The anti-war movement in the United States is facing a pivotal moment. Even though a majority of Americans believe that the invasion of Iraq was not worth the consequences, the position advocating immediate withdrawal of troops is nearly impossible to find in the mainstream media. The “support our troops” rhetoric dominates the entire spectrum of political debate despite the death of over 1,500 of those troops, the casualties of another 11,000 and the desertion of yet another 5,500. The “Support Our Troops” slogan is a cover for support of a murderous occupation that progressives have no business supporting.
To care about the well-being of American troops (and Iraqi democracy for that matter) is to support the demands of military resisters: those soldiers who refuse to take part in this war. Consider what Navy Petty Officer, 3rd Class Pablo Paredes said as he refused redeployment to Iraq: “I’d rather do a year in a prison in the military than do six months of dirty work for a war I don’t believe in.” Or Army Sergeant Kevin Benderman: “I am ashamed to be associated with this mess, and I certainly did not join the Army to kill women, children and old men.” These are statements worth supporting, not the criminal orders these and other soldiers bravely refuse to follow.
In an Orwellian feat of logical gymnastics, “Support Our Troops” means putting those troops in harm’s way. And similar incoherence leads alleged proponents of democracy to oppose Iraqi self-rule as they make apologies for the occupying army’s “excesses.” People who were originally opposed to the war find themselves supporting the occupation. Either they accept the lies peddled by the embedded reporters about the character of the Iraqi resistance or they don’t think that Iraq can get on its feet without the help of the occupation, and worse of all, they accept the assumption that the U.S. military is even capable of installing democracy.
Liberals would do well to reject such naiveté for the well-being of Iraqis as well as the American troops they purport to support. The United States is in Iraq to prevent democracy, thus the staged elections and the continued presence of over 100,000 American troops. A democratic Iraq means that Iraqis might decide to use oil revenues for social programs or economic development rather than toward the profits of Western multinational oil companies. This is not something the United States will tolerate.
One of the biggest barriers facing progressives today is the paternalism among those who refuse to acknowledge the right of Iraqis to self-determination and their right to resist foreign occupation. Myths about the resistance permeate every discussion. Yet, by the Department of Defense’s own records, only 4 percent of the insurgents’ attacks have targeted civilians. The resistance is decentralized and is made up of ordinary Iraqis who understandably resent the American looting of their oil and the development of 12 permanent American military bases across the country.
By definition, to put conditions on self-determination is to oppose self-determination. We would do well to ask ourselves how we would respond to foreign tanks rolling down State Street. As one enlisted soldier said on the radio program “Democracy Now,” “if soldiers had come into our country and had invaded us and had come into our homes, then I would have fought back, too.” Yet some local progressives have led the charge to marginalize and intimidate proponents of this democratic demand. Casey Hoff and Sly of WTDY 1670 have dedicated time on their radio programs to charge a University of Wisconsin student with treason for her support of these demands. Such charges are the tactics of McCarthyism. This is merely a cover for their paternalistic support of the occupation, their denial of Iraqis’ right to self-rule. The woman you charge with treason deserves the opportunity to defend herself. She and I are ready to debate both of you. She and I will argue for immediate withdrawal of all U.S. troops, and you argue whatever you want. Either step up to the challenge and debate or withdraw your cowardly remarks.
Chris Dols ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in civil engineering and is a member of the International Socialist Organization.
