After more than seven years of war, the US intervention in Afghanistan is harming democracy and development, and is not protecting the Afghan people. US forces are making matters worse, and taxpayers cannot afford the $36 billion a year cost. Our goals are:
· Reverse the Obama administration’s plans to escalate the conflict by sending additional troops
· Shift US regional policy in a peaceful direction
· Withdraw US forces from Afghanistan
· No US war in Pakistan
Withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan and stabilizing the region by non-military means will take years. The US will not lightly relax its hold on Afghanistan because it is committed to schemes of global power, in which control of Central Asia plays an important part. However, military escalation in Afghanistan is in contradiction with the Obama administration’s goal of a multilateralist foreign policy which uses diplomacy and economic aid before military force. Despite Obama’s February 17 order to send an additional 17,000 troops, there is still an opportunity to impact the discussion in the next two to three months before the new administration’s policy becomes set in stone.
Our work will fall into three areas.
Educating activists: There is increasing concern about Afghanistan lately, but most peace activists still know more about Iraq than Afghanistan. We need to arm activists with information and talking points on Afghanistan so they are up to speed on the issues and can move others. To this end, we propose to set up informal meetings with each UJP member group at which we will present a slide show and other information. These meetings will train our UJP activists to confidently present the message and answer objections. We will also hold one or more forums or debates to address the pros and cons of the war, to reach politically aware/knowledgeable audiences beyond antiwar activists.
Legislative action: This is a short term priority from now through May. The Massachusetts congressional delegation needs to hear from us as the debate heats up. A supplemental appropriation covering both Iraq and Afghanistan is expected to come up in April. We will develop talking points and help UJP affiliated groups bring the message to the congressional delegations. We will focus on Kerry as chair of Senate Foreign Relations, demanding that he hold hearings which include pro-peace speakers. Our goal is one visit to each Eastern and Central Mass rep’s office by April.
Public opinion: As of December the American people still favored the war, 55% to 39%. We must challenge the premises of the Afghanistan war in a way that reaches the broad public. To do that we will try posting videos on You Tube. We will also reach out to UJP community groups and peace groups to add Afghanistan to their vigils, with the following recommended slogans:
Afghanistan: Obama's Vietnam? Afghanistan: No Military Solution
No Escalation in Afghanistan No Money for War in Afghanistan
Updated 2/25/09
