The hope that Obama’s election would drastically change U.S. foreign policy has been destroyed. The effects of his troop surge will change the minds of millions of Americans, who, until this point, were giving Obama the benefit of the doubt.

Such moments in history are capable of instantly removing large amounts of dust from the collective eyeball — just as the bank bailouts did.

The announcement will also send tremors throughout the military: many soldiers and their families remained silent about fighting with hopes that Obama would bring them home. They see little point in dying in a pointless war. Thus, morale is likely to continue deteriorating, while more brazen acts of defiance will surely increase.

The reasons behind the surge — Al Qaeda, “rooting out terrorism,” etc. — are unlikely to fool many people, with the exception of the media. This “war on terror” propaganda is based on the same illogical catch-phrases that Bush’s limited intelligence tripped over. Coming from Obama, such apparent stupid reasoning sounds especially bizarre, akin to an evolutionary biologist forced to argue in favor of creationism.

Obama is compelled to tell the really big lie because the truth is too damning. If he remotely approached the real motives behind the war, the public would be pushed into total defiance — Obama’s new $660 billion military budget for 2010 would have caused mass demonstrations.

In reality, the war in Afghanistan was a convenient way for U.S. corporations — who dominate U.S. politics — to get a firmer hold in the resource-rich Middle East. Soon after Afghanistan was destroyed, we were told that Iraq was a “ticking time bomb,” while now Obama assures us that Pakistan is the real threat — and don’t forget Iran! When considering the above military budget, these countries are threats to the U.S in the same way that a flea is a threat to an elephant.

Who really benefits from the war? U.S. weapons manufacturers of course (Boeing, etc.), U.S. oil companies (ExxonMobil, etc.), and the big banks that help move the spoils around (Citigroup, et al.) who also dominate the finances of the conquered country. Corporations that deal with “reconstruction” contracts love war (Halliburton, etc.), while also the multitude of “private contractors” that specialize in everything from cooking to mercenary fighting (Blackwater, etc.).

The many U.S. corporations that export abroad also benefit from the war, since a dominated country offers them a monopoly market to sell their goods in, or the ability to set up shop where none existed before. It is these collective interests that are driving Obama’s foreign policy; they would rather see the U.S. and Afghani people bled dry than allow a foreign competitor — China, Russia, etc. — to dominate Afghanistan’s resources and markets.

The U.S. is certainly not fighting terrorists in Afghanistan — the Al Qaeda bogey men and the “evil genius” Osama Bin Laden are not directing military operations from a cave. The vast majority of people fighting U.S. troops are not “Islamic extremists” (another catchphrase), but average citizens enraged by foreign troops rummaging around in their homes, searching them at check points, indiscriminately detaining them at torture centers, like U.S. Bagram Air, base and killing family members. Yes, many Afghanis are deeply religious, but the presence of U.S. troops is the motor force behind their “radicalism,” i.e., resistance to military occupation. Islam is not inherently violent, but a military occupation unquestionably is.

Those wishing to end these wars must end their reliance on the corporate-bought two-party system, and begin organizing independently. The anti-war movement was strong while Bush was President, based not only on mass outrage, but the cynical maneuvering of those sitting at the top of Democratic Party front groups like MoveOn and others — who helped organize and fund anti-war/Bush demonstrations.

When Obama became President, the leaders of these groups played a thoroughly destructive role in the anti-war movement, shifting away from the effective measures used against Bush, or abandoning the struggle altogether, taking their funding with them. This disruption in organization, plus the mass-effect of the Obama illusion, had a temporary derailing effect on organizing.

But Obama’s troop surge may very well breathe new life into the deflated movement. Demonstrations are being organized for the spring, and there is plenty of time to join local groups/coalitions to help with the planning.

Mass demonstrations are a very effective tool, since they educate about the undemocratic nature of the state, while showing demonstration participants that there is power in collective action. More importantly, large marches prove to U.S. soldiers that they will have public support if they collectively choose to oppose the war by joining the demonstrations, or individually opt not to fight in these illegal wars. The Vietnam War was ended largely because so many soldiers opposed the war and more important, demonstrated against it or refused to fight — a courage they found by the massive public support felt at home.

