, 4, 5, 12-15]. Thus post-1950 US Asian Wars have been associated with 40 million Asian deaths from violence and war-imposed deprivation [1, 2]. In 2015 I estimated that 32 million Muslims had died from violence, 5 million, and imposed deprivation, 27 million, in 20 countries invaded by the US Alliance since the US Government’s 9/11 false flag atrocity that killed about 3,000 innocent people [15, 16]. Presently 7.4 million people die avoidably from deprivation on Spaceship Earth (overwhelmingly in Developing Countries) with the neoliberal One Percenters in charge of the flight deck [2]. It gets worse. Thus most of Humanity and the Biosphere will die in a post-nuclear exchange nuclear winter [17]. In the absence of urgent requisite climate action, 10 billion people will die in a worsening climate genocide en route to a sustainable human population in 2100 of only about 1 billion [18-20].
Of course Occupation is far, far worse than externally applied Sanctions because at least under the latter the Indigenous people can try to evade the economic violation imposed upon them.
Summarized below are under-5 infant deaths and avoidable deaths in some of the more recent, more deadly and variously continuing US Alliance war and occupation atrocities (noting that latest UN demographic data are used and horrendous present infant mortality is recorded in comparison with that in the world’s best, Japan):
(1). Occupied Iraq. The US green-lighted the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 but then used this invasion as the excuse for the Gulf War (0.2 million Iraqis killed) and sanctions that were associated with US, UK and Israeli bombing, 488,000 under-5 infant deaths and 683,000 avoidable deaths (1990-2003). In 1996 US UN Ambassador and later US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright conceded on “60 Minutes” that half a million Iraqi children had died, but that “We think the price was worth it”. However the child-killing US Alliance was not finished. In 2003 the US, UK and US lackey Australia invaded Iraq on the utterly false pretext that Iraq possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). The violent occupation of Iraq was associated with 295,000 under-5 infant deaths and 413,000 avoidable deaths (2003-2011).The US Just Foreign Policy estimated from epidemiological surveys about 1.5 million violent deaths during the occupation. However the rise of violence and thence particularly of ISIS in shattered Iraq after substantial US withdrawal in 2011 was associated with a further 480,000 under-5 infant deaths and 672,000 avoidable deaths. 1990-2022 under-5 infant deaths and avoidable deaths totalled 1,263,000 and 1,768,000, respectively.
Iraq now: The US and Apartheid Israel are still bombing Iraq. When the Iraqi Parliament demanded withdrawal of foreign forces, the US and its war criminal allies refused and Trump threatened to destroy the Iraqi economy by freezing its banking assets [21]. In 2020 the “under-5 infant mortality as a percentage of total population” (0.0747%) was 52.3 times greater than for Japan (0.00145%), but 6.2 times lower than that in 2003 (0.4600%).
(2). Occupied Afghanistan: The US invaded Afghanistan in 2001 and the 20 year occupation was associated with 2.1 million under-5 infant deaths and 2.9 million avoidable deaths (2001-2021). It was estimated that violence was 4 times less in Occupied Afghanistan than in Iraq where violent deaths roughly equal avoidable deaths from war-imposed deprivation since 1990. From this one can crudely estimate about 700,000 violent deaths in Occupied Afghanistan.
Afghanistan now: The Americans and the last of their fellow war criminal allies left in August 2021. However the US emplaced resolute post-war hostility to Afghanistan including freezing of nearly $10 billion of Afghan central bank assets. Biden modified this in February 2022 by stealing $7 billion from starving Afghanistan (the poorest country in the world) and sharing it between “aid” (not involving the Taliban government) and help for 9/11 victims (according to the “lying Bush official US version of 9/11” no Afghans were involved in the 9/11 atrocity) [16]. Humanitarian bodies repeatedly warned of a looming humanitarian catastrophe in a US-bankrupted, starving and impoverished Afghanistan [22-24]. President Joe Biden, having enjoyed nearly 80 years of privileged life, is an utterly repugnant geriatric mass murderer of children, and adds new meaning to the acronym KKK (for the violently racist and white supremacist Ku Klux Klan) as a Kid-Killing Kriminal (and that’s the polite version). In 2020 the Afghan under-5 infant mortality as a percentage of total population” (0.1950%) was a shocking 118.5 times greater than for Japan (0.00145%) (evidence of gross violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention by the occupying US Alliance countries), but 6.2 times lower than that in 2003 (1.2180%).
