Military Resistance 10D4: for the Cause

8/2/2019 Military Resistance 10D4: for the Cause

1/28

Military Resistance: [email protected] 4.11.12 Print it out: color best. Pass it on.

Military Resistance 10D4

May 20, IVAW Chicago WithAfghanistan And Iraq Veterans,From Around The Country Will

Converge In Chicago On May 20thTo March To The NATO SummitAnd Ceremoniously Return Our

Medals To NATO Generals
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


2/28

We Will Demand That NATOImmediately End The Occupation Of

AfghanistanWe Stand In International SolidarityWith The People Of Afghanistan And All

The People Of The World Who AreDemanding Their Right To Self-

Determination, Their Human Rights, And

Economic Justice

www.ivaw.org

04/06/12 by Aaron Hughes, http://www.ivaw.org/

IVAW has been granted a permit for our March for Justice and Reconciliation.

When: Sunday May 20 Rally and March 9AMWhere: Rally Grant Park South of the Lincoln Monument at (E. Balbo Ave. and S.

Columbus Dr.)

More details will be posted on ivaw.org

May 20, IVAW Chicago with Afghanistan and Iraq veterans, from around the country willconverge in Chicago on May 20th to march to the NATO summit and ceremoniouslyreturn our medals to NATO generals. We were awarded these medals for serving in theGlobal War on Terror, a war based on lies and failed polices.

This endless war has killed hundreds of thousands, stripped the humanity of all involved,and drained our communities of trillions of dollars, diverting funds from schools, clinics,libraries, and other public goods.

Iraq Veterans Against the War calls on fellow service members, veterans, Chicagoans,and everyone who believes in justice, dignity, and respect for all peoples to join us in thestreets on May 20th.
http://www.ivaw.org/http://www.ivaw.org/http://www.ivaw.org/


3/28

On this day, we will hold a nonviolent march to the site of the NATO summit where wewill ceremoniously return our military service medals.

We will demand that NATO immediately end the occupation of Afghanistan and relatingeconomic and social injustices, bring U.S. war dollars home to fund our communities,

and acknowledge the rights and humanity of all who are affected by these wars. Wewish to begin a process of justice and reconciliation with the people of Afghanistan andother affected nations, fellow service members, veterans, and the American people.

The city of Chicago will host the NATO summit from May 20th-21st. NATO, the NorthAtlantic Treaty Organization, is an organization of western military superpowers whosecombined military might is the world's largest and most powerful military force.

The NATO mission in Afghanistan has dragged on for over a decade, to the detriment ofthe people of Afghanistan, military service members and their families, and ourcommunities.

NATO should be advised that the world's military superpowers, responsible for unjustwars, occupations, and militarism, are not welcome in our hometown.

We are emboldened by the knowledge that Chicagoans' call for popular mobilizationswas enough to move the G8 out of our city. We must now harness this same peoplepower to send the message loud and clear to NATO that they too will be met withresistance.

Furthermore, even though the G8 and NATO will now be held apart from each other, weknow that these two summits, and the interests they represent, are linked. War,austerity, poverty, and economic exploitation by the 1% go hand in hand.

It is time for us to take a stand and make our voices heard. We stand in internationalsolidarity with the people of Afghanistan and all the people of the world who aredemanding their right to self-determination, their human rights, and economic justice.

To cosponsor the march or for more information contact;

[email protected] I 217-898-9083

Sponsors: Military Families Speak Out, Occupy Chicago, National Nurses United,Network for a NATO Free Future, United for Peace and Justice, ADAPT, US LaborAgainst the War, Vietnam Veterans Against the War, UE Western Region, WI Networkfor Peace and Justice, Peace Action, American Friends Service Committee, Michael

Moore, Move the Money, Civilian Soldier Alliance, Voices for Creative Nonviolence,Chicago Democratic Socialists of America, Chicago Jobs With Justice, Rogers ParkFood Not Bombs, UIUC GEO's Solidarity Committee


4/28

DO YOU HAVE A FRIEND OR RELATIVE IN THEMILITARY?

U.S. soldier in Beijia village Iraq, Feb. 4, 2008. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

Forward Military Resistance along, or send us the email address if youwish and well send it regularly with your best wishes. Whether inAfghanistan or at a base in the USA, this is extra important for your servicefriend, too often cut off from access to encouraging news of growing

resistance to the war, inside the armed services and at home. Send emailrequests to address up top or write to: Military Resistance, Box 126, 2576Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10025-5657.

