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NEWS & LETTERS, June 2004Anti-war activists debate directionMemphis, Tenn.—Recently, a debate arose in the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center over what our demands should be in regard to the war and occupation of Iraq. It started because an offhand comment revealed an assumption that our message was simply "U.S. out now." Since the U.S. has created a dangerous situation with some very reactionary forces vying for power in Iraq, some felt that it was necessary to address the question of what happens to the people of Iraq. We decided to have a forum on the topic, with three panelists, Gerry Vanderhaar, Allan Lummus, and Terry Moon, all long-time activists who do not shy away from theory. As to what happens after U.S. troops are withdrawn, Vanderhaar proposed we call for "the UN to take over peacekeeping and rebuilding Iraq." Moon pointed to the bad history of the UN in Iraq, such as the fact that Lakhdar Brahimi, leader of the UN's role in Iraq, argued in 1991 against providing assistance to the Shi'ites and Kurds when they rose in revolt against Hussein's dictatorship. Instead, Moon said our explicit goal should be "a new world based, not on militarism and capitalism as it is now, but on human rights and liberation." She proposed we focus on people-to-people solidarity: support liberation movements rather than allowing all relations to be channeled through governments. Groups like the Union of the Unemployed, the Organization for Women's Freedom in Iraq and other democratic indigenous organizations must be allowed to develop without harassment by U.S. forces. One objection was that "choosing sides" would make us "the same" as the occupiers. This was answered with the point that solidarity always involves choosing those who deserve solidarity because they are about liberation. Otherwise what kind of vision of the future would solidarity mean? The second objection was that we could not "sell" this demand to everyone. That is an issue on which we will not be able to agree, since some are more interested in appealing to local politicians with a limited goal of anti-intervention, while others of us want the anti-war movement to be unseparated from the effort to transform society at home and think our natural allies are those who feel such a need—workers, women, Blacks, Latinos, youth, gays. --Anti-war activist |
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