by Gerry FoleyThe claims by U.S. political and military leaders that they are making progress in "pacifying" Iraq are based mainly on the deals the U.S.-led occupation forces have been able to make with local strongmen, largely feudal remnants or outright gangsters. The U.S. officials see this tactic as so successful that they are now … Continue reading The Reality Behind the U.S. “Surge” in Iraq
Category: Anti-War
Should Activists Look to Democrats to End the War?
On Sept. 26 the Democrat-controlled Congress passed its second blank check for war in Iraq. Three days later in a debate between leading Democratic presidential candidates, Clinton, Obama, and Edwards were each asked to commit to withdrawing all U.S. troops from Iraq by 2013 if elected president. All said that they could not.Since the invasion … Continue reading Should Activists Look to Democrats to End the War?
Report on the Jan. 27 Anti-War Protest in D.C.
Just over a week ago, 134 people from Wisconsin and Minnesota on three buses undertook the journey to Washington, D.C. to join with thousands of others to voice their protest to the Iraq war. These buses were organized jointly by the Northland Anti-War Coalition (Duluth, MN) and Peace North (Hayward, WI). Additionally from our region, … Continue reading Report on the Jan. 27 Anti-War Protest in D.C.
Canadian Peace Alliance Sets March 17 Actions
OTTAWA—Forty-three delegates and about 50 observers at the Canadian Peace Alliance’s Nov. 10-12 congress in this city set March 17, 2007, as the date of a pan-Canadian action against the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. Delegates also adopted a far-reaching resolution on Palestine calling for Israel’s prosecution for war crimes against civilians, dismantlement of Israel’s … Continue reading Canadian Peace Alliance Sets March 17 Actions
The Iraq Quagmire and the 2006 Elections
by Jeff Mackler / December 2006 issue of Socialist Action Newspaper An ill-at-ease and hastily tutored President George W. Bush appeared before the nation’s major media on Nov. 8 to give his administration’s take on what Bush described as the “thumping” the Republican Party took on Election Day. Based on exit polls across the country … Continue reading The Iraq Quagmire and the 2006 Elections
Israeli Apartheid Targeted by Toronto Conference
by Barry Weisleder / November 2006 Over 600 people attended a landmark conference, Boycotting Israeli Apartheid: The Struggle Continues, held Oct. 6-8 in Toronto. Leading anti-apartheid activists from Palestine, South Africa, Canada, and England addressed the way forward in the global campaign of boycott, divestment, and sanctions. Jamal Juma'a, coordinator of the Stop the Wall … Continue reading Israeli Apartheid Targeted by Toronto Conference
Protesting Canada’s Imperialist War
by Barry Weisleder / November 2006 Though the turnout was generally lighter than last spring, antiwar protests across Canada on Oct. 28 nonetheless represented an important step forward. It was the first time the broad movement—led by the Canadian Peace Alliance, le Collectif Échec la guerre, the Canadian Labour Congress, and the Canadian Islamic Congress—focused … Continue reading Protesting Canada’s Imperialist War
Israel Escalates Brutal War on Civilians in Gaza
by Gerry Foley / November issue of Socialist Action Newspaper Israel’s war against the Palestinian population of Gaza has been escalating. It reached a terrible high point on Nov. 7 with the massacre of at least 19 Palestinians, who were killed in their sleep near the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanun. They were victims … Continue reading Israel Escalates Brutal War on Civilians in Gaza
‘Rising up Against the Empire’ Hugo Chavez at the UN
by Joe Auciello / October 2006 issue of Socialist Action “Devil.” That’s the only word most Americans are likely to know of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s address last month to the United Nations General Assembly. That one word provoked a hailstorm of condemnation from U.S. reporters and politicians, which, conveniently enough, diverts attention away from … Continue reading ‘Rising up Against the Empire’ Hugo Chavez at the UN
U.S. Anti-war Sentiment Grows as Resistance Mounts in Iraq
by Gerry Foley / October 2006 issue of Socialist Action Newspaper A poll of Iraqi public opinion done by a group associated with the University of Maryland indicates that opposition to the U.S.-led occupation is now overwhelming. The results, published in a Reuters dispatch of Sept. 29, indicate that 61 percent of Iraqis support the … Continue reading U.S. Anti-war Sentiment Grows as Resistance Mounts in Iraq
NDP Calls for Canadian Troops Out of Afghanistan
By SA Canada / September 2006 issue of Socialist Action Until Aug. 31 the labour-based New Democratic Party had declined to demand that Canadian troops leave Afghanistan—much less take the side of the popular resistance to the Zionist apartheid state in Palestine and the invasion of Lebanon. Then NDP federal Leader Jack Layton issued a … Continue reading NDP Calls for Canadian Troops Out of Afghanistan
Israel & U.S. Set Back in Their Brutal Attack on Lebanon
by Gerry Foley / September 2006 issue of Socialist Action The month-long war between Hezbullah and Israel, in which Israel tried to hold the entire country of Lebanon as a hostage, was halted by uneasy truce on Aug.14. It seems that none of the parties involved expected the truce to last. Only days after agreeing … Continue reading Israel & U.S. Set Back in Their Brutal Attack on Lebanon
Iraqi Shiites Clash With U.S. Led Occupation
by Gerry Foley / September issue of Socialist Action Newspaper The major political development in Iraq in recent weeks has been the developing confrontation between the movement led by Muqtada al-Sadr and the forces of the United States and its virtual auxiliary, the so-called Iraqi army. These tensions reached a peak in a two-day fire-fight … Continue reading Iraqi Shiites Clash With U.S. Led Occupation
The History of Imperialist Aggression in Lebanon
by Andrew Pollack / September 2006 issue of Socialist Action Israel’s 2006 war fits a long pattern of intervention—a pattern of unprovoked, wholesale murder, covered up by deception. From its start the Zionist movement had plans for southern Lebanon. Israeli historian Benny Morris in “Righteous Victims” reports that the Zionists presented a map for their … Continue reading The History of Imperialist Aggression in Lebanon
Guantanamo: The Killing Field of Human Rights
by Gerry Foley / July 2006 issue of Socialist Action newspaper The Guantanamo prison has become the most glaring symbol of the U.S. government’s arrogant disregard of the safeguards of human rights in American and international law. Even five judges on the U.S. Supreme Court (a majority) felt obliged to strike down the Bush administration’s … Continue reading Guantanamo: The Killing Field of Human Rights
Innocents on the ‘Road to Guantanamo’
by Gaetana Caldwell-Smith / July 2006 issue of Socialist Action newspaper To question the authenticity of events depicted in Michael Winterbottom’s and Matt Whitecross’s recent docudrama, “The Road to Guantanamo,” is to be ignorant of the many testimonies that have come from others—of men being picked up, blindfolded, shackled, dumped into trucks and planes, eventually … Continue reading Innocents on the ‘Road to Guantanamo’
Huge April 29 mobilization demands: ‘End the Iraq War now!’
