Iraq

On MLK Day: A Special Message from Arun Kundnani

Arun Kundnani

On this MLK day, let us recall Dr. Martin Luther King's deepest legacy. He understood that denouncing the violent extremism of young, angry men in the ghettos could not be done without hypocrisy unless one also condemned the far greater violence of the U.S. war machine in Vietnam. When governments decide political problems can be solved through violence, it is no surprise their citizens reach the same conclusion.

Massive Protest Wave in Iraq Challenges Sectarianism

WRL's Ali Issa on the protest upsurge in Iraq: "Since a new wave of protest in Iraq — the largest in decades — has forced the Iraqi government to finally begin acknowledging the fundamental problems with the now 12-year-old quota system, Iraqis across sectors and at the grassroots are striving to chart a new political course. It’s also time for the world at large to see Iraqis in a new way. Not as simply Sunni, Shi’ite or Kurd, Gulf-backed or Iran-backed, terrorist or victim. Iraqis are asking us to do much better than that."

Join us and Register for an Online Town Hall on 4/6: Racial Justice Has No Borders, Militarization in the time of Pandemic

Racial Justice Has No Borders Town Hall - April 6, 3 pm

Racial Justice Has No Borders is a new, broad anti-war coalition that seeks to recenter the conversation about U.S. wars and militarization on the needs and leadership of those most impacted.

This coalition puts a focus on diaspora, refugee, veteran, Black, Brown and Indigenous communities who bear the brunt of this country’s militarism to challenge the myth that more police, wars and weapons have made any of us more safe or secure. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative that we forge new avenues for global solidarity that can lead to real and lasting peace and security. On April 6th at 3 pm EDT, 2 pm CDT, 1 pm MDT, 12 pm PDT the eve of the Wisconsin Democratic Primary, the coalition will host a virtual Town Hall examining where the presidential candidates and their parties currently stand on US military policy, Defense spending, the ongoing 'War on Terror,’ and militarization at home. Register for this town hall today and help us build a movement.

Privatizing (In)Security

The Mercenary Challenge to Anti-militarism

Mercenaries are nothing new; people outside of national armies have been fighting and dying for pay since the days of ancient Rome. Now in the midst of another empire’s reign, “private security companies”—as they are benignly called—have been on the rise in the United States for several decades. Under the Bush administration however, they have become central to the war on and occupation of Iraq.

Shoe-Throwing Still Gets No Love In Iraq: An Interview with Dhurgham al-Zaidy

Hot off the press: Check out Ali Issa interviewing Dhrugham al-Zaidy: "There are indeed a range of political perspectives on the ground that act independently from the Iraqi government towards progressive aims, and that there are many approaches to key questions such as that of Sadr’s role. To go deeper into one perspective, what some call the “civil wing” of the protest movement, and to counter the media blackout that so intensely hides these voices, I spoke with Dhrugham al-Zaidy, brother of famed shoe-thrower Muntazar al-Zaidy, last week. He is the Baghdad coordinator of an unaffiliated group called “The Popular Movement to Save Iraq.”

Open Letter to the U.N. Security Council on the Government of Iraq’s NGO Shelter Policy

War Resisters League stands with the Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq and the undersigned nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to express concerns about the Government of Iraq’s policy prohibiting Iraqi NGOs from legally providing shelter to individuals and families fleeing conflict-related gender-based violence.

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