[North-NV-Greens] Fwd: Building Peace in a Time of Perpetual War

[Paul Etxeberri]

>
>
>Building Peace in a Time of Perpetual War
>
>By Medea Benjamin
>
>Common Dreams NewsCenter
>December 14, 2004
>
>Immediately after George Bush declared victory on
>November 2, 2004, his administration gave the green
>light for an all-out attack on the Iraqi rebel town of
>Fallujah. The town was virtually leveled, hundreds of
>civilians were killed, and over 150,000 became
>desperate refugees suffering from hunger, cold and
>disease. And all this after Bush supposedly won the
>election because of his strong moral values!
>
>During the first debate between George Bush and John
>Kerry, Bush made a pointed comment about moral values.
>"What distinguishes us from the terrorists," he said
>somberly, "is that we believe that every life is
>precious." But according to an October 2004 report in
>the prestigious medical journal The Lancet, the U.S.
>occupation of Iraq has cost the lives of over 100,000
>Iraqis, mostly women and children.
>
>While the Bush administration rarely acknowledges the
>death toll among U.S. soldiers, it flatly refuses to
>talk about Iraqi casualties. When asked about Iraqi
>deaths, then U.S. Central Command chief General Tommy
>Franks responded tersely, "We don't do body counts."
>
>The Iraqi government also suppresses casualty figures.
>Dr. Nagham Mohsen, an official at the Iraqi Health
>Ministry, was ordered in December 2003 to stop
>compiling data from hospital records, and journalists
>were prohibited from entering the morgues.
>
>The Lancet study, which is the first scientific study
>of the human cost of the Iraq war, was done by US and
>Iraqi researchers led by School of Public Health in
>Baltimore. The team surveyed 1,000 households in 33
>randomly chosen areas in Iraq. They found that the risk
>of violent death was 58 times higher in the period
>since the invasion, and that most of the victims were
>women and children. While their final horrifying
>calculation of over 100,000 civilian deaths made front-
>page news in many parts of the world, the U.S. press
>barely mentioned it.
>
>A United Nations report released in November 2004 found
>that severe malnutrition in Iraqi children had almost
>doubled since the U.S. invasion. This translates to
>roughly 400,000 Iraqi children suffering from
>"wasting," a condition characterized by chronic
>diarrhea and dangerous deficiencies of protein. Iraq's
>child malnutrition rate now roughly equals that of
>Burundi, a central African nation torn by more than a
>decade of war. It is far higher than child malnutrition
>rates in Uganda and Haiti. And this in a country where,
>just a generation ago, the biggest nutritional problem
>for young Iraqis was obesity!
>
>While Iraqis have certainly suffered the most from this
>war, the cost in lives of U.S. soldiers continues to
>mount, nearing 1,500 by the end of 2004. Another 10,000
>US soldiers have been wounded in action, and thousands
>more killed in accidents. With attacks on US soldiers
>now reaching 100 a day, more and more families will be
>[UTF-8?]getting that tragic "We regret to inform
>you’Ķ" visit.
>
>For those who fear that a removal of U.S. forces would
>result in chaos and civil war, what is Iraq today but a
>country plagued by chaos and violence? If the U.S.
>occupying forces that gave rise to the insurgency were
>to leave, the insurgency would lose its purpose.
>Certainly there is the risk of internal power
>struggles, but as many Iraqis have told us, the
>destruction by Iraqis fighting each other would pale in
>comparison with the destruction by the U.S. forces, as
>evidenced in the recent attack on Fallujah. Moreover,
>the withdrawal of U.S. troops would open up the
>possibility for the entry of UN or other peacekeeping
>forces.
>
>The presence of U.S. forces also sets back efforts at
>reconstruction, since those who work with the U.S.
>forces are putting their lives at risk and often quit
>because of intimidation by insurgents. Buildings bombed
>in the initial invasion of Iraq have yet to be rebuilt,
>electricity is still intermittent, and oil production
>is plagued by sabotage. The lack of basic services and
>employment opportunities in turn leads to more
>animosity against the U.S. presence.
>
>There are many good reasons to oppose the occupation of
>Iraq, from the mounting casualties to the bankrupting
>of our economy to the increased anti-American feelings
>it has engendered. But there is one really compelling
>reason to call for the withdrawal of our troops: the
>Iraqis want us to leave.
>
>A survey of Iraqis sponsored by the U.S. Coalition
>Provisional Authority in May 2004 showed that most
>Iraqis say they would feel safer if U.S. forces left
>immediately. An overwhelming majority of 80 percent
>also said they have "no confidence" in either the U.S.
>civilian authorities or military forces. If we really
>believe in democracy, then we should listen to the
>desire of the majority of the Iraqi people.
>
>Our demands as a peace movement should be for the U.S.