(3). Occupied Somalia: The US invaded impoverished, and war-, drought- and famine-wracked Somalia in 1992 but then withdrew. However in 2007 there was a US-backed invasion by Ethiopia and thence by other US-backed African Union forces (notably from Kenya). The subsequent 15 year occupation has been associated with 826,000 under-5 infant deaths and 1,156,000 avoidable deaths (2007-2022).
Occupied Somali now: In 2020 for US Alliance-occupied Somalia the “under-5 infant mortality as a percentage of total population” (0.4554%) was 314.1 times greater than for Japan (0.00145%), but 2.6 times lower than that in 2003 (1.170%) – evidence of gross violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention by the child-killing and war criminal US Alliance in Occupied Somalia as in Occupied Iraq and Occupied Afghanistan. Articles 55 and 56 of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War (the Fourth Geneva Convention) unequivocally demand that an Occupier must supply life-sustaining food and medical services to its Conquered Subjects “to the fullest extent of the means available to it”. Occupied Somalia is presently ravaged by drought and famine.
(4). Invaded Yemen: In 2012 a US-backed and Saudi-led alliance commenced war on Yemen after the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and northern Yemen. The Yemen was subsequently invaded by a Saudi Alliance that included Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar (now withdrawn), Bahrain, Academi (formerly called Blackwater) US mercenaries, Djibouti, Eritrea Occupied Somalia, the US, the UK and US lackey Australia (remote targeting of US drone strikes and naval cooperation with the Saudi Alliance [12, 13]). This 10 year war on war- , drought- and famine-wracked Yemen has been associated with 476,000 under-5 infant deaths and 666,000 avoidable deaths (2012-2022).
Invaded Yemen now: In vain the UN and other humanitarian bodies rail against the humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen. In 2020 the “under-5 infant mortality as a percentage of total population” (0.1582%) in Yemen was 110.8 times greater than for Japan (0.00145%), but 3.2 times lower than that in 2003 (0.5080%).
(5). Occupied Palestine: Under British and thence Zionist rule the ancient land of Palestine has suffered a century-long Palestinian Genocide involving mass expulsions of Indigenous inhabitants (800,000 in 1948 and 400,000 in 1967) and with associated deaths totalling 2.2 million from violence (0.1 million) and from imposed deprivation (2.1 million). Today about 95% of Palestine has been ethnically cleansed of Indigenous inhabitants. The total of 15 million mostly direly impoverished Indigenous Palestinians comprises 8 million Exiled Palestinians (forbidden on pain of death from stepping foot on the land continuously inhabited by their forebears for over 3,000 years), 5.2 million Occupied Palestinians (highly abusively confined without human rights and under Israeli military-imposed apartheid to ever-dwindling West Bank ghettoes or the blockaded and bombed Gaza Concentration Camp), and 1.9 million Israeli Palestinians (able to vote for the government ruling them but as Third Class citizens under 65 Nazi-style, race-based laws) [25]. The total ethnic cleansing of Palestine by nuclear terrorist and genocidally racist Apartheid Israel is a real and indeed a repeatedly, publicly and repugnantly advocated threat [26]. In the 22 years since 2000, Gaza rockets have killed 40 Israelis as compared to 10,000 Occupied Palestinians killed violently by Israelis, 85,000 Occupied Palestinians dying avoidably from imposed deprivation, 1,000 Israelis killed by Occupied Palestinians, and 3,000 Israelis murdered by Israelis (it is estimated from homicide data that on average some 11 Israelis are murdered by fellow Israelis each month but the Israeli air force is not bombing Tel Aviv in reprisals) [27, 28].
Occupied Palestine now. In 2020 the “under-5 infant mortality as a percentage of total population” (0.0538%) in Occupied Palestine was 37.7 times greater than for Japan (0.00145%), but 1.7 times lower than that in 2003 (0.0890%). The per capita GDP is $3,400 for Occupied Palestine as compared to $46,400 for the Occupier Apartheid Israel [1, 2].
(6). Invaded Haiti: After decades of brutal dictatorship, in 1991 there was the advent of democracy, and Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected as Haiti’s first democratically-elected president. However in 2004 there was a military revolt, and Aristide was kidnapped and removed to Africa by the US. The US invasion was followed by a US-French military presence with Canadians and Chileans. In 2004 a UN peace keeping force led by Brazil began replacing US and other forces. One can only speculate “what if” the morally degenerate Americans had not removed Aristide from “their patch” in the Caribbean. The subsequent 18 year “occupation” has been associated with 826,000 under-5 infant deaths and 1,156,000 avoidable deaths (2007-2022).