AFGHANISTAN WAR REPORTS


5/28

Foreign Occupation ServicememberKilled Somewhere Or Other In

Afghanistan Friday:Nationality Not Announced

April 6, 2012 Reuters

A foreign servicemember died following an insurgent attack in eastern Afghanistantoday.

Foreign Occupation Servicemember

Killed Somewhere Or Other InAfghanistan Thursday:

Nationality Not Announced

April 6, 2012 Reuters

A foreign servicemember died following an improvised explosive device attack insouthern Afghanistan yesterday.

Army Specialist Jeff White Killed InAfghanistan

Apr 5, 2012 KSDK

Catawissa, MO - Family and friends are mourning the death of a soldier, who was killedwhile on patrol in Afghanistan.

Army Specialist Jeff White was just days away from coming home for leave. His friendsand family were planning a huge bonfire to celebrate his return, and outings at the Blues

and Cards games to cheer on his favorite teams. But now, those plans have been puton hold. White was killed earlier this week when his vehicle hit an IED in Afghanistan.

He graduated from Pacific high school in 2008 with a very close group of friends.

"He was the best person you could ever meet," White's friend, Katie Crawford said. "Hewould always make you laugh."


6/28

Thursday, those friends gathered to share their memories of White. They say he wasoutgoing and he was the leader of the group. He had a daring, adventurous side andhad a heart of gold. They were counting down the days until they could see him on hisleave. And they were looking forward to the end of his tour of duty in December.

"Jeff was the man," said White's friend, Chris Mendoza. "He was the strongest, craziest

person you will ever meet in your entire life. He took everything to the extreme."

"He was my local hometown hero," said friend, Devin Berdeaux. "I miss him. Nothing isever going to bring him back now."

In October, White was able to see the Cardinals win the World Series during his lastleave trip.

"I'm glad he got to see that before he left," said friend, Zach Lueders. "I'm so glad.Because for St. Louis, that was crazy."

Now, his friends are hoping the Blues will win the Stanley Cup in his honor.

Funeral arrangements for white are still pending.

Jerome Native Dies In Afghanistan

Sgt. Daniel J. Brown

March 26, 2012 By IDAHO PRESS-TRIBUNE STAFF

JEROME An Idaho soldier was killed March 24 in Afghanistan, Department ofDefense officials announced Monday.

Sgt. Daniel J. Brown, 27, of Jerome, died in the Kandahar province from woundssuffered in an improvised explosive device attack.


7/28

He loved the company of others and was a friend to everyone he knew, because healways put others before himself, Brown's family said in a prepared statement. Dan felta call to join the Army after the events of 9/11. He was a leader who took his roleseriously and led by example.

Brown, the father of 3-month-old twin daughters, was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th

Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, based in FortCarson, Colo.

Corporal Jack Leslie Stanley Dies OfWounds Sustained In Afghanistan

9 Apr 12 Ministry of Defence

Corporal Jack Leslie Stanley was a Section Commander who deployed to Afghanistan

with C (Coriano) Company, Combined Force Lashkar Gah (The Queen's Royal HussarsBattle Group) in October 2011. He operated out of Patrol Base Attal situated on Route601, the main transit route between Lashkar Gah and Gereshk, east of Lashkar Gahcity.

On 3 February 2012, his multiple was in the area of Pupalzay Kalay, east of LashkarGah city on a patrol tasked to improve the understanding of the area and the localpopulation.

Whilst moving from a compound and crossing into a field Corporal Stanley was caught inthe blast from an improvised explosive device and was seriously injured.

He was immediately evacuated by helicopter to the Camp Bastion Role 3 MedicalFacility where he received further treatment before being transferred to the QueenElizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. Tragically, on 8 April 2012, after bravely battling hisinjuries for two months, Corporal Stanley succumbed to his wounds.

POLITICIANS CANT BE COUNTED ON TO HALTTHE BLOODSHED

THE TROOPS HAVE THE POWER TO STOP THEWAR


8/28

Taliban Bombers Killed At Least 16 OnTuesday As They Stepped Up Their Fight

Against Afghan Forces

April 10, 2012 By RAHIM FAIEZ, The Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan Taliban bombers killed at least 16 on Tuesday as they steppedup their fight against Afghan forces slowly taking the lead from U.S. and internationaltroops.

