Act Now to Stop War
The first question to ask and answer is: Can a people's movement in the United States overcome the commitment of the White House, Congress and the Pentagon to authorize, extend and finance the war and occupation in Iraq?
What is the military situation in Iraq? The US cannot achieve military victory in Iraq. Its multiple opponents in Iraq are not militarily strong enough to decisively defeat the US military in the short term. If the Iraqi population, however, were able to overcome sectarian divisions introduced with the US occupation it is possible that Iraq could witness a repeat of a nationwide uprising such as the 1958 Revolution that drove the British military out of Iraq. But the flames of division are being whipped up every day and function as a deterrent to such a spontaneous national uprising against the occupiers. Finally, the US military is stretched thin but is clearly able to continue the occupation for some time, and the anti-U.S. opponents in Iraq are not exhausted yet by the protracted conflict. If anything they are gathering strength and energy as the occupation forces cannot take the strategic initiative away from guerrilla forces.
Given this complex reality, or realities, we believe that the U.S. antiwar movement must take strategic and bold initiatives that change the political climate in this country. To succeed, these initiatives must be based on a correct assessment of where we are.
Assessment of the political situation as it regards the Iraq war
1) The people of the country have turned decisively against the continuation of the war. Most recognize that the war was based on lies and most no longer believe the president and the generals when they assure them that victory is still possible.
2) The military situation is worsening rather than improving in light of the so-called surge. The number of US war dead in May 2007 spiked to the third highest month since the initial invasion in 2003. The numbers of Iraqi dead is about 3,000 each month. Two million Iraqis have fled the country and another two million are internal refugees.
3) The US is unable to secure its political control over the region as is evident by what is happening in Lebanon, Iran and Syria and its intensified destabilization campaign towards the Palestinian people.
4) The Bush administration is increasingly isolated, at home and abroad, because of its failure in Iraq and its inability to regain the military initiative even with tens of thousands of more troops. The Pentagon anticipates occupying Iraq for decades, as it has Korea and other countries.
5) More and more U.S. soldiers, marines, veterans and the families of service members are either disillusioned or completely opposed to the continuation of the war and occupation.
6) The Democratic-controlled Congress voted overwhelmingly to extend and finance the war and occupation. The calculation of the Democratic Party leadership and the vast majority of its elected officials in Congress is based on avoiding at all costs taking responsibility for a pullout from Iraq which will be perceived as a defeat for the United States in this strategic oil-rich region. They believe that they can secure an electoral advantage in 2008 by having the war drag on and have the public hold the Republicans responsible for the war. Moreover, the Democratic Party is feeding from the same corporate financing trough as the Republicans and they share the Bush government’s broad objective of U.S. domination in the Middle East. Congress, under the current circumstances, is completely committed to not ending the war in Iraq in the next two years and probably for much longer than that.
Assessment of the weakness and strength of the antiwar movement
1) There have been a growing number of anti-war protests on the national, regional and local level during the past six months.
2) The antiwar protests are being joined and, in some cases, initiated by the people who have not been involved in past demonstrations.
3) A growing sentiment of opposition and disgust to the war, occupation (and the politicians) is building among rank and file service members and some officers.
4) A large amount of energy and activity was directed at Congress with the hope that the Congress would heed their constituents' desire to end the war. When the Congress instead voted against its constituents and with Bush to extend the war there was a huge wave of anger, frustration and desperation but with few available or recognized channels for effective action.
5) Although the antiwar sentiment is growing among the general population, the size and intensity of the demonstrations, protests and acts of resistance does not at all measure up to the vast magnitude of feelings against the Iraq war among the general population.
6) The single biggest reason for this dichotomy is the fact that the anti-war movement is badly splintered rather than working together or in a united fashion so as to marshal, stimulate and mobilize a truly massive outpouring of the people.
The aim is not just one more demonstration but the largest antiwar demonstration in US history.
A mobilization of one million people marching on Washington DC would be the best possible trigger for an avalanche of grassroots organizing throughout the country and among service members and their families and veterans. It is time for something bold and broad. Something that sends an unmistakable message to the powers that be that the people of the United States have entered the field of politics in such a way as to become an irresistible force.
http://www2.answercoalition.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=8501&news_iv_ctrl=0&abbr=ANS_
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