>government to make a commitment to withdraw our troops
>by the end of 2005 at the latest; pledge that we will
>not maintain permanent bases in Iraq; and commit to
>ending the war profiteering by U.S. companies so that
>Iraqis have the opportunity to rebuild their own
>country.
>
>So how do we build a peace movement that can put
>forward these demands in an effective way? Here are
>some practical things we can do.
>
>1.Make real the human cost of the war on both U.S. and
>Iraqi lives. Since the US invasion in March 2003, the
>public in most countries throughout the world has seen
>the horrible pictures of Iraq war victims. The big
>exception is the US public, which has seen a sanitized
>version of the war. CNN International regularly shows
>footage of war victims in its worldwide broadcasts but
>not on domestic CNN. The world community demands to
>know the truth, and we should too. Write letters, call
>and email your local media demanding that they cover
>the victims of war. If they fail to respond, organize a
>community delegation to visit them. If they fail to
>respond to that as well, organize protests at their
>offices.
>
>Invite an Iraqi-American to come speak to your
>community about the effects of the occupation. Contact
>Global Exchange Speakers Bureau for a list of Iraqi and
>American speakers on the war (www.globalexchange.org).
>
>Regarding the cost of war for US soldiers, ask your
>local media to read or print a daily casualty toll. Do
>screenings in your school, church or houseparty of
>videos about US casualties. Two forceful videos are
>Arlington West (www.arlingtonwestfilm.com) and The
>Ground Truth (www.thegroundtruth.org).
>
>If the public were able to see, on a sustained basis,
>the gory reality of this war-the children without
>limbs, the wailing mothers, the shivering refugees, the
>US soldiers coming home in body bags or incapacitated
>for life---support would plummet and the war would end.
>
>2.Support military families who are speaking out
>against the war, and soldiers who are speaking out and
>refusing to fight. Military Families Speak Out
>(www.mfso.org) is a group of over 1,000 families with
>loved ones in the military. Help get their voices out
>on the media or invite one of them to speak in your
>community. Some of them are parents of fallen soldiers,
>such as Fernando Suarez or Lila Lipscomb of Fahrenheit
>911 fame, and their testimonies are heart-wrenching and
>compelling.
>
>In the case of Vietnam, dissent within the armed forces
>itself was critical in ending the war. There is now a
>new group of soldiers called Iraq Veterans Against the
>War (www.ivaw.org) that deserves our support. So do the
>soldiers who are refusing to serve. Over one-third of
>some 4,000 combat veterans have resisted their call-
>ups. One of the most public soldiers who refused to
>return to fight in Iraq is Camilo Mejia (see
>www.freecamilo.org), who is serving a one-year prison
>sentence after being convicted of desertion. "I
>witnessed the horror of war," said Camilo at his trial,
>"the firefights, the ambushes, the excessive use of
>force, the abuse of prisoners. Acting upon my
>principles became incompatible with my role in the
>military. By putting my weapon down I chose to reassert
>myself as a human being."
>
>We also need to support counter-recruitment efforts,
>efforts that provide young people-particularly in poor
>communities-with a truthful picture of the risks of
>joining the military and of their other options for
>employment and education. See www.objector.org for a
>list of groups doing counter-recruitment, general
>support for soldiers (including a GI Rights Hotline),
>and advice for those who want to apply for
>conscientious objector status.
>
>3. Pressure Congress to stop further funding,
>investigate war profiteering and cut Halliburton and
>other contractors from the government dole. A December
>8, 2004 Associated Press poll found that the majority
>of Americans don't believe there will be stable,
>democratic government in Iraq and disapprove of George
>Bush's handling of the situation. More and more
>Americans are recognizing that this war is unwinnable
>and don't want to see billions more of our tax dollars
>wasted. We must now convince our Congressional
>representatives. In February, the Bush administration
>is expected to request an additional $70 billion for
>the military. This massive request includes money for
>building dozens of military bases in Iraq and the most
>expensive U.S. embassy in the world, as well as money
>for more troops. We must demand that our
>representatives oppose funding that further entrenches
>the U.S. presence in Iraq.
>
>We must also call on Congress to stop government
>agencies from giving contracts to U.S. companies for
>"rebuilding" Iraq. Iraqis have some of the best
>engineers and builders in the world, and are totally
>capable of rebuilding their own country. The U.S.
>contractors in Iraq are plagued by incompetence, waste,
>corruption, cronyism and lack of accountability. They
>also take jobs away from Iraqis, contributing to the
>catastrophic unemployment rate of about 70% and the
>increasing Iraqi bitterness against Americans. We must
>demand that Congress stop giving new contacts to U.S.
>companies and that it investigate more fully the
>charges of war profiteering against companies that have
>been awarded high-dollar contracts, particularly
>Halliburton. In fact, there is an on-going FBI probe of
>Halliburton for war profiteering. We should demand that
>Congress stop all monies to Halliburton while charges
>are pending and if found guilty, ban Halliburton from
>receiving any future government contracts.
