Go to Original
A Way Forward, Out of Iraq
By Hany Khalil
CommonDreams.org
Wednesday 26 April 2006
Three years into the Iraq war, the U.S. peace movement faces new opportunities
to grow and wield influence. Retired generals contend that the United States
cannot win in Iraq. George Bush's approval rating has plummeted to 32 percent,
a new low. According to a Zogby poll, a majority of active-duty soldiers in
Iraq thinks that the United States should withdraw its forces by the end of
2006, and a Bloomberg/Los Angeles Times study found that 58 percent of Americans
believe the war was not worth fighting.
Yet, despite such sentiments, the increasingly unpopular war drags on with
no end in sight. Few of our elected officials have had the courage or principle
to call upon the White House and Congress to end the U.S. war and occupation.
To the contrary, most Republicans and Democrats-including our two U.S. senators
here in New York, Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer-continue to shamelessly
preach a tired "stay-the-course" message or some mildly tweaked variant
thereof.
While members of Congress are feeling pressure from antiwar constituents - indeed,
some pro-war Democrats, such as Senator Joe Lieberman, are facing challenges
from within their own party - most are paying little cost for their embrace of,
or at least failure to oppose, the war. If the antiwar movement cannot mount
more pressure soon, Congress could cave in to Bush's drive to launch another,
potentially far more disastrous war on Iran, just as it did in the lead-up to
the Iraq war.
There is a way forward for supporters of peace, one suggested by the mass mobilizations
of undocumented immigrants and their supporters across the United States. Their
ongoing demonstrations have reshaped debate regarding immigration and boundary
control, and have weakened the hand of many of the politicians pushing the most
draconian measures. Antiwar activists can similarly change the parameters of
debate, and pressure Congress to push for an immediate withdrawal. To do so
requires unity around a focused message that can reach millions, not thousands,
and strategic action on multiple fronts.
In these areas, the antiwar movement has been fairly successful. From over
600 events and mobilizations in mid-March on the third anniversary of the invasion
to the recent Mobile, Alabama-New Orleans march led by Veterans for Peace
and Iraq Veterans Against the War , the antiwar movement
is united around a call for immediate withdrawal, and has growing roots in communities
across the country. What is lacking, however, is the persistence, all-out mobilization
of multiple social networks, concentrated effort to recruit new supporters,
and scale of coordinated action displayed by the pro-immigrant movement.
A number of important factors have facilitated the mobilization of immigrants
and their supporters, despite the many obstacles they face. The White House
itself, for example, is ambivalent regarding efforts to criminalize unauthorized
immigrants, instead preferring some sort of legalization process, a position
championed by most elements of the business community. The Republican Party
as a whole is somewhat divided and having difficulty reconciling its pro-corporate
and nativist wings. At the same time, immigrants and their extended families
have a direct and intense interest in the outcome of so-called immigration reform,
providing a strong incentive for action.
The antiwar movement, in contrast, does not enjoy any support of note from
Wall Street, nor sympathy from Pennsylvania Avenue. Moreover, for the vast majority
of the population, the effects of the Iraq War are experienced as indirect (an
exception being those enlisted in the military and their family members, among
whom antiwar organization is growing). Despite these factors, we have the significant
benefit of far more extensive public support for our basic goal of withdrawing
from Iraq.
The peace movement must now exploit this advantage by focusing on dramatically
expanding its organized base. One way to do so is to build broad-based coalitions
between disparate groups so that the antiwar movement becomes part of people's
everyday lives. In this regard, the joining together of several large national
organizations for this Saturday's March for Peace, Justice, and Democracy in
New York City is auspicious. Groups including the National
Organization of Women, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, Friends of the Earth, U.S. Labor
Against the War, and Veterans For Peace are jointly sponsoring the mobilization,
with one of the key goals the setting of an agenda for congressional elections
later this year. The antiwar movement needs to make the Iraq issue central to
the 2006 elections. We should launch non-partisan issue campaigns to compel
every candidate for office to take a clear stand on the war, with a long-term
goal of forcing Congress to cut off war-related funding.
Every candidate who refuses to back the peace agenda should know that he or
she will face a movement with growing clout in Congress. Getting voters to sign
the Voter for Peace pledge, distributing voter guides comparing the positions
of candidates on the war, organizing candidates' forums, and bird-dogging candidates
can bring independent pressure to bear on all candidates and parties.
(This summer United for Peace and Justice will launch such a campaign as part
of its legislative action strategy.) In addition, we have to support and expand
grassroots efforts - such as those of the National Network Opposed to the Militarization
of Youth - to counter military recruitment.
Despite massive advertising budgets and the use of unethical tactics, the armed
forces are not signing up enough young people, in large part due to the Iraq
war. If the peace movement can lower recruitment rates even more, we can create
material obstacles to the ability of the Bush administration to prosecute the
war. Because the military targets working-class youth with few options, especially
people of color, counter-recruitment work can also help make more visible and
strengthen antiwar organizing among these constituencies.
In addition to working in these areas, keeping up the pressure on the streets
is vital. As shown by the pro-immigrant marches, mass mobilizations provide
low-barrier ways for the those disillusioned with the war to join in, to increase
the movement's media visibility, and to shape congressional debate. This Saturday's
national march provides a great opportunity for the antiwar movement to do the
same, while sending a clear message to the White House and Congress.
As the horrific death toll in Iraq continues to mount, and with the Bush administration
ratcheting up its efforts to frame Iran as a great menace while threatening
a preemptive U.S. attack, possibly with nuclear weapons, now is the time for
the peace movement to refocus and intensify its efforts.
The antiwar movements of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s were able to end or seriously
hinder U.S.-sponsored wars in Vietnam, Central America, and elsewhere. Though
we face unique challenges, we have the same responsibility - and ability - today.
--------
Hany Khalil is the Organizing Coordinator of United for Peace and
Justice, the country's largest U.S. peace and justice coalition, one with more
than 1,400 member groups. Since its Oct. 2002
founding, UFPJ has spurred hundreds of protests and rallies around the country,
including the two largest demonstrations against the Iraq war. He also works
with War Times.
-------
Jump to today's TO Features:
(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. t r u t h o u t has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is t r u t h o u t endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)
"Go to Original" links are provided as a convenience to our readers and allow for verification of authenticity. However, as originating pages are often updated by their originating host sites, the versions posted on TO may not match the versions our readers view when clicking the "Go to Original" links.
Print This Story
E-mail This Story