Invaded Haiti now: An impoverished Haiti has had great difficulty in coping with a succession of hurricane disasters in 2004-2008 and in 2010 a devastating earthquake that killed up to 0.3 million and left 1.3 million homeless. In 2020 in Haiti the “under-5 infant mortality as a percentage of total population” (0.1805%) was 124.5 times greater than for Japan (0.00145%) but 2.0 times less than that in 2003 (0.3640%) [2].
(7). The Global Avoidable Mortality Holocaust. As determined in 2007, the 55 year period of 1950-2005 was associated with under-5 infant deaths and avoidable deaths totalling 880 million and 1,300 million, respectively [1]. Using the latest UN Population Division data [3] it is estimated that the 70 year period of 1950-2020 was associated with under-5 infant deaths and avoidable deaths totalling 963 million and 1,348 million, respectively [2].
The Global Avoidable Mortality Holocaust now. It should be noted that in 2020 the US-dominated non-European World (minus China) had 5,051,000 under-5 infant deaths and 7,108,000 avoidable deaths, or as a percentage of the population (5,185,463,000) 0.0974% and 0.1371%, respectively. The outcomes for the European world are over 15 times better. Thus in 2020 European world had 66,500 under-5 infant deaths and 92,900 avoidable deaths, or as a percentage of the population (1,061,975,000) 0.0063% and 0.0088%, respectively (only about 4 times worse than for the world’s best, Japan). Presently 7.1 million people die avoidably each year in the non-European world (minus China) that is largely subject to US hegemony. In 2020 under-5 infant deaths and avoidable deaths for the whole world totalled 5.3 million and 7.4 million, respectively, or as percentages of the population 0.0689% and 0.0969%, respectively. In 2020 the world’s under-5 infant mortality as a percentage of population (0.0689%) was 48 times worse than the world’s best result, that for Japan (0.00145%)[2].
(C). History ignored yields history repeated – looming threat of famine in the Developing World.
The US-allied West quite rightly rails against the war criminal Russian invasion of Ukraine that has presently killed thousands of civilians and soldiers, generated over 3 million refugees, and devastated populous Ukrainian cities. However with breathtaking hypocrisy and racism the West resolutely ignores the horrendous carnage from violence, sanctions and war-imposed deprivation associated with US invasion of 52 countries since WW2 as illustrated quantitatively in Sections A and B above.
However, as I have raised previously in relation to the mortal consequences of the war criminal Russian invasion of Ukraine, the most serious consequence of this atrocity is likely to be literally millions of deaths from famine in the Developing World due to rising wheat prices [27].
In the WW2 Bengal Famine the price of the staple rice rose up to 4-fold for a variety of man-made reasons, and those subjects of the merciless British who could not pay simply starved to death. In the 1942-1945 WW2 Bengal Famine (WW2 Indian Holocaust, WW2 Bengali Holocaust) 6-7 million Indians were deliberately starved to death by the British with Australian complicity for strategic reasons in Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and Assam. Australia was complicit by refusing to supply its starving ally India with food from its huge wartime grain stores [29-33]. As demonstrated by Nobel Prize-winning Bengali economist Amartya Sen, it is fundamentally loss of “entitlement” or loss of the ability to buy food that kills in famines [34]. In the WW2 Bengal Famine a cashed-up Calcutta, a major centre of war-time industrial production, sucked rice out of an impoverished rice-producing countryside.
Nevertheless the Bengal Famine has been effectively removed from general public perception by successive generations of mendacious and holocaust-ignoring Anglo academic historians, journalists and politicians. Indeed Winston Churchill made no mention of the Bengali Holocaust for which he had major responsibility from his Nobel Prize-winning 6 volume tour de force “The Second World War” [29]. In 2008 the humane and truth-telling UK journalist Michael Portillo ran a BBC program on the “forgotten” Bengal Famine as part of a series of programs entitled “Things we forgot to remember” [34]. History ignored yields history repeated, and the present Western flood of war-time propaganda should not be allowed to swamp the real and worsening disaster in the Developing World (minus China) from the increasing price of wheat – the Ukraine is a major wheat exporter, Russia is a major exporter of wheat, gas and oil, and war and sanctions are already impacting the cost of production and transport of wheat. The market price of wheat fluctuates for various reasons, but it tripled between October 2016 and February 2022, from $4 per bushel to $12 per bushel [35]. Populous but poor countries like Indonesia and Egypt are already being affected [36], and in Egypt the government has now acted to cap bread prices [37]. However the mendacious, corrupt, racist and US lackey Australian Government has condemned China purchasing wheat from Russia [38].
