by Donna M. Houston

Created on: December 02, 2008

More than 5 years ago, acting on misinformation gleaned from British Intelligence, a coalition of armed forces led by the United States of America, together with Great Britain, Australia, and to a lesser degree Denmark and Poland invaded Iraq. 26 other countries signed on in support of the campaign. The purported mission was a search for Weapons of Mass Destruction...or was it because of oil?... maybe it was a son exacting revenge for 'death threats against daddy' made during the 'mother of all wars', the Gulf War, aka the first Iraqi War ...? The only thing clear about why this war started was how ambiguous (and numerous) the reasons were. One thing is crystal though: the responsibility the Allied Forces - especially the United States of America - bear for the plight of the Iraqi refugees now.

According to the U. N. Refugee Agency, The Office of The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), an estimated 4.7 million Iraqi citizens have been forced from their homes to date. Seeking to escape the escalating violence (and threats of violence) in their neighborhoods, some 2.7 million people have moved to 'safer' areas within Iraq. 2 million more have crossed the borders into neighboring countries, especially Jordan and Syria. Not without some irony, an independent, non-partisan advocacy organization, Crisis Group, concluded in their Middle East Report No. 77 that the main reason for this exodus was not internationally sponsored military actions but rather America's failed rebuilding efforts. Without a clear reconstruction plan, stalled labors have led to an increase in fighting and civilians have borne the brunt of these attacks.

The harsh reality of a country still in the throes of violent upheaval stands in stark contrast to the more optimistic though less than accurate picture being painted by some. Iraq is still a country divided by sectarian violence. Contrary to some reports, expatriates are not being welcomed back with open arms. Some of the challenges that face the returning refugees include:

* No homes to come back to. For many, their houses, if not destroyed, are now occupied by others.
* Militias from opposing sects now control their villages.
* A lot of areas lack adequate public services.
* For the more than 115,000 Iraqi people who work for the U.S government or for companies affiliated with the U.S., repatriation is not even an option. Their links to America have brought them death threats and worse, putting them and their families in great

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