The Horrors of War, 1

I've been experimenting with what I can post here, and in this semester of the academic study of war and torture, I recalled my sketchbook from when I was in the Middle East.







The Horrors of War: Al-Amariyyeh, the cry of the mothers

This depicts the US bombing of the Al-Amariyyeh bomb shelter in suburban Baghdad, killing 400 civilians, primarily children and women, Valentine's Day, 1991. The parents were either outside in the early morning hours working or doing laundry and cooking. The US justifies the bombing for the phone interchange equipment located in the building above. The force of the blast incinerated the people inside, and created 'shadows' of them against the wall. It is now a haunting memorial.




I have five pages to share, each based on places I've visited and the stories of the horrors of war. Still, several years later as I look at them, I realize all too well these places and these stories are not unique. Pictures of Palestinians rounded up by Israelis in the past, look curiously like pictures of Iraqis rounded up by Americans today.



What have we learned?

What must we learn?