I disagree that the demand by Students for Ending the War in Iraq (SEWI) for immediate U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan — a demand echoed by the peace movement nationally and internationally — is irresponsible. Killing is irresponsible, and that is what the U.S. is doing there. It’s war. Pushing for the end of the military’s involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan is the opposite of irresponsible; in fact, it is the only responsible, loving thing we can do.
I find Nestler’s insinuation that SEWI and all those who advocate immediate troop withdrawal only do so because they simply haven’t thought deeply enough about the implications that withdrawal would have on Iraq to be very offensive, to say the least. Matt, we think about it every day. Some of us can’t sleep because we’re thinking about it. SEWI poured hours and hours and hours of time into research to release a brochure entitled “No Reason to Stay: The Case for Immediate Withdrawal,” in which the group addresses that very notion that Iraq will be worse off if the U.S. leaves, as well as many other misguided and unfounded notions. SEWI makes a well-researched, well-supported and well-documented case for immediate troop withdrawal. I didn’t see quite as many footnotes in your Wespeak as I saw in that brochure. How can you make it sound like SEWI hasn’t thought that deeply?
We can’t end violence with violence. The United States’ presence in the Middle East, and violence as a whole in the Middle East, is a complex issue, and you bring out an important point: withdrawing American troops isn’t going to end the violence immediately. Rest assured, it’s not a new point to us, but one we think about every day. The U.S. occupation has devastated Iraq, and yes, the country will be in shambles when the U.S. leaves. The problem with running with that argument, though, is that Iraq will be in WORSE shambles if we continue to stay there, ruining it with our military might. Every day that foreign troops stay there shooting at people, the worse it is getting. The first step towards making peace is putting down our weapons. So that’s why anti-war activists in this country have and will continue to push so hard to end the occupation — because it is the first step towards peace. After all U.S. troops are out of Iraq, American citizens will be called upon to protest until our government agrees to pay reparations, provide humanitarian aid, and genuinely help Iraq without a military force. Now, American citizens are called upon to protest the war itself and demand immediate troop withdrawal, because that is the first step in enabling peace. While there have been cases of soldiers doing helpful things in Iraq, we need to be honest with ourselves and acknowledge that you don’t help people by shooting at them—and that is largely what is going on in Iraq.
To Nestler’s assertion that conditions are improving in Iraq, I would urge readers to listen to the voices of soldiers who have returned. They will tell you what is really happening. On March 13 through 16, over 700 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans will gather in Washington, D.C. for Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan, to give testimonies about the atrocities of the war and their experiences as soldiers in the Middle East. This event is a follow-up to Winter Soldier 1971, which brought together veterans of the Vietnam War in Detroit, Mich., to testify about their experiences and the atrocities of that war. For more information about Winter Soldier, visit: http://www.ivaw.org/wintersoldier. We can’t attain peace through war. It’s a paradox. Join students from all over the country this spring break in Washington, D.C. to protest the war in Iraq, and yes, to demand immediate troop withdrawal. It’s in recognition of the fact that we can’t have peace until we end war. Visit http://www.ourspringbreak.org/ for more information. We need to show our compassion for humanity by ending the killing first, and then helping Iraq in a peaceful way, not “helping” in a violent military way.
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