The first and deadliest of Tuesday's attacks took place in Herat, a relatively peacefulprovince whose capital and many districts are already under Afghan security control.

A sport utility vehicle packed with explosives blew up outside the gate of the Guzaradistrict police office as people were waiting to go inside to see government officials about

various business matters.

The bombing came after police in the area received a tip that the black four-wheel-drivevehicle was loaded with explosives, said Raouf Ahmedi, a spokesman for the policecommander of the western region of Afghanistan.

"They were chasing the car and tried to stop it," Ahmedi said. "The vehicle then turnedtoward the district headquarters building and tried to pass the checkpoint, but policestopped them to be searched and asked where they were going."

Moments later the vehicle exploded. The boom could be heard a few miles away. Theremains of two men and a woman wearing a burqa were found inside the vehicle,

officials said.

Three security officers and nine civilians were killed, and more than 50 people, includingchildren, were wounded, said Nasar Ahmad Popul, the Guzara district chief who wasinside the headquarters at the time of the blast.

In southwest Helmand, three attackers wearing vests laden with explosives parked theircar outside the police office and walked toward the entrance, said Daud Ahmadi, aprovincial spokesman. Police fired at the attackers, killing one. Two others blewthemselves up inside the compound, Ahmadi said.

He initially reported that eight policemen died but later revised the toll, saying that four

policemen were killed and five, including the district commander, were wounded.

IF YOU DONT LIKE THE RESISTANCEEND THE OCCUPATION


9/28

SOMALIA WAR REPORTS

Renewed Fighting In Central Somalia

8 April 2012 Shabelle Media Network

El-Bur At least 10 people were killed in a renewed fighting between Ahlu SunnaWaljama'a, pro-government fighters and Al shabab militants in central Somalia,witnesses said Sunday.

The gun battle which the locals described was the fiercest took place after Al shababfighters ambushed Ahlu Sunna forces who were conducting overnight securityoperations at El-Qohle, a small village locates near the town of El-Bur, central Somaliaand a former rebel-stronghold before Ahlu Sunna backed Ethiopian forces rolled in.

News reports said the figures on the casualties were from both warring sides in the area.The situation is calm and Ahu sunna still maintain the control as residents started theirdaily business activities.

Neither Al-shabab nor Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a has made comments on the combat sofar.

Blast Kills Somali Soldiers AndOccupation Troops In Baidoa

Apr 9, 2012 By Abdi Sheikh and Feisal Omar; Reuters

At least 12 people died in a bomb attack in Somalia on Monday targeting Somali andEthiopian troops in a busy market in the southern city of Baidoa, witnesses and officialssaid.

It was the second blast in the country in barely a week. Last week, a bomber killed sixpeople, including two top sports officials, in the theatre near the presidential palace inMogadishu.

The attack on Monday was the deadliest since Ethiopian and Somali troops captured

Baidoa, about 250 km to the southwest of Mogadishu, from al Shabaab rebels inFebruary.

Al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the latest attack.

"We planted a remotely controlled bomb in Baidoa market. We targeted the Ethiopianand the Somali troops. About three of them died," Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab,spokesman for al Shabaab's military operations, told Reuters.


10/28

Musab said government soldiers had killed a number of civilians after opening firefollowing the blast but the regional governor has denied the accusation.

Witnesses said the explosion happened outside a butchery.

Ali Aden, a nurse at Baidoa hospital, told Reuters they had received 35 wounded

civilians.

Ethiopia sent troops into Somalia last year to open another front against al Shabaabafter Kenya deployed soldiers in the south.

Somali Government TroopsExchange Fire On Each Other Over

Bribes:Policemen And Civilian Killed10 April 2012 Shabelle Media Network

Mogadishu Somali government soldiers have exchanged gunfire at Taleh village inMogadishu's Hodon district on Tuesday, killing two people according to witnesses.

Reports say that the fighting came as two government soldiers disagreed illegal moneytook from transportations and lastly changed confrontation between the military andpolice forces of the transitional government troops of Somalia.

The incident caused the death of police officer during the clash and the movement of thetraffic and business in the areas was halted for a moment as the clash continued there.

Later, a civilian was killed and other wounded another clashes at Km4 junction, a busyroad leads from the airport to the presidential palace, Villa Somalia.