Mass demonstrations do not organize themselves. It will take ordinary people working together to make it happen, while collectively demanding:

Bring All The Troops Home Now!

End The U.S. Wars In The Middle East

The National Assembly to End the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and Occupations is joining with other coalitions, organizations, and networks to organize a united MARCH 21 NATIONAL COALITION to mobilize people across the United States to take part in a March on the Pentagon on Saturday, March 21, marking six years of war and occupation of Iraq.

Demonstrations will also be held on that date in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and other cities across the U.S.

These actions will remind the nation that all U.S. military forces must be brought home from Afghanistan and Iraq, and that the U.S. antiwar movement – marching behind a banner demanding “Out Now!” — will intensify its struggle to make it happen.

The actions are needed to assure the people of Iraq, Afghanistan, and other countries threatened by Washington’s expansionist policies that tens of millions of people in this country support their right to settle their own destinies without U.S. interventions, occupations and murderous wars. International law recognizes and we demand that the U.S. respect the right to self-determination. We reject any notion that the U.S. is the world’s self-appointed cop.

The March 21 united mass actions are also needed at this time of economic meltdown to demand jobs for all; a moratorium on foreclosures; rebuilding the crumbling infrastructure; guaranteed quality education and health care for all; an end to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and deportations; and funding for sorely needed social programs. So long as trillions of dollars continue to be spent on wars, occupations, and bailouts to the banks and corporate elite, the domestic needs of people in the U.S. can never be met.

The So-called Status of Forces Agreement

As for Iraq, regardless of what is in the so-called “Status of Forces Agreement,” the war makers in Washington plan to continue the occupation indefinitely. Tens of thousands of U.S. troops and mercenary soldiers will be maintained to carry out a number of missions that are listed, but in reality their aim is to carry out the one mission that is not mentioned: ensure the U.S. subjugation of Iraq to exploit its oil resources and dominate the Middle East.

Any doubt about Washington’s intentions should be dispelled by the statement by Gen. Raymond Odierno, who said on December 13, 2008 that U.S. forces would remain indefinitely in dozens of bases in Iraq cities, despite language in the Status of Forces Agreement that appeared to require a withdrawal from urban areas by next summer. (Wall Street Journal 12/15/08)

As for Afghanistan, it is not the “good war” claimed by the Obama administration and the power structure, which plans to increase the number of U.S. troops in that country by 20,000. Afghanistan will prove to be another U.S. Vietnam. The U.S. war will only result in a continuation of the slaughter that has been the hallmark of all previous occupations by foreign powers.

The daily U.S. bombing and killing of Afghanis attending weddings, classes, funerals, or simply trying to survive shows how cruel and deadly this war is. It is directed against the same forces that the U.S. armed, financed, and helped bring to power.

Why is the U.S. at war against Afghanistan? Its primary purpose is to secure control of a pipeline across that country. (See the 1998 statement submitted to Congress by the Union Oil Company of California, which later merged with Chevron, stressing the need to build a natural gas pipeline across Afghanistan. And note Dick Cheney’s 1998 statement made when he was chief executive of a major oil services company: “I cannot think of a time when we have had a region emerge suddenly to become as strategically significant as the Caspian,” which led the Guardian newspaper to remark, “But the oil and gas there is worthless until it is moved. The only route that would make both political and economic sense is through Afghanistan.”)

The March 21 demonstration will also denounce the expansion of the war into Pakistan and the sanctions and threats of military action against Iran. It will also call for the end to U.S. support for the continued occupation of Palestine.

The National Assembly

From its inception, the National Assembly to End the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and Occupations has called for united antiwar demonstrations this spring. We urge the entire movement to unite now around the March 21 actions and we will do everything possible to make this unity a reality. The civil rights, union, anti-Vietnam War, women’s liberation and gay rights movements would not have achieved victories without having built truly massive movements that were able to organize repeated and powerful independent mobilizations in the streets.