Already 5.3 million under-5 year old infants and 7.4 million people in total die avoidably from deprivation globally each year in a continuing Global Avoidable Mortality Holocaust [2]. It takes 2 to tango, and US-provoked and Russia-effected war in Ukraine – this utter madness for perceived strategic advantage – must be urgently halted in the name of the innocent billions already impacted in the Developing World.
At the heart of this deadly evil is the entrenched mendacity of the powerful, and particularly lying by omission. The Russian invaders ignore not only the reduction of formerly vibrant Ukrainian cities to depopulated rubble but also the dire and deadly consequences for billions of impoverished people around the world, 7.4 million of whom already die each year from deprivation. The West rightly condemns the war criminal Russian invasion but is grossly hypocritical in resolutely ignoring the war criminal US invasion of 52 countries since WW2 and the deadly consequences of US-imposed war and sanctions.
As estimated from the latest UN Population Division data [3], under-5 infant deaths in Iraq under US-imposed sanctions (1990-2003) totalled about 0.5 million. However this sanctions carnage has been resolutely ignored by the US and the US-beholden West but with one notable exception, that of Madeleine Albright, former US UN Ambassador (1993-1997), US Secretary of State (1997-2001) and a cruel and racist handmaiden of bloody US imperialism until her recent death at 84 on 22 March 2022 [39]. Thus On May 12, 1996, US UN ambassador Madeleine Albright defended UN sanctions against Iraq on a “60 Minutes” program in which anti-racist Jewish American journalist Lesley Stahl asked her, “We have heard that half a million [Iraqi] children have died. I mean, that’s more children than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it?” and Madeleine Albright replied, “We think the price is worth it” [39, 40]. This has been the only admission ever by the US Government of the deadly consequences of its imposed sanctions but Albright later sought to claim that she was “tricked” and that the UN infant mortality statistics were false “propaganda” [39]. In contrast to the evil racist lying by Albright, we have the testimony of Dennis Halliday the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq from September 1, 1997 until 1998, and who resigned after 34 years with the UN, including being UN assistant secretary-general, over the Sanctions imposed on Iraq, characterizing them as “genocide” [40].
Final comments and conclusions.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine will not just kill thousands of Russian soldiers and thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians – millions may die avoidably from deprivation worldwide as a result of this reckless and evil war-making by Orwelllian psychopaths. Indeed as reported by the UN Population Division [3] already each year 5.3 million under-5 year old infants and 7.4 million people in total perish from deprivation while the world looks the other way. Over 2 million under-5 infants died in US-occupied Afghanistan but post-occupation US sanctions and seizure of Afghan monetary reserves promise a continuing Afghan Holocaust and Afghan Genocide.
As quantitatively set out in this essay, state-imposed sanctions on impoverished countries can be deadlier than actual physical invasion. Indeed the US may well have provoked Russia into war criminal invasion of Ukraine so that Russia could be devastated by sanctions (in much the same way as the US green-lighted the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and thence devastated Iraq with deadly sanctions) [40]. However there may be an even deadlier US plan behind this present disaster, namely economic devastation of China for non-compliance with US sanctions on Russia (a prospect enthusiastically supported by fervently Sinophobic US lackey Australia).
The US recognizes that any US or NATO military attack on Russian forces in Ukraine could trigger WW3 and the nuclear decimation of Humanity. However, as demonstrated here, sanctions can be deadlier than war and thus America continues to play a very dangerous game with the lives of 7.7 billion people, urged on by its vociferous, mendacious and racist lackeys, the UK and Australia. The Ukraine War must end immediately with sensibly negotiated peace between the sister countries of Ukraine and Russia – and not just for the sake of Ukrainian and Russian lives but the lives of 5 billion impoverished people in the Developing World.
At the heart of this awful situation is entrenched lying. Thus the most famous journalist in the world, Australian Julian Assange, has been imprisoned for nearly 10 years in the UK and faces life imprisonment in the US for truth-telling about US wars [41, 42], whereas US Alliance war criminals responsible for the deaths of millions remain uncharged, and horrendous deaths from US wars and sanctions are resolutely ignored by Western journalist, editor, politician, academic and commentariat presstitutes. War is the penultimate in racism and genocide the ultimate. Peace is the only way but silence kills and silence is complicity. Please tell everyone you can (the mendacious and racist Mainstream presstitutes certainly won’t).
