February demo against the war

February 11, 2007

2–4 minutes

One of my ways of testing the anti-war climate is by leafletting the local tube station in the weeks leading up to demonstrations. The reception in the early years of the Iraq war was always very positive. You couldn’t get rid of the leaflets fast enough. Not so last Friday. In the course of a freezing, damp half hour I got rid of under a dozen leaflets. Comrade Charli thinks it’s because it was too cold for people to take their hands out of their pockets.

Another point that struck me was that if I’d wanted to leaflet that station at any point in the last fifteen years Charli would have been around to do it. We did not have legions of fresh faced, keen young helpers to assist us. Anyway here’s something I knocked out to fill some space on the editorial page of the forthcoming SR. (Yes we know the website is not great at the moment but we have commissioned a major re-vamp.)

What is the point of continuing to march and organise against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? It is starting to look like the beginning of the end for Bush and Blair’s in Iraq. Bush is isolated domestically. Many of the guardians of the long-term interests of American imperialism, such as those who comprised the Iraq Survey Group, feel that the US should withdraw from Iraq. Some of the candidates for the next presidential elections are re-casting themselves as anti-war. So wouldn’t it be easier to let events take their course and stay at home rather than trudging through the chill February streets?

Well for a start not even the self-described anti-war candidates are too opposed to war. Speaking at a rally in Chicago in 2002 Barack Obama said “I don’t oppose all wars. What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war.” What this means in plain English is that wars that US imperialism thinks it could win are not off the agenda in an Obama presidency. The Bush administration is not yet fully decided on what it wants to do in Iraq and the surrounding region. Good sense suggests getting out. But good sense and George Bush have never really got along. That’s why last month when he announced the “surge” of troops in Iraq, he presented a new strategy of conflict with Iran. A second aircraft carrier strike group is about to join the USS Dwight Eisenhower in the Gulf region. American aircraft will patrol even more aggressively close to Iran’s airspace and we can expect manufactured provocations.

Part of the American ruling class and military élite cannot bring itself another humiliating defeat. To be forced out of Iraq while still haunted by the spectre of Vietnam will badly restrict US imperialism’s ability to control a disproportionate share of the world’s wealth and resources. The grand plans of Rumsfeld’s neo-conservatives for containing China will begin to look even more threadbare.
For a state to win an imperialist, aggressive war it requires a high level of support at home. This makes people willing to accept the deaths and injuries of “their own” troops. It is easier to shrug off atrocities committed by “their own” side and the suffering inflicted on the community that resists. It allows armies to carry on recruiting. By continuing to organise to show our rejection of Brown and Blair’s support for these wars we hasten their end.

4 responses to “February demo against the war”

632C5R09OW8

February 12, 2007 at 12:21 pm

632C5R09OW8ftssoldier.blogspot.comwww.edwardsaid.org Why is the antiwar movement dead?For example during the launch ofEuston Manifesto of which 600people turned up. They raised £1350 and have 3100 Signaturesto their “Manifesto”. Bycontrast The Stop war Coalition and general antiwar movement is always being criticized especially by the Left.Please reply?I wrote that. It appears that Iam right along is that the antiwar movement is dead, and people seemto have moved to the right on the issue of iraq, In terms of trendsIts worth noting that Pro-war websites and blogs tend to get must hits, plus “back our boys”Tend to go unchallenged. Also most “mainstream” analysis then to onlyback military victory. We becomingan Imperial society that OccupyOther people’s lands without any desist.Please reply again? Much appreciatived.www.rigzone.com/analysis/heavyoil/

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Jack Ray

February 12, 2007 at 12:48 pm

in fairness, though I’m not as sympathetic to the “keep marching” school of thought, I can’t see where you might get the idea that pro-war views are winning. It’s patently obvious that what support there was for the war is in decline in both of the main combatant nations.

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AN

February 12, 2007 at 5:25 pm

That leafleting thing doesn’t match my experience Liam, last saturday we had a very good response with 5 of us leafleting for an hour getting rid of about 800 leaflets in town.It is true that the peace movement has a backbone of established activists, of the 5 of us out last weekend 2 are CP members, and one an ex-CP member, bit our expereince in swidon is that if you have an active and inclusive STW groups that meets regularly you also attract new and younger people, we have quite a few activist under 30.But it is a big “if”, because while some STW groups adopt our model of being activist groups, there are other Colaitions who are quite formal delgate bodies. I wrote a post about this recently, following my experience at the last national steerng committe:http://socialistunity.blogspot.com/2007/02/tale-of-two-coalitions.htmlBTW – remember that CND are building this Feb 24th demmo quite activley, but their ability to deliver is questionable

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AN

February 12, 2007 at 5:30 pm

As to 632C5R09OW8Your argument is quite falacious. the peace movement is far from dead – and there are some few thousands of activists still in regular activity.Nor has the general public mood shifted to the right – what has happened is that the anti-Iraq war opinion has become subsumed by the mainstream.Aa reagrds the Eusless manifesto – so what? Some self importnat toss posts meet up for mutual backslapping, and bung in a coouple of quid each. Don’t mistake the blogosphere for reality

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Liam redux