What is going on and what can we do about it?
In Iraq, the U.S. military is actively involved in the war against ISIL. Aside from aerial bombardment, the U.S. is providing advanced armaments, training and advisers to an increasingly sectarian war, and Congressional hawks are calling for a return of U.S. boots on the ground.
In Afghanistan, the U.S. war that has been “winding down” forever, U.S. troops remain actively involved in the fight against the Taliban. Watch your local newspapers, and you will notice that our GI’s continue to die, along with thousands of Afghani’s. So much for bringing peace and stability.
In Syria, the U.S. remains active in supporting the civil war to bring down the Assad government. If this means giving arms and aid to sectarian rebels, and to indirectly aiding ISIS (some say directly), then so be it. The goal, after all, remains regime change and re-making the Middle East more to the liking to empire builders in the U.S., that is: small, weak, divided, and unable to resist imperial designs.
In Yemen, thousands of civilians are dying in massive aerial bombardmentled by Saudi Arabia and its “coalition” of monarchs, backed by the unseen hand of the U.S., which provides the bombs and the political cover.
In Ukraine, the U.S. and NATO are gearing up for a serious escalation of the conflict between Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine and the rightwing Ukrainian government that was installed after a U.S.-backed coup in Kiev. The western media is full of articles about an imminent Russian invasion, a wildly successful propaganda effort to justify sending U.S. arms and advisers, and continue playing chicken with nuclear-armed Russia on is own borders. Many experts believe this is the most dangerous intervention of all.
On the Nuclear Front, we must mention the recent failure of the United Nations review conference (every 5 years) of the Partial Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT). Despite the presence in New York of thousands of people from around the world (especially Japan) to cheer on the U.N. delegates, the conference ended in failure when the final document was scuttled by our Nobel Prize winning president because it called for a conference on a Nuclear Free Middle East. After all is said and done, the U.S. still supports Israeli domination of the Palestinians and its neighbors, and provides COVER for its substantial nuclear arsenal.
Of course, the U.S. is also busy developing new generations of nuclear weapons, some said to be more “usable.”
This is not a complete list of current U.S. militarism. Far from it. We don’t have space here to do justice to the so-called “Pivot to Asia,” and increasing U.S. confrontation with China.
This is all very ugly and very ominous. The antiwar movement seems overwhelmed and unable to muster strong opposition. The threat of ISIS, which would not even exist except for the U.S. destruction of Iraq, makes it hard for the U.S. public to understand what is going on. Nonetheless, recent polls reveal that growing numbers of Americans oppose U.S. militarism abroad as counterproductive.
What can Veterans For Peace do to educate our neighbors and mobilize opposition to these horrible wars, whose victims continue to be primarily innocent civilians – men, women and children? How do we reverse a U.S. foreign policy that increasingly relies on military force around the globe? How do we abolish war as an instrument of national policy?
We want to hear from our chapters and members. How are you addressing the current U.S. war drive? What do you think would be effective at the national level? Please send your ideas to vfp@veteransforpeace.org. This is a discussion that is very much needed right now.