References.
[1]. Gideon Polya, “Body Count. Global avoidable mortality since 1950”, 1st edition, G.M. Polya, Melbourne, 2007.
[2]. Gideon Polya, “Body Count. Global avoidable mortality since 1950”, 2nd edition, Korsgaard Publishing, Germany, 2022.
[3]. “UN Population Division, World Population Prospects 2019: https://population.un.org/wpp/DataQuery/ .
[4]. William Blum, “Rogue State: A guide to the world’s only superpower”, Common Courage Press, 2005.
[5]. William Blum, “Killing Hope: US military and CIA interventions since World War II’, Zed Books, 2014.
[6]. David Vine, “Where in the world are the U.S. Military?” , Politico, July/August 2015: https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/06/us-military-bases-around-the-world-119321/ .
[7]. “Stop state terrorism”: https://sites.google.com/site/stopstateterrorism/ .
[8]. Gideon Polya, “The US Has Invaded 70 Nations Since 1776 – Make 4 July Independence From America Day”, Countercurrents, 5 July, 2013: http://www.countercurrents.org/polya050713.htm .
[9]. “United States sanctions”, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_sanctions .
[10]. “Thou shalt not kill children”: http://thoushaltnotkillchildren.blogspot.com/ .
[11]. John Perkins, “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man”, Berrett-Koehler, 2004.
[12]. Gideon Polya, “AUKUS & Quad in context: Australia violates all Indo-Pacific countries”, Countercurrents, 9 December 2021: https://countercurrents.org/2021/12/aukus-quad-in-context-australia-violates-all-indo-pacific-countries/ .
[13]. Gideon Polya, “Australia violates all Indo-Pacific countries”, Stop state terrorism, 9 December 2021: https://sites.google.com/site/stopstateterrorism/2021-12-09-australia-violates-all-indo-pacific-countries .
[14]. Michel Chossudovsky, “Know the facts: North Korea lost close to 30% of its population as a result of US bombings in the 1950s”, Global Research, 27 November 2010: http://www.globalresearch.ca/know-the-facts-north-korea-lost-close-to-30-of-its-population-as-a-result-of-us-bombings-in-the-1950s/22131 .
[15]. Gideon Polya, “Paris Atrocity Context: 27 Million Muslim Avoidable Deaths From Imposed Deprivation In 20 Countries Violated By US Alliance Since 9-11”, Countercurrents, 22 November, 2015: https://countercurrents.org/polya221115.htm .
[16]. “Experts: US did 9-11”: https://sites.google.com/site/expertsusdid911/ .
[17]. “Nuclear weapons ban, end poverty & reverse climate change”: https://sites.google.com/site/300orgsite/nuclear-weapons-ban .
[18]. “Climate Genocide”: https://sites.google.com/site/climategenocide/ .
[19]. “Gideon Polya, “Climate Crisis, Climate Genocide & Solutions”, Korsgaard Publishing, Germany, 2021.
[20]. Gideon Polya, “Summary of “Climate Crisis, Climate Genocide & Solutions” by Gideon Polya – Climate Criminal Australia & US Ignore Climate Crisis, Climate Genocide & Solutions”, Crime & Power, 10 March 2021: https://www.crimeandpower.com/2021/03/10/2021-02-13-summary-of-climate-crisis-climate-genocide-solutions-by-gideon-polya-climate-criminal-australia-us-ignore-climate-crisis-climate-genocide-solutions/ .
[21]. Gideon Polya, “US, UK, Australia, Canada & Germany reject Iraqi Parliament’s quit Iraq demand”, Countercurrents, 16 January 2021: https://countercurrents.org/2020/01/us-uk-australia-canada-germany-reject-iraqi-parliaments-quit-iraq-demand/ .
[22]. Saleha Mohsin, “US freezes Afghan central bank’s assets of $9.5 billion”, Al Jazeera, 18 August 2021: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/8/18/us-freezes-afghan-central-banks-assets-of-9-5bn .
[23]. Nina Lakhani and Emma Graham-Harrison, “Biden releases $7bn in frozen Afghan funds to split 9/11 families and aid”, Guardian, 12 February 2022: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/11/biden-7bn-frozen-afghan-reserves-taliban .
[24]. “UNICEF issues historic humanitarian appeal to save the lives of millions of children in Afghanistan”, Reliefweb, 8 December 2021: https://reliefweb.int/report/afghanistan/unicef-issues-historic-humanitarian-appeal-save-lives-millions-children .
