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Balance sheet of the anti-war movement
Posted on Sunday, August 17 @ 23:44:31 CDT by spno |
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sp writes "Quick overview of the lessons of the movement to stop the 2003 War on Iraq
A balance sheet of the anti-war movement
The massive anti-war movement had three positive effects.
1) It delayed the war from at least October 2002 to March this year.
2) It forced Bush and Blair to give up on plans to carpet bomb Iraq and fight the war in a more controlled way, thereby saving lives.
3) Most importantly, it raised the understanding and political
self-confidence of millions of people, including big layers of school students. This will have an effect in future battles in the coming months.
What then did it not stop the war?
A mass movement of rallies and demonstrations must be linked to serious, militant and extensive industrial action by workers. This is the only class that can stop production and bring the war mongerers to heel. This, unfortantely, did not happen outside Italy and Bush, Blair and Howard were able to ride the storm. We need to fight for these ideas and for leadership that will undertake these ideas. That's the role of the Socialist Party.
The rapid shift in opinion polls from 93% opposition to a war without UN approval,to support for the war now shows the volatility of the population.
This can swing back just as quickly against the Howard government, especially with the attacks on Medicare and university students.
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