From: "Eli Pariser" <ep@9-11peace.org>
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Subject: War and Peace in 2002
Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2002 06:44:42 -0500
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WAR AND PEACE IN 2002
Read online, subscribe, or unsubscribe at:
http://www.9-11peace.org/bulletin.php3


CONTENTS
---------
1. Introduction: Hollow Victories
2. One Link
3. Is This Winning?
4. The Mounting Casualties
5. Other Casualties: Mid-East Peace and India-Pakistan
6. The "War on Terrorism" in 2002
7. Good News: Our Iraq Letters Campaign
8. Featured Actions
9. Get Involved
10. About the Bulletin


INTRODUCTION: HOLLOW VICTORIES
-------------------------------
"The problem after a war is with the victor. He thinks he
has just proved that war and violence pay. Who will now
teach him a lesson?" - A.J. Muste, peace activist

The Taliban has been ousted; the humanitarian crisis
averted; repression replaced with freedom. Those of us who
advocate for peace were all worried for nothing. Or so the
argument goes.

Yet as time passes and the "war on terrorism" wears on, the
flaws in this type of reasoning are surfacing. Osama bin
Laden remains at large, denying America the satisfying final
victory that recently seemed so certain. A new report on
civilian casualties in the region indicates that the
collateral damage in this war is both real and tragic. And
the Middle East becomes increasingly more unstable,
undermining the idea that American military intervention is
bringing peace to the region. In fact, rather than creating
peace, US foreign policy has now placed India and Pakistan
on the brink of a nuclear war.

This week, we provide a brief update of these and other
important events that occurred during the holidays, as well
as their implications. We will examine how 2002 is already a
year of new struggles and challenges, along with a new set
of threats. Above all, we will explain why we cannot be
lulled into inaction by declarations of victory. The victory
that we are asked to celebrate comes at the expense of
stability and many, many innocent lives: it is a Pyrrhic
victory, at best. There is much more work that needs to be
done to bring about a lasting global peace, and this week,
we will take a look at where we need to start.

Next week: Peace in the Middle East?


ONE LINK
---------
"To recognize death is to recognize life. But the Afghan
dead are not even given that recognition. They are 'disputed
figures'. 'Taliban propaganda claims'. They are the actually
living dead. We are given some numbers: how many cruise
missiles, how many Daisy Cutters, how many sorties, how much
soldiers, the diameters, the flight distances, the
co-ordinates. These numbers make the war real, as real as a
video-game. And the casualties we only know as 'lies'." Read
more in this compelling article challenging the view of the
deaths of Afghan civilians as not as valuable or as real as
the deaths of Americans.
http://www.counterpunch.org/suren1.html


IS THIS WINNING?
-----------------
The main objective of the war on Afghanistan, at least
according to President Bush in his initial speeches, has
still not been accomplished. Osama bin Laden is still at
large.
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=67

And yes, the Taliban regime has been overthrown. But is a
little less repression really the major victory that we were
told to expect? Is it freedom? This article's title: 'I saw
armed men dragging away a musician. Strange, because the
Taliban have been beaten'
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=68

Two women have been appointed to the new Afghan
government -- but they are only 2 out of 29, and the women
of Afghanistan still live in fear.
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=69

Meanwhile, anti-American sentiment, and even hate, has
certainly not been wiped out by the war on Afghanistan. As
the author of this article argues, inviting future terrorism
is not a victory against it.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=12154

Robert Fisk also describes the sad realities behind the
war's "success". A good brief overview.
http://www.zmag.org/meastwatch/fiskparttwo.htm


THE MOUNTING CASUALTIES
------------------------
Innocent civilians in Afghanistan, who had no more to do
with the terrorist attacks than you or I, are another sad
consequence of "winning" the war.  The estimated number of
lives lost by innocent Afghan civilians now is greater than
the number of lives lost in the September 11 attacks.

In past bulletins we noted that CNN and other major news
networks have agreed not to report on Afghan casualties or
to report on Afghan casualties only in the context of the
atrocities of the September 11 terrorists.