Why the demonstration in Washington? Because it is the seat of power, where foreign and domestic policies are decided, where money for war is allocated, and bailouts of the banking industry and corporate rich are given away.

Join us in mobilizing the largest possible outpouring of antiwar opposition built by a united movement on March 21. Let’s march and continue to march until all U.S. forces come home, U.S. bases are dismantled, and the sovereign people of the world have the right to control their own resources and determine their own futures.

To endorse the March 21 March on the Pentagon, please click here.

To send a contribution to support the National Assembly’s work, please click here.

For more information, please visit the National Assembly’s website at www.natassembly.org or writenatassembly@aol.com or call 216-736-4704.

Resolution as adopted by Delegates Assembly of Professional Staff Congress, AFT Local 2334, at City University of New York (see below for original text).

WHEREAS, NYSUT at its 2008 Representative Assembly and the AFT at its 2008 Convention affirmed a resolution entitled Against The Current U.S. Policy of Permanent and Preemptive War, which stated that “the ‘war on terror’ is an ideological construct that obscures the real reasons for the war—which include control over wealth and resources”; and

WHEREAS, control of wealth and resources is deeply at issue in the war in Afghanistan, because of the tremendous strategic importance of Afghanistan in the contest to secure control of the world’s largest remaining resources of oil and natural gas, the country’s strategic location as a conduit for oil and gas from the energy-rich Caspian Sea to the Indian Ocean, and its potential as a home for secure permanent bases that could be used in a military attack on Iran; and

WHEREAS, in July 2008 Barack Obama said of Afghanistan that it is “a war we must win” and in December 2008 announced his support for the Pentagon’s plan to send 20,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan, raising U.S. troop levels from 38,000 to 58,000, in addition to the tens of thousands of other foreign troops fighting under the NATO command; and

WHEREAS, last year’s surge in troop numbers did not work—it neither defeated the Taliban nor brought peace and security to Afghanistan; there are now 52,000 U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, up from 36,000 at the beginning of 2007, yet the Taliban now has a permanent presence in 72% of Afghanistan, up from 54% in 2007; and in the first three months of 2008, attacks around Kabul increased by 70%; and

WHEREAS, fighting for control of energy resources and permanent bases is not worth the terrible cost in human life and suffering; and

WHEREAS, the war has gone on for more than seven years, resulting in the deaths of more than 1,000 U.S. and coalition soldiers, with more soldiers killed in 2008 alone than in the first four years of the war combined; and

WHEREAS, the war in Afghanistan conducted by U.S. and NATO forces has resulted in the deaths of large numbers of civilians—more than 11,000 Afghani civilians since 2001 (The United Nations reported in September that U.S., NATO and Afghan Army forces killed 577 Afghan civilians in the first nine months of 2008, a 21% increase from last year); and

WHEREAS, in 2001 the United States promised a “bright future” to the people of Afghanistan, yet the war has worsened living conditions for many Afghans, with only 31% of households having access to clean water, life expectancy at 43.1 years, adult literacy at 23.5%, 50% of Afghan children under five malnourished, and 6.6 million Afghans without minimum daily food requirements; and

WHEREAS, a survey by the International Council on Security and Development found that six of ten Afghans want foreign troops to leave the country; and

WHEREAS, the Congressional Research Service reported in October 2008 that the war in Afghanistan had already cost more than $173 billion—at a time when federal money is desperately needed to stimulate the U.S. economy and invest in American jobs, housing, schools, and services for working people; and

WHEREAS, there is no foreseeable end to the occupation and no realistic expectation that the U.S.-led coalition will prevail, with the top British military commander in Afghanistan stating, “We are not going to win this war”; therefore be it

RESOLVED, that even as NYSUT and its local union affiliates focus intensely this year on the State budget and the economy, they also recognize the importance of union involvement with foreign policy—and its relation to the current economic crisis; and be it further