The latest reports in the areas say that the situation returned normal after moregovernment troops had interfered to the warring sides.

It is not the first time that government soldiers disagreed and exchange gunfire inMogadishu.

Somalia Resistance Says AMISOMInvaders Have Lost The Initiative InTheir War Against The Mujahideen


11/28

[PRESS RELEASE]

7th April 2012 Harakat Al-Shabaab Al Mujahideen

Eight months after their tactical withdrawal from the defence posts in Mogadishu, the

Mujahideen still continue to conduct operations inside the city, gradually eroding theinvaders' capability to secure Mogadishu through attrition.

Since their withdrawal from the extensive Mogadishu frontline, the Mujahideen haveembarked on a series of raids targeting AMISOM bases and vital TFG institutions.Penetrating deep into the institutions supposedly secured by AMISOM invaders, such asthe Presidential Palace, Somali National Theatre, Ministry Offices, etc, the Mujahideenhave, by the permission of Allah, repeatedly demonstrated their ability to conductoperations in any part of Mogadishu without restraints.

The improved mobility of the Mujahideen units has increased the efficiency of theoperations in Mogadishu, enabling the Mujahideen to constantly attack AMISOM,

thereby physically and psychologically tormenting the African invaders.

The Mujahideen hope to achieve their objectives whilst striving to incur minimumcasualties through the exploitation of the countless vulnerabilities within the TFGinstitutions.

AMISOM invaders have, at numerous times, attempted to capture the district of Dayniile.But despite the extensive propaganda campaign and the barrage of artillery, theinvaders still remain holed up in their burrows after the Mujahideen successfullyparalysed their ability to manoeuvre beyond their operational bases.

And eight months after allegedly 'securing' the capital city, the cloud of insecurity that

has gripped Mogadishu stands as a true testament to the ineptitude of the invaders.

Traumatised by the endless raids and their inability to safely operate in Mogadishu,AMISOM invaders have, at this critical juncture, lost both the initiative and will to persistin the war against the Mujahideen. The tightly-concentrated and highly-integratedactivities of the Mujahideen in the Mogadishu are beginning to have a decisive effect onthe immobile forces.

And with the AMISOM leadership now crippled by a severe distrust in the TFG anduncertainty in the accomplishment of the mission objectives, many of the soldiers areforced to await their painful death at the hands of the Mujahideen.

Harakat Al-Shabaab Al Mujahideen remains fully resolved in its pursuit of the Africaninvaders and their apostate allies in Mogadishu and will employ every available avenuein the fulfilment of its objectives. All Muslims in Mogadishu are once again advised tostay away from coming into contact with AMISOM invaders.

Do not facilitate them with their needs, supplying them with water or make transactionswith them as they are all legitimate targets for the Mujahideen.


12/28

They will be killed wherever they are found as Mogadishu will no longer remain a safehaven for invaders and their apostate allies.

FORWARD OBSERVATIONS

At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. Oh hadI the ability, and could reach the nations ear, I would, pour out a fiery stream ofbiting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke.

For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder.

We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.

The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom theyoppose.

Frederick Douglass, 1852

It is a two class world and the wrong class is running it.-- Larry Christensen, Soldiers Of Solidarity & United Auto Workers


13/28

The Jeff Sharlet Memorial AwardFor Veterans

A $1,000 Prize, With Publication, ForWriting In Any Genre On Any SubjectBy U.S. Military Veterans And Active

Duty PersonnelThe Prize Is In Honor Of My Uncle, Jeff

Sharlet (1942-1969), The Founder Of

Vietnam GI, The First Anti-War Paper ByAnd For Enlisted Men And Women

From: Robert SharletTo: Military Resistance NewsletterSubject: Jeff Sharlet Literary Prize competitionDate: Apr 10, 2012

Youll no doubt get another copy of this announcement since youre part of my mailinggroup, but I wanted to write you personally as a long time great friend of the memoirproject, and call this literary competition to your attention.

Creation of the annual literary prize in memory of Brother Jeff was a very special presentto me on my 75th from my kids and their spouses.

We and the University of Iowa want to get the word out to as many people aspossible to encourage submissions for this first round.

Youre probably linked to more past and present military people who are, or aspire to bewriters than anyone else in the world. Butler the judge is himself a Vietnam Veteran aswell as a prize winning author.

