AS THE bombs begin to rain down on Iraq, all of us are dealing with
grief, anger, and depression. Surely these feelings will be with us
for a long time, and we must take care of each other and ourselves
in the harsh days and weeks to come.
It will be helpful if we keep fresh in our minds what the worldwide
peace movement has accomplished. Although the Bush administration
is going to war, we have inflicted surprising, important defeats upon
it. It is far weaker today than it was just a short time ago. Another
world is not only possible; change is already underway, and we are
helping to drive it.
The world is much different now than just six months ago. At that
time we faced the prospect of the US steamrolling Iraq before an
acquiescent world. We faced the possibility that the vast majority
of the people of our own country would become cruel accomplices in
the murderous drive to empire. Washington was billing itself as the
new British or Roman Empire, boasting of its coming glory.
No longer.
Now Washington stands isolated and humiliated in full public view.
The would-be emperor has no clothes. The decision to go to war with
Iraq is exposed as immoral, illegal and downright monstrous. Whatever
moral authority the US government once held has been largely squandered.
Whatever sense of immortality and invincibility it once had, has been
seriously undermined. Surely not everyone understands this, but hundreds
of millions, possibly billions of people do. In our own country, we
have much work to do, but the peace movement is much larger than most
of us dreamed it would be just a year ago.
After a six-month full court press of bullying, threatening, bribery
and bluster, the world's only superpower came up almost empty handed.
Small and poor countries like the Cameroon, Chile and Angola felt
empowered to snub Washington's war drive. Its longtime allies France
and Germany fought it to the end. Its newfound crony Russia said forget
about it. Its partner in globalization, China, said no. Formerly dependent
South Korea rose against US militarism. One Latin American country
after another is electing progressive, anti-globalization, anti-US
militarist leaders. Turkey could not be bought for $26 billion. Washington's
lone allies, Tony Blair and Jose Maria Aznar, are in deep political
trouble.
The last six months have shown that the US may be a military superpower,
but its economic, diplomatic, political and moral reach is more limited
and diminishing.
Most important of all, and underlying all the other developments,
is the emergence of a new superpower: the world's people. As one we
rose up on Feb. 15 to smite the empire. Antiwar sentiment is so great
in most countries that even most reactionary leaders dare not cross
us. People in more than 600 US cities organized antiwar protests,
millions took to the streets and more than 150 cities passed peace
resolutions. Earlier this month a poll showed that Bush would be defeated
by any Democrat if an election were held now.
The US may launch a cowardly war, but we must be sure that in response
we increase our will and our organization. In the months and years
to come, we must make sure the Iraqis do not die in vain.
Having accomplished much, we still face major challenges. Undoubtedly
Washington and the corporate media will orchestrate a major reactionary
appeal in the weeks to come. We have a giant peace movement in the
US But we are not the majority. Our peace organizations and coalitions
need strengthening so that they can become effective over the long
run. We need to improve our ability to connect domestic with international
issues, address racism and to effectively oppose the reactionary US-Israeli
alliance. We must learn how to grow our movement while simultaneously
deepening its politics and organizations.
The peace movement is more important than ever. In the short run
we must fight to shorten the war, limit the damage, save as many lives
as possible, and make a lengthy US occupation of Iraq untenable.
In the long run, we must defeat Bush's militaristic plan for global
and local empire.
What a dizzying period of change, of victory and defeat, euphoria
and grief! This is what movements are made of. Let us not lose sight
of what we have accomplished. Let us instead take heart that a new
world is not only possible, it is in the making. If we fight on, stay
strong, patient and smart, we can help to shape it.
---------------
http://www.war-times.org/current/anotherworld.html