RESOLVED, that NYSUT oppose escalation of the war in Afghanistan and communicate to the New York State Congressional delegation its opposition to the proposed escalation of the war and to the opening of additional fronts of the war; and be it further

RESOLVED, that NYSUT, as an education union, encourage its member locals to conduct education campaigns and open, democratic discussions within locals on significance of the proposed escalation of the war in Afghanistan and the question of a complete withdrawal of all U.S. military forces from Afghanistan; and be it further

RESOLVED, that NYSUT participate in revitalizing the anti-war movement.

Text of resolution as originally presented jointly by the Peace & Justice and International Committees of PSC for consideration by the Delegates Assembly

Demand an End to the U.S./NATO Occupation of Afghanistan

WHEREAS, NYSUT at its 2008 Representative Assembly and the AFT at its 2008 Convention affirmed a resolution entitled Against The Current U.S. Policy of Permanent and Preemptive War, which stated that “…the ‘war on terror’ is an ideological construct that obscures the reasons for the real war—which include control over wealth and resources”; and

WHEREAS, the occupation of Afghanistan is in fact a “permanent and preemptive war” to take advantage of the country’s location as a conduit for oil and gas from the energy-rich Caspian Sea to the Indian Ocean, and to secure permanent bases that could be used in a military attack on Iran, which U.S. administrations have threatened to do; and

WHEREAS, fighting for control of energy resources and permanent bases is not worth the terrible cost in human life and suffering; and

WHEREAS, the war has gone on for more than seven years, resulting in the deaths of more than 11,000 Afghani civilians since 2001, many from U.S air strikes, which have obliterated wedding parties and village meetings. (The United Nations reported in September that U.S., NATO and Afghan Army forces killed 577 Afghan civilians in the first nine months of 2008, a 21% increase from last year); and

WHEREAS, U.S. and coalition forces have committed many human rights violations—bomb and missile attacks on civilians; the detention, and in some cases torture, of hundreds of Afghans for years without trial at Bagram air base and Guantanamo Bay; and house invasions; and

WHEREAS, the war has worsened living conditions for many Afghans, with only 31% of households having access to clean water, life expectancy at 43.1 years, adult literacy ar 23.5%, 50% of Afghan children under five malnourished, and 6.6 million Afghans without minimum daily food requirements; and

WHEREAS, a survey by the International Council on Security and Development found that six of ten Afghans want foreign troops to leave the country; and

WHEREAS, more than 1,000 U.S. and NATO soldiers have died since 2001 and costs are now at $173 billion; and

WHEREAS, although previous surges in troop numbers have not been successful in suppressing the insurgency, the Pentagon and President-Elect Obama are planning to send 20,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan, raising U.S. troop levels from 38,000 to 58,000 in addition to the approximately 30,000 other foreign troops fighting under the NATO command; and

WHEREAS, there is no foreseeable end to the occupation and no realistic expectation that the U.S.-led coalition will prevail, with the top British military commander in Afghanistan stating, “We are not going to win this war”; therefore be it

RESOLVED, that NYSUT go on record as opposing a surge in troop levels and call for the withdrawal of all U.S./NATO military forces from Afghanistan.

Stop the Bombing and Blockade of Gaza!
End All U.S. Aid to Israel!
Bring the Troops Home Now from Iraq and Afghanistan!

As of January 3, the Israeli bombing and invasion of Gaza has killed over 450 Palestinians – the largest number of people killed by Israel in such a short time in decades. 1,600 more have been wounded, an overwhelming number of whom are civilians – women, children and the elderly. The massing of soldiers and tanks along the Gaza border suggests that additional horrors are contemplated.

The ruination of Gaza has been long in the making. Over 75% of Gaza’s inhabitants are refugees from land that became Israel. They have been denied the internationally recognized right to return to their homes and are now denied the elementary right to flee relentless bombing and a threatened invasion. These are the families who had developed the agriculture and economy of Palestine under the rule of foreign empires for generations. Ripped from their land, they were crowded into what is now the most densely populated 360 square kilometers in the world.