The announcement below with link to Iowas notice was written by my son and co-authorJeff the writer. If you could let your military readers know about this opportunity, I wouldof course be most appreciative.

Thanks and best,Bob

**********************************************************************************


14/28

Dear Friends of Vietnam GI:

If by chance youre ex-military and a writer, you may be interested in this literarycompetition in memory of Jeff Sharlet. Or, if you know a veteran or an active dutyperson who is also a writer, please pass on this announcement.

My son Jeff, the namesake, and the University of Iowa, the premier writing program, justset up this first of an annual competition for past and present military people who write,probably the first of its kind.

Robert Olen Butler, the judge, is himself a Vietnam veteran as well as a prize winningauthor. The Iowa Review which will publish the winner, hopes to attract manysubmissions.

Thanks for your help,Bob Sharlet

**********************************************************************************

About The Prize:

The Jeff Sharlet Memorial Award for Veterans is a $1,000 prize, with publication,for writing in any genre on any subject by U.S. military veterans and active dutypersonnel, hosted by The Iowa Review and judged by Robert Olen Butler, winnerof the Pulitzer Prize for his collection of short stories, A Good Scent from aStrange Mountain.

The deadline is June 15. Read more about it at the website of The Iowa Reviewhttp://iowareview.uiowa.edu/veteranswritingcontest. If you're a vet or on active duty and

a writer, please consider submitting your work. If you have friends, family, co-workers,or students who are veterans, I hope you'll let them know about this contest, which webelieve is the first of its kind.

The prize is in honor of my uncle, Jeff Sharlet (1942-1969), the founder of Vietnam GI,the first anti-war paper by and for enlisted men and women.

Each issue of Vietnam GIfeatured interviews with ordinary soldiers and othermilitary personnel.

They were angry, funny, sad and scaldingly honest like no other account of thewar at the time, and soon after the first issue the paper was inundated with letters

from other GIs who wanted to let Jeff know that reading Vietnam GI-- itself adangerous act -- was the first time they recognized themselves in the media.

The paper helped launch an underground press of hundreds of anti-war papers by andfor GIs, the information network of a movement that contributed mightily to the end of thewar. Jeff, who'd been exposed to U.S. chemical weapons in Vietnam, died in 1969 atage 27.
http://iowareview.uiowa.edu/veteranswritingcontesthttp://iowareview.uiowa.edu/veteranswritingcontest


15/28

The Iowa Review has been published at the University of Iowa in Iowa City for 42 years.Past contributors include John Ashbery, Jorge Luis Borges, William Burroughs,Raymond Carver, Louise Gluck, Seamus Heaney, James Alan McPherson, Joyce CarolOates, Ishmael Reed, Marilynne Robinson, Charles Simic, Kurt Vonnegut, Alice Walker,David Foster Wallace, and many others.

The prize is in honor of an anti-war activist, but what truly made Jeff's workuncommon was his focus on the voices of his fellow enlisted men and women.

Vietnam GIwas fiercely anti-war, but it was first and foremost about those voices.

In that spirit, the contest is open to current and past U.S. military personnel,writing on any subject.

MORE:


16/28

VIETNAM GIAugust 1969

Many good men never came back from Nam. Some came back disabled in mind. JeffSharlet came back a pretty together cat--and he came back angry. Jeff started VGI, and

for almost two years poured his life into it, in an endless succession of 18-hour daystrying to organize men to fight for their own rights.

On Monday, June 16th, at 2:45 pm, Jeff died in the Miami VA Hospital. He died of asudden heart failure, brought on by the uncontrollable growth of the cancer that hadearlier destroyed his kidney. There was no way to save him. He was only 27 years old.

Rather than wait for the draft, like so many others Jeff went RA. With dreams of seeingEurope, he applied for "translator-interpreter", and found himself at the US ArmyLanguage School at Monterey, California. But instead of French, Czech or German, hewas assigned a strange language called "Vietnamese"--. spoken in a country he couldn'teven find on the map. For eleven months in 1962 he was drilled in Vietnamese.