>
>We should also demand a freeze on contracts to
>companies whose employees are accused of being involved
>in human rights abuses, such as CACI and Titan in the
>case of the Abu Ghraib prison.
>
>4. Strengthen local peace work and bring the cost of
>the war home. The anti-war coalition must reach out to
>broader sectors of the community, especially religious
>groups, labor, communities of color and students. We
>must make clear the connections between the $200
>billion squandered on Iraq and the cuts that
>communities across the US are facing in health care,
>education and vital social services. The amazing
>website www.nationalpriorities.org will give you an
>estimate of the cost of the war for your city and
>state.
>
>Get local churches, labor unions, student governments
>and city councils to pass resolutions against the
>occupation. Hundreds of such resolutions were passed
>before the war began; we need to revive that energy in
>the call to bring the troops home. In November 2004,
>the city of San Francisco had a "Bring the Troops Home"
>measure on the ballot, and it passed by an overwhelming
>63 percent. Similar ballot initiatives or resolutions
>could be passed in cities all over the country. For the
>text of the resolution, see
>http://www.smartvoter.org/2004/11/02/ca/sf/meas/N/.
>
>It is also time to ramp up the anti-war activism with
>non-violent civil disobedience. This could include sit-
>ins at the offices of military recruiters or
>congresspeople or military contractors, blockades at
>military bases, or "sleep-ins" at schools or libraries
>to demand money for books, not for war. A great model
>is the "sleep-in" staged by students at the Boulder
>High School until they secured a meeting with their
>congressional representative to express their concerns
>about a draft (see
>www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1105-21.htm). Another
>great example is when the Kensington Welfare Rights
>Union took over their local Army Recruiters Office
>calling for "Money for Housing, Not for War!" (see
>www.kwru.org).
>
>Local peace coalitions should work closely with the
>national umbrella group United for Peace and Justice
>(www.unitedforpeace.org). This is the organization that
>put together the largest anti-war rallies, including
>the massive February 15, 2004 rally that took place in
>New York City and hundreds of cities around the
>country-and the world.
>
>5. Build the global coalition February 15, 2004 was
>indeed an amazingly powerful day when "the world said
>no to war." We need to strengthen the global anti-war
>coalition and not just organize joint rally days, but
>joint campaigns. These could be campaigns against
>companies profiting from war, or campaigns to get
>countries that are still part of the "coalition forces"
>to withdraw (by the end of 2004, at least 15 of the
>original 32 members of the coalition had either left
>Iraq or had announced their intention to leave).
>
>Another possibility is to set up a Global Peace Camp on
>the Jordanian/Iraqi border. Since it is so dangerous
>for foreigners to travel inside Iraq, the border is an
>alternative site for Iraqis and international activists
>to meet, educate each other, and exchanges ideas. In
>stark contrast to the violence inside Iraq, the Peace
>Camp would be a real-life symbol of how people from
>different countries, religions and ethnicities can come
>together to build the kind of world we'd like to live
>in. If you are interested in this idea, contact
>peace at globalexchange.org.
>
>We should consider a global campaign to push the United
>Nations-both at the Security Council and the General
>Assembly-to call for a swift timeline for the
>withdrawal of foreign military forces from Iraq.
>
>6. Support efforts to decrease our dependence on oil.
>While the U.S. invasion of Iraq was not solely about
>oil, it is certainly true that if broccoli were Iraqi's
>main export, we would not have invaded. It's also true
>that until we get off our dependence on oil, we will
>continue to have policies in the Middle East that tie
>us to undemocratic regimes like Saudi Arabia or push us
>to invade countries like Iraq to control their oil.
>
>There are plenty of ways to start breaking our oil
>addiction, including investing significant resources in
>solar and wind power (see www.appolloproject.org),
>promoting fuel efficient vehicles (see
>www.jumpstartford.org), and focusing on conservation
>and efficiency (see www.rmi.org).
>
>George Bush took the 2004 election as a mandate to
>continue this illegal, immoral war in Iraq. It is up to
>us, the American people, to rebel against Bush's
>arrogant empire-building. It is up to us-as caring,
>compassionate Americans-to force the Bush
>administration to stop the killing, start respecting
>international law, and assume our rightful place as one
>among many in the family of nations.
>
>---------------------------------------------------
>Medea Benjamin is cofounder of the human rights group
>Global Exchange (www.globalexchange.org) and the
>women's peace initiative Code Pink
>(www.codepinkalert.org). She has led numerous
>delegations to both Iraq and Afghanistan, and started
>the International Occupation Watch Center
>(www.occupationwatch.org).
>
>(c) Copyrighted 1997-2004 www.commondreams.org
>
>http://www.commondreams.org/views04/1213-20.htm
>
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-- 
Paul Etxeberri

"Forests precede civilizations and deserts follow"   ---Chateaubriand