Their homes have been bulldozed, their crops and livelihoods destroyed, food and fuel severely restricted, their borders closed, their water pilfered by settlers, their fishing restricted.

In 2006, the Palestinians of Gaza conducted a democratic election and chose Hamas as the governing party. They have desperately reached out to obtain basic food, medical supplies and the essentials for survival that have been denied them. It is for these “crimes” that the Palestinians of Gaza are being punished – for choosing their own leaders, seeking freedom, and refusing to be driven from their homeland.

The people of Gaza have seen their elected officials imprisoned. They have been put on a starvation diet and placed in darkness by an internationally-enforced blockade. They are subjected to night-time sonic booms that shatter windows and cause miscarriages, and suffer recurring aerial bombardments that have decimated their infrastructure.

The Hamas government’s signing and enforcement of the June 2008 truce with Israel led to no relief from this relentless siege. On November 4, Israeli strikes killed dozens of Palestinians. Isolated shelling attacks from Gaza, which resulted in few, if any, Israeli casualties, have been used as a pretext by Israel to launch genocidal attacks, which have been denounced by people around the world. Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, now says this will be a “war to the bitter end.”

The Israeli government claims that Gaza is no longer “occupied” since “settlers” were withdrawn a few years ago. This is a boldface lie used to abdicate legal and moral responsibility for the welfare of an occupied people and to demonstrate that Gazans cannot govern themselves and live peacefully with their neighbors. A land that is completely surrounded and controlled, lacking the very basics of survival, is even more cruelly “occupied” than before. This describes a prison, not a sovereign territory.

The horrors experienced in Gaza are closely linked to the murderous U.S. wars and occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan, which aim to control the resources in the Middle East. The systematic torture of Gaza, many call genocide, is a crime against all people of this planet. No one can be free while others are oppressed. It is time for the people of the world to unite and say, “No to the U.S.-Backed Israeli War in Gaza!” and “No to the U.S. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan!”

The atrocities carried out against Gaza are made possible by $3 billion in yearly U.S. aid to Israel, the largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid, with $30 billion more to be allocated over the next ten years. Israel has the fourth largest military in the world.

Hundreds of billions of our tax dollars go yearly for the U.S. war machine – for the most modern weapons of mass destruction, mainly profiting U.S. contractors and weapons makers.”

We demand that Congress and the current president of the United States end all support for Israel’s war, invasion and occupation of Palestine. We join with people all across the world in demanding that Israel initiate an immediate cease fire and withdraw all military forces from Gaza. We call upon president-elect Barack Obama to denounce the present atrocities committed against the people of Gaza. We call upon the people of the U.S. and the international community to declare solidarity and to offer all assistance to the besieged Palestinians.

Stop the Wars Against Iraq and Afghanistan! – Bring the Troops Home Now!

End U.S. Support for the Occupation of Palestine!

No to U.S. Wars Against Iran and Pakistan!

Money for Jobs, Health Care, Housing, Pensions, and Education – Not for Wars and Corporate Bailouts!

In 2006, the Palestinians of Gaza conducted a democratic election and chose Hamas as the governing party. They have desperately reached out to obtain basic food, medical supplies and the essentials for survival that have been denied them. It is for these “crimes” that the Palestinians of Gaza are being punished – for choosing their own leaders, seeking freedom, and refusing to be driven from their homeland.

The people of Gaza have seen their elected officials imprisoned. They have been put on a starvation diet and placed in darkness by an internationally-enforced blockade. They are subjected to night-time sonic booms that shatter windows and cause miscarriages, and suffer recurring aerial bombardments that have decimated their infrastructure.

