September 17, 2001
Now is the Time to Speak
for Peace
by Robert Jensen and Rahul Mahajan
The Bush administration has stolen from
us the time to grieve.
Americans, and people all over
the world, should have had time to grieve for the victims of
last week's attacks. But the politicians have made it clear they
want war -- on anyone, at any price, with seemingly no thought
about the consequences -- and we have no choice but to begin
speaking out and organizing as we grieve.
Those who speak against war
face hostility from many Americans -- including even some in
the peace movement -- who say, "Now is not the time to talk
politics; the country needs to heal."
As one person put it in an
email to us, "Sometimes to hold our tongues is far better
than to voice our opinions."
But now IS the time to talk
politics, before it is too late.
From the first day of this
tragedy, the leadership of this country -- amplified by the hawkish
tone of most of the media coverage -- has made it clear they
see an opening to ram through a military "solution"
to the terrorism problem. They seem to believe this strategy
will further consolidate U.S. power, especially in the Middle
East.
Their claim to be acting to
protect Americans rings hollow. Will Americans be safer if the
U.S. unleashes its own "holy war" against -- against
whom? where? ending when?
The people calling the shots
would prefer that citizens argue about whether we should seek
vengeance or not. But the politicians' goal is not mere vengeance;
these are not the days when nations go to war to settle a grudge.
It is time to face some difficult
truths: The war being planned is not about the emotions of citizens
and their leaders spinning out of control. Yes, people are angry,
and many are hungry for revenge. But that is merely a cover for
the politicians.
Like all wars involving great
powers, this is a war about geopolitical strategy. It is a war
that aims to extend the dominance of the United States.
A lesson from the Gulf War
is crucial: The United States said it wanted Iraq out of Kuwait,
but U.S. officials blocked any possibility of a diplomatic solution
to the crisis caused by Iraq's illegal invasion. The first Bush
administration wanted a war, and it got one. And that war gave
the United States even greater dominance over the Middle East.
Now the current Bush administration
says it wants Osama bin Laden. No doubt everyone would like to
see bin Laden out of commission. But we fear that the administration
is after something far beyond that. Remember that the talk in
Washington is not just of nabbing bin Laden; it's about "rooting
out" his terror networks and waging a global "war on
terrorism." In other words, an unending counterinsurgency
against any part of the Islamic world that does not accept U.S.
supremacy.
Ponder that: An indefinite
war waged against an entire culture.
The history of empires -- and
make no mistake, we must understand the United States as an empire,
though with a different method of control than the empires of
old -- suggests that the drive to greater power and dominance
is never satisfied.
But the other lesson of history
is that empires eventually take on more than they can handle.
There is a recklessness in the air; officials talk openly about
going after "high-value targets," such as capital cities,
in countries that may "harbor" terrorists.
The first effect of any such
attack, other than killing massive numbers of innocent civilians,
will be to multiply tenfold the number of people in the Islamic
world willing to die to wreak havoc on the United States. If
fewer than two dozen people, supported by a few hundred more,
could carry off last week's attacks, what will happen when we
arouse the anger of 1 billion people by a blatantly unjust and
destructive "retaliation?"
Ordinary people, feeling the
danger, are flocking to peace demonstrations in unexpected numbers.
But without organization, those efforts will die down as people
attempt to return to their normal lives -- while we enter a cold
new world of ongoing fear, hatred, and war.
Our government is starting
down the road to potential disaster. The time to act is now.
CP
Robert Jensen is a professor of journalism at the
University of Texas. Rahul Mahajan serves on the National
Board of Peace Action. Both are members of the Nowar Collective
(www.nowarcollective.com).
They can be contacted at: rahul@tao.ca
|