Casualties: Narrative and images of the war on Iraq

Seiji Yamada, Mary C. Smith Fawzi, Gregory G. Maskarinec, and Paul E. Farmer

International Journal of Health Services, Volume 36, Number 2, Pages 401–415, 2006

The Iraqi people have endured an excess burden of morbidity and mortality
during the past 15 years due to war and sanctions, with the March 2003
Anglo-American assault on and subsequent occupation of Iraq representing
the most recent chapter. Children have been disproportionately affected;
many have died from infectious disease, malnutrition, and lack of access
to health care. There have been significant differences in the availability of
narrative accounts and images of this suffering, reflective of the need of those
who wage wars and impose sanctions to keep the public uninformed. This
article suggests that public health and medical practitioners have a responsibility
to seek out such accounts and images. The authors explore possible
responses to narrative and images of this suffering, and outline the sorts
of responses engendered by three perspectives—charity, development, and
social justice. The suffering of the people of Iraq should spur a response
from the health community to alleviate the situation and prevent unnecessary
suffering.

To obtain a pdf copy of this article for personal use only, please email: seiji@hawaii.edu