[25]. Gideon Polya, “Australia must stop Zionist subversion and join the World in comprehensive Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Apartheid Israel and all its supporters”, Subversion of Australia, 15 April 2021: https://sites.google.com/site/subversionofaustralia/2021-04-15 ] .
[26]. “Zionist quotes re racism and Palestinian Genocide”, Palestinian Genocide : https://sites.google.com/site/palestiniangenocide/zionist-quotes .
[27]. Gideon Polya, “West Rightly Supports Ukraine But Ignores Brutally Occupied Palestine”, Countercurrents, 1 March 2022: https://countercurrents.org/2022/03/west-rightly-supports-ukraine-but-ignores-brutally-occupied-palestine/ .
[28]. Gideon Polya, “Empathy exercise: what if the Zionists invaded, devastated and ethnically cleansed Australia too”, Countercurrents, 12 March 2022: https://countercurrents.org/2022/03/empathy-exercise-what-if-the-zionists-invaded-devastated-and-ethnically-cleansed-australia-too/ .
[29]. Gideon Polya, “Jane Austen and the Black Hole of British History. Colonial rapacity, holocaust denial and the crisis in biological sustainability”, G.M. Polya, Melbourne, 1998, and revised 2008 edition now available for free perusal on the web: http://janeaustenand.blogspot.com/ .
[30]. Gideon Polya, “Australia And Britain Killed 6-7 Million Indians In WW2 Bengal Famine”, Countercurrents, 29 September, 2011: http://www.countercurrents.org/polya290911.htm .
[31]. Gideon Polya, “Britain Robbed India Of $45 Trillion & Thence 1.8 Billion Indians Died From Deprivation ”, Countercurrents, 18 December 2018: https://countercurrents.org/2018/12/britain-robbed-india-of-45-trillion-thence-1-8-billion-indians-died-from-deprivation/ .
[32]. Gideon Polya, “Economist Mahima Khanna, Cambridge Stevenson Prize And Dire Indian Poverty”, Countercurrents, 20 November, 2011: https://countercurrents.org/polya201111.htm .
[33]. Amartya Sen, “Poverty and Famines: An Essay on Entitlement and Deprivation”, Oxford University Press, 1983.
[34]. Michael Portillo, “Bengal Famine”, Open Learn, 14 January 2008: http://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/history/social-economic-history/listen-the-bengal-famine .
[35]. “Wheat prices – 40 year historical trend”, Macrotrends: https://www.macrotrends.net/2534/wheat-prices-historical-chart-data .
[36]. Shawn Tully, “It’s not just energy: The Ukraine is sending what prices soaring, pounding poor countries hardest”, Fortune, 25 March 2022: https://fortune.com/2022/03/24/russia-ukraine-wheat-exports-high-prices/ .
[37]. Nadeen Ebrahim, “Egypt caps bread prices as shockwaves from Ukraine war hit Middle East”, CNN, 24 March 2022: https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/23/business/mideast-summary-03-23-2022-intl/index.html .
[38]. Daniel Hurst, “Scott Morrison denounces China for offering Russia trade “lifeline””, Guardian, 25 February 2022: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/25/scott-morrison-denounces-china-for-offering-russia-trade-lifeline .
[39]. “Madeleine Albright”, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeleine_Albright .
[40]. “Iraqi Holocaust, Iraqi Genocide”: https://sites.google.com/site/iraqiholocaustiraqigenocide/home .
[41]. “Julian Assange”, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Assange .
[42]. Paul Gregoire, “”Until we win”: Asaange’s father John Shipton on the home run tour for Julian”, Sydney Criminal Lawyers, 15 March 2021: https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/until-we-win-assanges-father-john-shipton-on-the-home-run-tour-for-julian/ .
Dr Gideon Polya taught science students at La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia over 4 decades. He published some 130 works in a 5 decade scientific career, notably a huge pharmacological reference text “Biochemical Targets of Plant Bioactive Compounds”. He has also published “Body Count. Global avoidable mortality since 1950” (2007, 2022) and “Jane Austen and the Black Hole of British History” (1998, 2008). He has recently published “US-imposed Post-9-11 Muslim Holocaust & Muslim Genocide” (2020), and “Climate Crisis, Climate Genocide & Solutions” (2021). For images of Gideon Polya’s huge paintings for the Planet, Peace, Mother and Child see: http://sites.google.com/site/artforpeaceplanetmotherchild/ .
