Last winter when the U.S. was rattling its sabres at Iraq, a group called Prevent was formed in the Ann Arbor community. Prevent consisted of not only the usual leftists but also some really active students from the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee. When the the threats subceded the group remained active in opposition to the sanctions. Some of the people have gone on to form another group called the Palestinian Catastrophe Committee and has brought the case of the Palestinians to the attention of the University of Michigan community.
The opposition to sanctions, in my opinion at least, adds a much greater level of political sophistication to the protesters than would exist if they were solely anti-war.
Micah
On Thu, 17 Dec 1998, Chris Burford wrote:
> At 05:04 PM 12/16/98 -0500, you wrote:
> >
> >
> >Dear President Clinton,
> >
> >
> >Please don't bomb Iraq.
> >
> >
> >
> >Peace,
> >
> >Charles Brown
>
>
> I had expected a rush of letters from the USA opposing the bombing that has
> been going on for two hours now. There are only a couple. It poses the
> question of what is the basis of campaigning for peace now.
>
> The international campaign for peace used to opposed to imperialist threats
> against the Soviet Bloc.
>
> Nowadays after the fall of the Berlin wall it is not a question of whether
> Pax Americana rules, but how it rules. All these interventions are
> imperialist. This present intervention at this moment in the evening before
> we know what is happening, sounds to me midway between intervention in
> Kosovo, which has reduced mass ethnic cleaning, and the attack on the
> Khartoum pharmaceutical factory.
>
> The attack on Baghdad is part of a long term skirmishing for freedom of
> manouevre and leadership by the USA among the governments of the world. It
> can cut ahead and act unilaterally, but if too far outside consensus it may
> risk its client states being overthrown. France, the Soviet Union and
> China, may question its interpretation of its role in Iraq, which Hussein
> can play on to try to reduce the US domination of the monitoring mission.
> The price the US has to pay to use violence to contain Iraq is to appear to
> make some limited concessions towards the Palestinians versus Israel.
> Clinton's link to Gaza is connected.
>
> His best excuse for the timing of this attack to argue that is was not just
> chosen to postpone the House of Repesentatives vote on impeachment, is that
> Ramadan starts this weekend.
>
> What are the different bases on which the latest war is being opposed by
> progressives in the USA? Are there any progressive campaigns or media
> groups? What is the best statement that has been published, (not one that
> is 100% correct in an abstract sense but which is relevant politically in
> mobilising opposition to everything that is reactionary in this gunboat
> diplomacy).
>
> Chris Burford
>
> London.
>
>
>