Electronic Iraq : Action & Activism

Photostory: Baghdad car wreck displayed in Amsterdam

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 14:53:00 CST

The Leidseplein, a popular square in the centre of Amsterdam (The Netherlands) formed the backdrop for the display of a bombed out vehicle from Baghdad on Sunday. The Bazaar, a discussion platform of the Greenleft and various NGOs brought the Iraqi car wreck to the Netherlands. The groups wanted the Mutunabbi Bookmarket car bomb wreck to form the centre piece to a debate on the fate of civilians in Iraq and a "way out of the violence and Dutch responsibility."

Car bomb wreckage from Mutanabbi Bookmarket to be exhibited in Amsterdam

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 10:05:00 CST

The Bazaar, a whole day of workshops, lectures, films, debates and interviews, brings the symbol of the fear and destruction to the Netherlands: the wreckage of a car bomb that has been used in the bomb attack on Mutannabbi Street bookmarket on 5 March 2007. The bookmarket was the meeting place for writers, artist en students from the different ethnic and social groups in Baghdad. With this symbolic and powerful action the Bazaar wants to demand attention for the horrible fate of the civilians in Iraq.

Latino Soldiers Who Refused Iraq Speak Out

Wed, 23 May 2007 08:57:00 CST

A U.S. Army medic who refused to load his gun in Iraq and then escaped through a base window in Germany rather than be deployed a second time returned home to Los Angeles this week after serving six months in a U.S. military prison.

This Minute and Then the Next

Fri, 11 May 2007 10:19:00 CST

'Just this minute, and then the next,' writes Laurie Hasbrook, 'whenever we feel defeated, or bored, or tired of the struggle to end tyranny and injustice, let us remember Haifa. Remember her daily struggles, her fears for her children, her desperation. Remember that, in spite of all, she sends wishes of love and peace.'

Civilian Court Sides With "Conscientious Objector"

Fri, 06 Apr 2007 06:50:00 CST

University of California Santa Cruz student Robert Zabala joined the Marine Corps thinking it would be a "place where he could find security" after the death of his grandmother in 2003. But when he began boot camp in June 2003, Zabala said he had an ethical awakening that would not allow him to kill other people. He was particularly appalled by the boot camp's attempts to desensitize the recruits to violence. Zabala sued and on Mar. 29, a federal judge in Northern California overruled the military justice system, ordering the Marine Corps to discharge Zabala as a conscientious objector within 15 days.

Key Democrat Pressured to Cut War Funding

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 13:29:00 CST

Peace activists entered their 10th day camped outside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco home Wednesday, the latest in an almost daily barrage of demonstrations, vigils and local government votes designed to convince Pelosi to refuse President George W. Bush's 100-billion-dollar war funding request. The speaker says she will support the request with conditions.

Frustration Marks Another War Anniversary

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 07:00:00 CST

The growing anti-war movement in the United States has sent another strong signal to the George W. Bush administration and the Congressional leadership that it is unwilling to accept mere cosmetic changes in the current U.S. policy on Iraq. Over the weekend, tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in major cities across the country demanding immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops and an end to the continued military occupation of Iraq. Marking the fourth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, launched on Mar. 21, 2003, protesters in New York, Washington, Los Angeles and other cities also denounced potential U.S. plans to attack Iran.

Do Something Good

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 06:57:00 CST

"The Occupation Project is developing, nationally, into a sustained campaign. We welcome participation, and encourage further nonviolent efforts to resist appropriations for military action in Iraq, or against Iran, other than funds to withdraw troops from Iraq. It's wrong to fund killing and destruction in another country because people in that country oppose the Bush administration's political agenda for their country. What is more, U.S. soldiers will be killed in carrying out this agenda, and thousands of Iraqi civilians will be killed in 'collateral damage,' people who may or may not be opposed to the Bush administration's political agenda for their country."

Reprieve for Officer Who Denounced "Immoral War"

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 08:14:00 CST

The court-martial of the first commissioned U.S. military officer to refuse to serve in Iraq ended abruptly Wednesday when the military judge overseeing the proceedings declared a mistrial over a technicality. At issue, according to the judge, Lt. Col. John Head, was an agreement first Lt. Ehren Watada signed admitting that he failed to deploy to Iraq when his unit was sent there, as well as confirming that he gave several antiwar speeches for which the military had charged him with "conduct unbecoming of an officer." In his decision, Col. Head said the agreement amounted to a "confession", but in exchanges with the judge in open court Lt. Watada disagreed.

Officer Who Wouldn't Serve Goes on Trial

Tue, 06 Feb 2007 07:47:00 CST

Supporters of the first commissioned U.S. officer to refuse to serve in Iraq plan to pack the courtroom at Fort Lewis, Washington where First Lieutenant Ehren Watada faced a court martial Monday. "If more officers like Lt. Watada come forward and said they wouldn't order their troops into a war that's morally wrong that means fewer enlisted people like myself will come back injured or killed," former Marine Corp medic Chanan Suarez-Diaz told a packed house of activists Sunday evening in the basement auditorium of the First Congregational Church in nearby Tacoma.

