ABSTRACT
Let me begin by stating up front my short answer to the question posed by the panel’s title: “War on Iraq, For or Against?” I am against war on Iraq. There are many reasons to be against state-sponsored warfare in general and this one in particular, as the large, growing and diverse movement to oppose this war demonstrates. We’ve heard some of these reasons already, and you all may have more you want to share. (I’ve brought copies of an Iraq Fact/Myth sheet and a list of sources, including local alternative media outlets, for additional information that might be helpful.) My own view is that while this war directly and viciously impacts the people, the culture, and the country of Iraq, this war is not merely or only about Iraq, or its dictatorial president. In my view, what’s at stake in this war is the U.S. government’s arrogant pretensions to global rule, and it is to this dangerous perversion of democracy that I’ll direct my brief remarks.
