Aftermath of military interventions by the United States and its European allies

The end of the Cold War, which the Western political and military elites regarded as a victory in the confrontation between the blocs, instilled in them the mistaken belief that democracy can be easily spread anywhere. US and NATO hawks began to pursue hegemony and ideological colonialism, using military force in flagrant violation of international law.

The reckless military actions of the United States and its allies continue to inflict irreparable damage on individual states and entire regions. Instead of helping settle existing problems, the White House has consistently aggravated tensions and provoked conflicts for the purpose of attaining unilateral geostrategic and economic benefits.

This unjustified aggression against sovereign states, which went on for years, claimed the lives of tens and hundreds of thousands of civilians. Unending waves of economic crises are shaking the world. The catastrophic humanitarian and environmental toll of Washington’s actions is becoming more widely known. The victims of American “democracy promotion” are still reeling from the damage it has done to them. The industrial capacities of once prosperous states have been decimated. Hundreds of civilian infrastructure facilities, religious centres and historical and architectural landmarks have been destroyed.

One cannot remain indifferent to the damage done to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during NATO’s Operation Allied Force (March 24 – June 10, 1999). Over 2,000 civilians, including 88 children, were killed during the 78 days of the barbaric bombing of Yugoslavia’s civilian infrastructure. A similar illegal attack was waged against Republika Srpska of Bosnia and Herzegovina during Operation Deliberate Force (August 30 – September 21, 1995). The United States used ammunition with depleted uranium, which did permanent damage to the economy, environment and people’s health in that region of the Balkans.

The US military has visited untold suffering upon the Middle East and North Africa. The US-led NATO invasion of Iraq claimed 205,000 lives. The city of Mosul was razed to the ground in Iraq, and Raqqa was obliterated in Syria during the 2017 carpet bombings. The Americans are not helping rebuild what they have so wantonly destroyed; moreover, they are hindering such efforts at the international level.

Damage caused by Western aggression over the past 20-odd years has been estimated conservatively at $1.5 trillion. Washington and its allies have not mustered the courage to accept responsibility and make amends for the crimes they have committed around the world.

To provide an objective picture of what the Americans and the transatlantic accomplices to their crimes have done, we have compiled an information paper with evidence of the consequences of the illegal military interventions conducted by the “civilised” West.