It is a strategically located country, rich in oil and gas, with a long and tragic history of invasion and colonisation. The latest chapter in that history began this decade, when the United States and some of its allies organised an invasion. George Bush and his Deputy Sheriff John Howard argued that the country had become a 'failed state', a growing magnet for terrorists, and a threat to its neighbours.

The invaders quickly spread out across the country, and were even given a cautious welcome by some locals tired of chaos and violence. This welcome quickly disappeared, though, when the invaders showed their arrogance and their appetite for the resources of the conquered country. Their soldiers broke up political demonstrations, and their diplomats and businessmen began to demand deals that secured their control of the country's energy reserves. They installed a puppet government in the country's capital, and called this government a triumph of democracy.

Links: Peace Action Wellington | Global Peace and Justice Auckland | Reading the Maps | World Socialist Website | On Labour continues warmongering