Last weekend anti-war activists had an unprecedented opportunity to speak with a unified voice in favor of a clear and responsible plan for Iraq. American opposition to the Iraq war has grown in recent months, along with general dissatisfaction with President Bush’s policies. Instead of exploiting this window, the Sept. 24 anti-war march became a fragmented and unclear call for the immediate and reckless withdrawal of troops from Iraq.
Saturday’s march-organized by the ANSWER Coalition, United for Peace and Justice and others-saw signs and speeches protesting a laundry list of issues not even tangentially related to the Iraq war. They included the Israeli occupation of Palestine, the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina, racism, nuclear proliferation, cronyism in the White House and election fraud. Some even showed support for Venezuela’s president Hugo Chavez. Regardless of how valid and noble some of these causes may be, by pursuing them at a rally specifically organized around opposition to the U.S. presence in Iraq, the marchers obscured the day’s message.
Moreover, the inclusion of these opinions alienated many antiwar marchers with different beliefs. At Georgetown, the Living Wage Coalition’s campaign last year was a model of success largely because the group had a clear goal and remained focused on it, rather than trying to attack too many issues. Future anti-war events will be more effective if participants emulate those same tactics on a larger scale.
More alarming than the protesters’ tactics, however, was their specific goal: the immediate withdrawal of all troops from Iraq. Marchers are right to criticize and condemn an endlessly bloody war predicated on misinformation and exaggeration. The unfortunate truth, however, is that the U.S. invaded Iraq, destroyed much of the country’s infrastructure and spawned a violent insurgency.
Because the U.S. helped cause these problems, it is obligated to remain in Iraq until a government and infrastructure-not to mention an army-are set up to deal with these issues. The immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops would be a careless and irresponsible policy that would leave Iraq in violent chaos.
Though the protesters had honorable sentiments, the Sept. 24 march resulted in a thoroughly unclear call for an action that would leave Iraq in an even worse mess than it already is. Next time peace advocates should think things through, enough to develop a message that is both coherent and responsible.
