Received: with LISTAR (v1.0.0; list 9-11peace); Wed, 09 Jan 2002 06:43:41 -0500 (EST) Return-Path: <ep@9-11peace.org> Delivered-To: 9-11peace@complete.org Received: from c009.snv.cp.net (c009-h018.c009.snv.cp.net [209.228.34.131]) by pi.glockenspiel.complete.org (Postfix) with SMTP id 621E83B8A6 for <9-11peace@complete.org>; Wed, 9 Jan 2002 06:42:19 -0500 (EST) Received: (cpmta 11058 invoked from network); 9 Jan 2002 03:42:13 -0800 Received: from 151.203.225.69 (HELO sylvester) by smtp.surfree.com (209.228.34.131) with SMTP; 9 Jan 2002 03:42:13 -0800 X-Sent: 9 Jan 2002 11:42:13 GMT From: "Eli Pariser" <ep@9-11peace.org> To: <9-11peace@complete.org> Subject: War and Peace in 2002 Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2002 06:44:42 -0500 Message-ID: <NFBBILDICDMBFNGCLHNECEECDAAA.ep@9-11peace.org> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2910.0) X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.72.3110.3 Importance: Normal X-archive-position: 16 X-Approved-By: eli@morethanmoney.org X-listar-version: Listar v1.0.0 Sender: 9-11peace-bounce@complete.org Errors-to: 9-11peace-bounce@complete.org X-original-sender: ep@9-11peace.org Precedence: bulk Reply-to: bulletin@9-11peace.org X-list: 9-11peace

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.

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