The Hamas government’s signing and enforcement of the June 2008 truce with Israel led to no relief from this relentless siege. On November 4, Israeli strikes killed dozens of Palestinians. Isolated shelling attacks from Gaza, which resulted in few, if any, Israeli casualties, have been used as a pretext by Israel to launch genocidal attacks, which have been denounced by people around the world. Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, now says this will be a “war to the bitter end.”

The Israeli government claims that Gaza is no longer “occupied” since “settlers” were withdrawn a few years ago. This is a boldface lie used to abdicate legal and moral responsibility for the welfare of an occupied people and to demonstrate that Gazans cannot govern themselves and live peacefully with their neighbors. A land that is completely surrounded and controlled, lacking the very basics of survival, is even more cruelly “occupied” than before. This describes a prison, not a sovereign territory.

The horrors experienced in Gaza are closely linked to the murderous U.S. wars and occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan, which aim to control the resources in the Middle East. The systematic torture of Gaza, many call genocide, is a crime against all people of this planet. No one can be free while others are oppressed. It is time for the people of the world to unite and say, “No to the U.S.-Backed Israeli War in Gaza!” and “No to the U.S. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan!”

The atrocities carried out against Gaza are made possible by $3 billion in yearly U.S. aid to Israel, the largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid, with $30 billion more to be allocated over the next ten years. Israel has the fourth largest military in the world.

Hundreds of billions of our tax dollars go yearly for the U.S. war machine – for the most modern weapons of mass destruction, mainly profiting U.S. contractors and weapons makers.”

We demand that Congress and the current president of the United States end all support for Israel’s war, invasion and occupation of Palestine. We join with people all across the world in demanding that Israel initiate an immediate cease fire and withdraw all military forces from Gaza. We call upon president-elect Barack Obama to denounce the present atrocities committed against the people of Gaza. We call upon the people of the U.S. and the international community to declare solidarity and to offer all assistance to the besieged Palestinians.

Stop the Wars Against Iraq and Afghanistan! – Bring the Troops Home Now!
End U.S. Support for the Occupation of Palestine!

No to U.S. Wars Against Iran and Pakistan!

Money for Jobs, Health Care, Housing, Pensions, and Education – Not for Wars and Corporate Bailouts!For further information contact:
National Assembly to End the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and Occupations

natassembly.org
natassembly@aol.com
216-736-4704

*Note: This update supercedes previous versions. ]]> http://workerscompass.org/a-statement-issued-by-national-assembly-to-end-the-iraq-and-afghanistan-wars-occupations/feed/ 0 http://workerscompass.org/national-assembly-statement-urging-unity-of-the-antiwar-movement-for-the-march-actions/ http://workerscompass.org/national-assembly-statement-urging-unity-of-the-antiwar-movement-for-the-march-actions/#comments Sat, 25 Oct 2008 02:36:23 +0000 Workers Action http://workerscompass.org/?p=2296 The National Assembly to End the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and Occupations welcomes the ANSWER Coalition’s call for UNITED mass mobilizations in Washington, D.C. and other cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and Miami, on March 21, 2009 to mark six years of war and occupation and to Bring the Troops Home Now! We also welcome UFPJ’s call for a week of Washington, D.C. mobilizations during the same period to demand an end to the war in Iraq now.

These actions are necessary and need not be contradictory as long as there is unity in supporting them. However, a divided movement is a weakened movement. At this time, more than ever, the movements for peace and social justice must work in concert to bring the full force of opposition to the government’s criminal and destructive policies into the streets. It would be a tragic setback if all organizations and constituencies do not come together to act in a unified show of strength and determination in March.

The National Assembly to End the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and Occupations was formed to promote a united, democratic, independent and mass action antiwar movement to bring the troops home now. Our objective was to do all in our power to achieve this by the Spring of 2009. It now appears that this critical objective is within reach.

We strongly urge and will participate in the formation of an ad hoc national coalition to make the March 21 actions a true expression of the opposition of this country’s majority to U.S. wars and occupations. The National Assembly will make every effort to bring such a coalition into fruition and to urge all Assembly supporters to actively participate in the process.