20 years after Iraq invasion, US forum opposes more war
Ramin Mazaheri
Press TV, Chicago
Last month, United States President Joe Biden raised military spending so much that a trillion-dollar annual military budget is now in sight. Activists gathered in Chicago to denounce the national war machine, which continues to spread across the globe. Ramin Mazaheri has more on this story.
Top NGOs gathered in the United States for a peace summit with the stated goal of “Fighting the War Machine, in Chicago and Beyond”.
The forum sought to empower and organize activists to stop US-backed wars in Palestine, Yemen, Ukraine and elsewhere, but they know that cultural resistance to peace appears deep.
Last month marked the 20th anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq. The war is widely considered a disaster even within the United States and yet many wonder why Washington’s foreign policy remains just as belligerent.
In 2002 polls showed that 67% of Americans disapproved of taking military action against Iraq, but then-Senator Joe Biden led the Democratic Party’s bipartisan effort to invade. As president Biden has stifled peace efforts, sent massive amounts of arms and created a new quagmire, this time in Ukraine.
However, we’re a long way from 2002 - many speakers noted the newfound inability of Washington to act unilaterally, which many around the world view as a positive.
The United States has existed for 246 years and has been at war for 228 of them. They have nearly 800 military bases stationed in over 40% of the world’s nations. Washington’s war machine is strong, but activists say the average American’s desire for peace is far stronger.
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