United for Peace & Justice : Beyond War, A New Economy Is Possible: Yes We Can!

We are in historic times. The Obama campaign mobilized millions of people, and his election has brought a new sense of hope and possibility to the nation. United For Peace and Justice is building on this momentum and the rich history that made the election of an African-American possible.
With the inauguration coming the day after our nation celebrates the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday, we are reminded again of King's courage and wisdom in connecting the issues of poverty, racism and war. In honor of his legacy, United For Peace and Justice is launching our BEYOND WAR, A NEW ECONOMY IS POSSIBLE: YES WE CAN! Campaign that will kick off on January 19th and culminate its first phase on April 4th with a massive mobilization in New York City.

Visit here to see the document of the campaign voted on at the National Assembly.

• Click here to view resources on 'Retooling the Antiwar Movement'
• Click here to view resources on 'Resources for Base-Building'
• Click here to view news resources on the connection between war and the economy

April 4th is the anniversary of Martin Luther King's "Beyond Vietnam" speech in 1967 and, sadly, the anniversary of his death one year later. Our urgent call to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will be linked to our call to help solve the current economic crisis by dramatically cutting military spending and, instead, investing in our communities.

Click here to download a PDF file of Dr. King's "Beyond Vietnam" speech. You can also listen to audio from Dr. King's speech here while reading along to the text.

Our campaign is a call for a new set of national priorities rooted in the vision and values of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. -- a world without racism, poverty, or war. To honor his work -- as well as our work of the last six years -- we are committing ourselves to working across race, class, and gender lines to build a massive people's movement with the power to help make sure the Obama administration and the U.S. Congress are in alignment with the will of the people.
Building this kind of power and movement starts from the bottom-up with local organizing and building relationships and alliances that are rooted in respect and real solidarity. To nurture the peace movement's growth into a strong ally for other movements will require work. But ending war and building justice for our communities is worth it!
There are several core elements to this campaign that we hope you will take up:

• Retooling the Antiwar Movement: We are launching this campaign in the context of this unique political moment. Our country has crossed a racial divide with the election of the first Black president. It is a moment to celebrate and to move a racial and economic justice agenda to the center of our grassroots organizing to end the wars. As a movement, we must relearn some history and deepen our analysis of systemic oppression. The UFPJ website will have resources to help facilitate discussions, strengthen organizing, and provide materials on racial justice.

• Alliance Building Work: Now is the time to take a new look at what coalition and alliance-building work means. Those of us who have spent the last six years trying to end the war in Iraq need to link up with the groups who have been active in the economic and social justice movements: what other groups are active in your community, what are their issues, what are they doing, what do they need, what do they think about the war. Together we can make a much stronger demand to end the wars and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan and insist that money is spent on creating jobs, rebuilding infrastructure, building a green economy, stopping housing foreclosures, providing health care, and meeting the other needs of our communities.

• Base-building Work: expanding our memberships, our lists, and our power. Now more than ever people want to talk about the role of our government and what we might expect or not from the Obama administration. Let's engage them and listen to them. Let's use this moment to educate people on the costs of war and how the issues are connected. Let's invite people to join our groups and at least to sign up on our contact lists.

We encourage your group to take some time to think about how King's work and the framework of the Yes We Can campaign can support and be integrated into your local work.

United for Peace & Justice : Beyond War, A New Economy Is Possible: Yes We Can!

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Obama Must Get Tough With Israel to Achieve Peace

In Search of the High Ground: In July, Obama got a bird's-eye view of the Holy Land with Livni (right) and Defense Minister Ehud Barak

By Aaron David Miller NEWSWEEK
Published Jan 3, 2009
From the magazine issue dated Jan 12, 2009

Jews worry for a living; their tragic history compels them to do so. In the next few years, there will be plenty to worry about, particularly when it comes to Israel. The current operation in Gaza won't do much to ease these worries or to address Israel's longer-term security needs. The potential for a nuclear Iran, combined with the growing accuracy and lethality of Hamas and Hizbullah rockets, will create tremendous concern. Anxiety may also be provoked by something else: an Obama administration determined to repair America's image and credibility and to reach a deal in the Middle East.
Don't get me wrong. Barack Obama—as every other U.S. president before him—will protect the special relationship with Israel. But the days of America's exclusive ties to Israel may be coming to an end. Despite efforts to sound reassuring during the campaign, the new administration will have to be tough, much tougher than either Bill Clinton or George W. Bush were, if it's serious about Arab-Israeli peacemaking.
The departure point for a viable peace deal—either with Syria or the Palestinians—must not be based purely on what the political traffic in Israel will bear, but on the requirements of all sides. The new president seems tougher and more focused than his predecessors; he's unlikely to become enthralled by either of Israel's two leading candidates for prime minister—centrist Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, or Likudnik Benjamin Netanyahu. Indeed, if it's the latter, he may well find himself (like Clinton) privately frustrated with Netanyahu's tough policies. Unlike Clinton, if Israeli behavior crosses the line, he should allow those frustrations to surface publicly in the service of American national interests.

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Gaza: Peace in the Middle East

By ajgasper - Last week, the United Nations, United States, European Union, and Russian called for a cease fire between Israel and Hamas [1]. Considering what has been happening since 2005 [2], [3], [4], [6], one has to assume this is either a face saving exercise or political maneuvering. Where there is a lack of a comprehensive foreign policy, situations degenerate to a state that exists in Gaza today. Unfortunately, the situation in Gaza has deteriorated to a point of armed hostilities, and the introduction of the military. Not as an extension of Foreign Policy, but as a substitute for Foreign Policy.
To have Foreign Policy one must have some form of diplomacy. To have diplomacy infers being able to communicate effectively. If one can’t communicate (as in having a two way conversation) [5] the stage is set for knee jerk reactions [1]. The aspect of refusing to deal with Hamas is pure 100%, unadulterated, polyunsaturated, homogeneous incompetence and/or criminal negligence at best. However, without having a framework on which to base decisions, we end up on wild goose chases that degenerate into quagmires of indifference, ineptness, callousness, and lethargic decision making.

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Support Real Diplomacy with Iran, Instead of Military Threats

Now that the U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Iran does not have a nuclear weapons program, there is a real chance to avoid another costly war if the U.S. government engages in serious diplomacy with Iran. And there is a bill in Congress that would encourage direct and comprehensive talks with Iran without preconditions.

I just asked my Senators and Representative to support this effort to avoid another military confrontation. This web tool makes it easy:

http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/iran/act.html

Also, in February and March 2008, a nationwide tour is happening called, "The Folly of Attacking Iran: Time for Real Diplomacy." There will be big events in 20 cities. See if the tour is stopping near you:

http://www.FollyofAttackingIran.org