Testimony by Anthony Arnove before the Out Now Caucus on Capitol Hill

Tue, 30 Jan 2007 08:06:00 CST

Anthony Arnove, author of Iraq: The Logic of Withdrawal, gave testimony before the Out Now Caucus on Capitol Hill on January 29, 2007.

DC Protest Against "The Surge": The eIraq Photo Gallery

Mon, 29 Jan 2007 11:08:00 CST

The massive protest in DC on Saturday brought together
Iraq vets, military families (including families of the
fallen), veteran protesters, first-time protesters,
celebrities and politicians. Electronic Iraq readers did a
wonderful job of documenting the event, and we present
their photos here.

Anti-War Groups Plan Surge on Washington

Thu, 25 Jan 2007 07:29:00 CST

Peace activists from around the United States will converge on Washington Saturday for what organizers hope will be the largest demonstration to date against the Iraq war. "We expect a turnout in the six figures," said Tom Andrews, a former Democratic congressman who now runs the group Win Without War, which is organizing the march along with True Majority, Working Assets, the RainbowPUSH Coalition, the National Organization for Women and the national umbrella group United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ). UFPJ's Leslie Cagan told IPS that the level of energy in the antiwar movement has spiked since the November election, when voters ended Republican majorities in both houses of Congress. "The voters of this country figured out that they could use the November elections as a vehicle to voice their opposition to the war," Cagan said. "What happened there was that the voters gave Congress a mandate to end the war in Iraq and bring the troops home." That success at the polls gave antiwar citizens more optimism that a large demonstration might make an impact, she said.

U.S. Soldier Speaks Out From Baghdad

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 07:30:00 CST

More than 1,000 active duty U.S. soldiers have signed a petition to Congress - known as an Appeal for Redress - calling for the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Iraq. Among them is Sgt. Ronn Cantu of Los Angeles, California. He served in Iraq with the 1st Infantry Division from February 2004 until February 2005 and participated in the second siege of Fallujah in November 2004. He started the website soldiervoices.net to give soldiers a forum to speak about the Iraq war. Cantu was redeployed to Iraq in December 2006 and spoke on the telephone with IPS's Aaron Glantz.

Iraq: The Logic of Withdrawal

Wed, 10 Jan 2007 09:16:00 CST

Last Summer, Electronic Iraq featured an interview with Anthony Arnove, author of the book Iraq: The Logic of Withdrawal. Now available on paperback, the book remains relevant to anybody trying to understand the argument for withdrawal - an argument often presented without nuance. Arnove's argument is nuanced and direct and deserving of a wide hearing by people on all sides of the withdrawal issue.

More Subpoenas Come Down in Watada Case

Tue, 09 Jan 2007 07:10:00 CST

In a case that could have repercussions for free speech and press freedom in the United States, the U.S. military has subpoenaed two peace activists and a journalist in its case against Lt. Ehren Watada, the first commissioned officer to be court-martialed for refusing to serve in Iraq. "I'm alarmed," said Olympia-based activist Phan Nguyen, who moderated a Jun. 7th press conference that marked Lt. Watada's first public opposition to the Iraq war. "When I was first contacted by the lead prosecutor I was questioned as to conversations I had had with Lt. Watada and how this press conference had come about," he said.

Reporter Summoned to Testify Against War Resister

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 09:29:00 CST

The U.S. military subpoenaed an independent journalist Thursday, demanding she testify as a witness for the prosecution of First Lt. Ehren Watada, the first commissioned officer to be court-marshaled for refusing to serve in Iraq.

Pax Christi International calls for comprehensive Middle East peace process

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 10:05:00 CST

Pax Christi International calls for immediate international efforts towards a new, just and comprehensive peace process in the Middle East. The situation in the Middle East today is fragile. Conflicts and the threat of more violence and war are dominating the region and beyond. The challenges and unresolved issues are enormous. Civilians, especially the poorest and weakest, lack the protection which they are entitled to under International Humanitarian Law.

Spying Won't Deter Us, Peace Groups Say

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 07:31:00 CST

A coalition of U.S. peace groups are pressing ahead with plans for what they hope will be a massive march on Washington Jan. 27, even though newly released documents show the antiwar community is under Pentagon surveillance.

Malachi Ritscher, 1954-2006

Thu, 16 Nov 2006 07:20:00 CST

In this thoughtful and troubling rememberence, Nitsuh Abebe reflects on the immolation suicide of Malachi Ritscher, a Chicago peace activist and entrenched member of Chicago's avant-garde jazz community. On November 3, Ritscher doused himself with gasoline on a highway overpass and lit himself on fire. He had with him a sign that read "Thou Shalt Not Kill." The question everyone's asking, Abebe writes, is: "Was Malachi Ritscher a political martyr or a mentally troubled suicide?" That question, the writer determines, is a distraction.