Lately, the news has focused our attention natural disasters and Supreme Court nominations, but another important matter has received too little attention: the disastrous war our government continues to wage in Iraq. We all have a responsibility to stay informed about the situation and to organize ourselves in opposition to this senseless war.
As Iraq teeters on the brink of chaos and sectarian conflict, the recent constitutional referendum is further proof that ethnic divisions are entrenched and that the heavy-handed tactics of the US military aren’t working. There is very little indication that the US presence is contributing to the security and freedom of Iraqis, Americans, or the international community.
In the past few weeks the US army has conducted a major offensive against Iraqi villages near the Syrian border, for at least the third time in the past three months, displacing over six hundred families without warning (Guardian 2/10/05; Reuters 2/10/05). In addition, on the day of the referendum, U.S. warplanes and helicopters killed about 70 people in Ramadi, many of them civilians and children (Reuters 17/10/05).
Meanwhile, the insurgency has let loose its own torrent of violence. Since the end of September, when over 200 people, including 13 US service members, were killed during a six day period (Guardian 10/01/05), the insurgents have kept up a steady stream of suicide bombings, roadside bombings, and other attacks, culminating most recently in 26 deaths in attacks on Wednesday (AP 19/10/05).
In light of these events, Iraq’s political process seems strangled between the heavy-handed violence of the U.S military on the one hand, and the bloodthirsty insurgency on the other, with the insurgency drawing strength from bungled operations by the US military and from widespread hatred of the US presence.
Even in this bleak impasse, cause for hope remains: opposition is growing to the current, failing policies. The most recent opinion polls show that solid majorities (3/5 to 2/3 of Americans) oppose Bush’s handling of the war, consider the invasion to have been a mistake, believe its results are not worth the loss of American lives and other costs, and want the withdrawal of some or all of our troops now (http://www.pollingreport.com/iraq.htm).
In this climate, the inane rhetoric of “staying the course” loses its appeal, and politicians face mounting pressure to offer real plans for withdrawal.
But our government will only change its course if it is forced to by the tireless efforts of activists, by a resurgent anti-war movement, and by the outrage of an informed public.
Most people here at Wesleyan do not need to be told to oppose the war: We are appalled by it, and yet this sentiment has produced few tangible efforts of any kind. We must overcome our complacency and turn our beliefs into action.
Last spring WesPeace and other activists organized the Bead Project, a memorial and die-in which engaged scores of Wesleyan students and Middletown residents. Small black beads, symbolic of the war’s casualties, were worn by students and then deposited in a receptacle which still hangs on the Campus Center’s lawn, a reminder of the many thousands who have died for so little, and of our own obligation not to remain silent while more perish in our name.
Student For Ending the War In Iraq meets Wednesdays, 8 p.m., at Russian House (163 High Street). In addition to compiling and distributing our weekly summary of events in Iraq, we plan to work with activists in the Middletown community, and to spark awareness and discussion on campus with speakers and events.
We are a fledgling organization and we need your help. There is no simple solution to this growing quagmire, and no easy or perfect way to oppose the war actively. But we must undertake this task, both as responsible citizens, and as human beings with a stake in the realization of peace.
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