by Christine Marie / May 2006 issue of Socialist Action newspaper "Not only we do want the troops home from Iraq, we do not want the maniacs to invade Iran! We are standing here with the people of Iran," Cindy Sheehan declared at the press conference that kicked off the massive April 29 March for … Continue reading Huge April 29 mobilization demands: ‘End the Iraq War now!’
Chaos Continues in Iraq under the Aegis of U.S. Occupation
By Gerry Foley / May 2006 issue of Socialist Action newspaper Communalist tensions have continued to increase in Iraq, as the U.S. won its objective of forcing the replacement of the former premier, Ibrahim al-Jaafari. The ousted premier’s designated successor, Jawad al-Maliki, is also a leader of the Dawa Shiite party, historically linked to the … Continue reading Chaos Continues in Iraq under the Aegis of U.S. Occupation
New Anti-War Coalition in California
by Marc Rome / Jan. 2006 issue of Socialist Action Newspaper As moods deepen against the war in Iraq, a new Northern California antiwar coalition has organized several successful meetings to give the most far-reaching expression to the growing antiwar sentiment among U.S. troops and the majority antiwar sentiment in the United States. The “Stop … Continue reading New Anti-War Coalition in California
Sectarian Violence in Iraq Fanned by U.S. Occupation
by Gerry Foley / March 2006 issue of Socialist Action newspaper The response of the anti-American Shiite Islamic leaders to the Feb. 22 bombing of the Al Askariya mosque in Samarra—such as the Hezbullah in Lebanon and the leaders of the Islamic republic of Iran—was to blame it on the United States and Israel. That … Continue reading Sectarian Violence in Iraq Fanned by U.S. Occupation
CT Organizing for March 18 Protests
by Christine Marie / March 2006 issue of Socialist Action newspaper HARTFORD—Over 60 organizations and 800 individuals in Connecticut have signed a call for a Third Anniversary march against the war to be held in New Haven on March 18 and demanding "Bring the Troops Home Now! Money for Reconstruction of the Gulf Coast, Not … Continue reading CT Organizing for March 18 Protests
Trenton Antiwar Teach-In: “A Good First Step”
by John Leslie / March 2006 issue of Socialist Action newspaper TRENTON, N.J.—On Feb. 4, about 30 activists, students, and community members gathered here for the “Teach-In on the War and Counter Recruitment,” organized by the Trenton Antiwar Organizing Committee. The TAOC is a community-based project of the College of New Jersey Progressive Student Alliance, … Continue reading Trenton Antiwar Teach-In: “A Good First Step”
Montreal Summit: Bush Feels the Heat
by Michael G. Livingston / December 2005 issue of Socialist Action newspaper On the eve of the Nov. 28 to Dec. 9 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Montreal, the Bush administration was starting to feel the heat, both literally and politically, for its position on global warming. The U.S. kept a low profile at … Continue reading Montreal Summit: Bush Feels the Heat
Congress Debates ‘Redeployment’ of U.S. Military Forces in Iraq
by Jeff Mackler & George Saunders / Dec. 2005 issue of Socialist Action newspaper On Nov. 17 Pennsylvania Democratic Party Congressman John Murtha proposed on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to “redeploy” the nearly 160,000 U.S. troops out of Iraq within six months. Pandemonium followed. Murtha is a right-winger to the core … Continue reading Congress Debates ‘Redeployment’ of U.S. Military Forces in Iraq
War Escalates Despite Iraqi Vote on New Constitution
by Gerry Foley / November 2005 issue of Socialist Action newspaper The real import of the Oct. 15 referendum on the Iraqi constitutional referendum was indicated by U.S. air strikes in the Ramadi area immediately after the vote. The constitution was ratified over nearly unanimous opposition from the Sunni population. The U.S. military trumpeted that … Continue reading War Escalates Despite Iraqi Vote on New Constitution