By Ramzy Baroud

                              Iraq has apparently succeeded in re-awakening international sympathy for its
                              relatively forgotten cause. On the regional level, thanks to the spirit of Arab unity,
                              which was sparked by the current Palestinian uprising, Arab governments began a
                              slow yet significant process of normalizing relations with the long-isolated Arab
                              state. On the international level, courageous steps carried out by France and Russia
                              to challenge the flight sanctions on Iraq have turned out to be a much greater
                              success than originally anticipated.

                              Now anti-sanction groups in the United States are now getting into the act, vowing
                              that they will also dare to break the air-siege on Iraq. Conscience International, a
                              leading anti-sanctions force based in Atlanta, Georgia, announced on November 9
                              its intentions to send two humanitarian flights to Iraq, directly from the United States.

                              Although the dates for the two trips have not been finalized, December 2-12, and
                              January 13-23 have been decided as tentative dates, according to a statement
                              released by the group.

                              During an interview with iviews.com before his departure from Amman to Baghdad,
                              Conscience International President James Jennings said he hopes his group will
                              “draw attention to the effects of the sanctions on the innocent civilians of Iraq,
                              especially children, in order to advocate that they be totally lifted.”

                              "Arrangements are 98% complete for the initial US-based flights into Baghdad,"
                              said Jennings. "Conscience International's petition to the Jordanian Foreign
                              Minister and meeting with airline officials in Amman in October apparently helped
                              the airline (Royal Jordanian Airlines) gain long-sought permission to begin regular
                              flights"

                              Jennings invites activists from around the United States to "make the historic
                              journey to Iraq with one of the first Conscience International flights to Baghdad."
                              Details of the two airlifts to Iraq have already been issued, including the cost of the
                              tickets.

                              “They (the sanctions) are ineffective and counterproductive, and constitute a violation
                              of the UN charter, the Geneva Conventions, and the Universal Declaration of Human
                              Rights,” Jennings said. “They are genocidal and racist in their application and have
                              serious potential for classification as war crimes before the world court and theory
                              international bodies.”

                              The US State Department’s reaction to the scheduled flights has not been made
                              public, although indirect recognition of air traffic to Iraq was made in early
                              November. The no-fly zone, created by the United States and Britain without UN
                              consent remains forbidden territory.

                              "We caution that the [no-fly] areas are areas of continuous military operation and
                              present significant danger to aircraft and passengers," said State Department
                              spokesman Richard Boucher in a statement issued on November 4th. The
                              statement indicated an American concession that areas out of the no-fly zone are
                              open to air traffic. But it remains unclear whether the indirect concession applies to
                              sanction busters who could face heavy fines and imprisonment for violating the
                              sanctions.

                              But Jennings is says he can avoid breaking any laws by first stopping in another
                              country before landing in Baghdad, and stressed that the trip was strictly
                              humanitarian. He also said that Secretary of State Madeline Albright “has
                              commented on (the trip) with an attitude of benign neglect”.

                              His flight to Iraq comes at a time when world attention to the plight of Iraqis is
                              gaining momentum and also at a time when most Americans have their attention
                              diverted to the hotly contested Presidential election results.

                              Groups such as Voices in the Wilderness, Iraq Sanction Challenge and other
                              human rights groups have succeeded, after years of activism and outspokenness,
                              to raise awareness among many Americans of the harm inflicted by the
                              decade-long sanctions. Such success however, has failed thus far in softening
                              America’s stiff foreign policy on Iraq. Nonetheless, the activism to bring an end to
                              the sanctions still continues.

                              American Arabs and Muslims are also working on awareness campaigns to
                              educate the American public on the effect the sanctions. In early November, a "Day
                              of Silence" for the people of Iraq was initiated throughout the United States, where
                              activists gathered to mourn the 5,000 deaths in Iraq each month, and to tell
                              passersby and local media outlets about the reason for their deaths.

                              _______________________________

                              Ramzy Baroud is a freelance journalist in Seattle, Washington and a regular
                                                  contributor to iviews.com.