Professor Marc W. Herold of the University of New Hampshire
has released a report that concludes that 3, 767 civilians
have been killed in Afghanistan as a direct result of
American air strikes between Oct. 7, 2001 and Dec. 6, 2001
(note that there have been numerous air strikes since these
dates and the numbers are now estimated to be more than
4000). Prof. Herold also reports that the Pentagon has
intentionally deceived the public about Afghan civilian
deaths in several cases.
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=70

Meanwhile, despite the growing death toll, the bombing
continues.
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=71

One of the targets of the bombings that occurred over the
holidays was a wedding on Dec. 29.
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=72

According to some reports, U.S. forces also gunned down
fleeing civilians from helicopters during the Dec. 29
incident.
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=73


OTHER CASUALTIES: THE WAR ON DRUGS, AND MID-EAST PEACE
-------------------------------------------------------
America's new war has also destroyed hopes for the success
of the formerly important "war on drugs," at least as far as
Afghanistan is concerned. The drug trade has been
revitalized by the American attacks, as Afghan farmers begin
to plant poppies once again.
http://fpif.org/faq/0112drugs.html

The Israeli/Palestinian peace process has also been
basically demolished. Israel has appropriated the "war on
terrorism" rhetoric of America to justify its actions
against Palestine, while the States have remained a strong
backer of the Israeli regime, despite its history of human
rights abuses.
http://www.counterpunch.org/loewenstein.html

Finally, perhaps the most dangerous consequence of America's
military actions in Afghanistan has been the escalation of
tensions between Pakistan and India, tensions that have
placed the region on the brink of full-blown nuclear war.
This is an excellent summary of this situation and food for
some serious thought.
http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0106-01.htm


THE WAR ON "TERRORISM" IN 2002
-------------------------------
First Afghanistan, then the world? The US is poised to begin
military operations in countries outside of Afghanistan,
despite the fact that most of the anti-terrorist coalition
does not support expanding the campaign.

An attack on Iraq has been delayed because of a shortage of
bombs.
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=74

"The Achilles heel of American Empire is its peculiar belief
that the people we conquer are better off for it, and love
us for enslaving them. The British and Mongols and Romans
would never have dreamed of such a conceit, but America has
justified its atrocities thusly from the Indian wars to the
present".
http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?ItemID=12596

It also appears that rather than moving troops out of the
area now that the war has been "won," the American military
is preparing for a long stay in the region around
Afghanistan.
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=75

These US bases, which are popping up in countries ringing
Afghanistan, are likely to "stir resentment among Islamic
extremists" and make future terrorist attacks more likely.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/0201/07/world/world4.html


GOOD NEWS: OUR IRAQ LETTERS AND TOP 5 CAMPAIGNS
------------------------------------------------
We received hundreds of emails in response to our question,
"What are your top five hopes for peace?"  Some of the
answers have been posted at:
http://www.9-11peace.org/top5.php3

In early December, we sent out a message to our constituents
in the United States suggesting that they write to the
editor of their local newspaper and urge against a US attack
on Iraq.  Hundreds of letters were sent, and as a result of
this initiative letters were printed in a number of major
newspapers, including:

The Seattle Post Intelligencer, Seattle, Washington
The Portland Press Herald, Portland, Maine
The Minneapolis Star Tribune, Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Illinois
The Portland Oregonian, Portland, Oregon
The Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minnesota
The Tulsa World, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Even when letters weren't published, they put pressure on
newspaper editorial boards to represent this point of view.

If you'd like to send a letter of your own, the issue is
still very timely.  You can find sample letters on our
website at:
http://www.9-11peace.org/iraqletters.php3

Here's a letter sent by Dave Lambert and published in the
New Sentinel in Fort Wayne, Indiana:

"The President's war on terrorism which, thus far, has
resulted in the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands of
innocent Afghan women, men and children, appears to be
widening into Iraq.

Three American soldiers were killed and 20 wounded in just
today when a bomb launched from an Air Force B-52 bomber
missed its target. Where and when will it end?

Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi children have already died as
a result of this country's economic  sanctions against Iraq
over the past decade. There are many in the Bush
administration that are calling for military action against
Saddam Hussein, and President Bush himself has alluded to
unspecified plans to punish Iraq. I am writing because I am
worried that as a result of U.S. actions, more innocent
people will die.

It is time for patriots (those who love this country) to
speak out against the atrocities and acknowledge that the
victims of September 11 would not have wished  their legacy
to be more killing in their name, especially in  the
interests of big oil."


FEATURED ACTIONS
-----------------
Make a New Year's resolution to work for peace, as these
activists did. Their inspirational statement is an excellent
model.
http://www.commondreams.org/news2002/0101-01.htm

Write to the Bush administration and demand support for
international agreements such as the ABM treaty.
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=76

Challenge the sanctions in Iraq by participating in a book
campaign to restock the universities of Iraq with reference
materials.
http://www.casi.org.uk/discuss/2001/msg01046.html

And as always, continue to pass on information, write
letters to the editor, and talk to other people about the
failures of the "war on terrorism" and how to work for a
real and lasting peace.


GET INVOLVED
-------------
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