In 1963 he was assigned to Army Security Agency, and left for his first tour in Nam.Stationed in Saigon awhile, Jeff witnessed the ARVN coup that overthrew Saigondictator Ngo Diem. On his second tour his ASA unit was stationed near Phu Bai.Engaged in top-secret work monitoring, decoding and translating North Vietnameseradio messages, they wore AF uniforms and worked at a small air base. But every timethey went into the bars, every bargirl could reel off all the facts about their mission.

anguage well, Jeff could talk to many Vietnamese about what waseir country. He spent long hours questioning ex-Foreign Legion men,

ho'd settled in Vietnam after the French left, peasants, ARVN officers, students, and

ree (with honors) from Indiana

t

de.'t

wome to Florida, and entered the hospital. From there it was steadily downhill all the

Speaking the lhappening to thweven suspected VC agents. By the time he ETSed in July, 1964 he'd put a lot of pieces

together.

Jeff went back to school, and got his college degUniversity in 1967. During his "GI Bill years" he joined the peace movement, andbecame chairman of his local chapter of Students for a Democratic Society. Buhe had become increasingly disillusioned about the student movement, and feltthat its shallowness and snotty attitude towards other people made it ineffective.

That summer he went to New York City to work with Vietnam Veterans Against theWar, and it was there that he decided to try to organize other GIs to fight thebrass. Jeff had won a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship for graduate study at theUniversity of Chicago. He enrolled and" picked up his check. From then on all his

time and money were sunk into starting a newspaper for servicemen.

After two years of endless traveling, fund-raising and writing, Jeff's drive started to faThat restless energy that had brought him countless miles to base after base wasnthere. After his last trip to Ft. Hood in the Fall of 1968, Jeff complained that he wasreally beat, burnt out. We all agreed that he should go "on leave" and take a rest.

It was while visiting friends in Boston that the first really severe pains started. Jeff fleh


17/28

way. The removal of his left kidney, massive radiation treatments, drugs--nothingstopped the growth of his cancer. At the end he was weak and emaciated, withoutenough breath in his lungs to speak for more than a few sentences. He said that he hamany new ideas for our fight, but was just too exhausted to talk about them.

d

eff was a truly rare man. He was our friend and comrade, and those of us who cameJ

together in this fight will never forget him. VGI, the paper that so many readers called"the truth paper," will go on fighting.

The Police State That SupportsThe Fucking

From: Mike HastieTo: Military ResistanceSent: April 08, 2012Subject: The Police State that Supports the Fucking

The Police State that Supports the Fucking

The last thing I felt before I left Vietnam,was Dick Nixon's dick withdrawing from


18/28

my ass. And that, is the absolute truthbehind the Vietnam War, and every warthe U.S. has been involved in since then.And so the lies go, as America supportsthe troops behind the real withdrawal.Betrayal is a gang rape.

The American Empire takes no prisoners.

Mike HastieArmy Medic VietnamApril 8, 2012

The truth was obscure, too profoundand too pure. To live it, you have toexplode.Bob Dylan

Photo and caption from the portfolio of Mike Hastie, US Army Medic, Vietnam

1970-71. (For more of his outstanding work, contact at:([email protected]) T)

One day while I was in a bunker in Vietnam, a sniper round went over my head.The person who fired that weapon was not a terrorist, a rebel, an extremist, or aso-called insurgent. The Vietnamese individual who tried to kill me was a citizenof Vietnam, who did not want me in his country. This truth escapes millions.

Mike HastieU.S. Army MedicVietnam 1970-71December 13, 2004

Syrias Authoritarian RegimeA Danger Fornts; Navigating

ife In Syria Was Agle For Most Ordinary AndLower-Class Syrians

Was Not JustPolitical Disside

Daily LStrug


19/28

The State-Security ApparatusHad Extended Its Tentacles To All

Aspects Of Syrias Political

Denounced The Capture Of Thete By A Few Oligarchs

International Left Must

(Through Education, Solidarity, And

Protect The Agency Of The Syrians

12 MaTodauoinIn a sobe tions as the questio th

*

By Omar Dah:

Economy. The Protests

StaThe

Intervene In A Way That Sustains

Aid) The UprisingIt Must Also Attempt To Sustain And

Themselves, While Opposing Armed

Interventionranslationexercises.wordpress.com/ [Excerpts]r 2012 T

ys post responds to an urgent question that has re-emerged in the wake of theprisings of the last year: how should we understand what it means to support the effortsf a people to resist an autocratic government even as we are suspicious of foreigntervention, given its deleterious and devastating patterns of destruction?

ring and insightful column, Prof. Omar Dahi offers some important reflecn of intervention in Syria becomes immediate. Falguni A. She

*********************************************************************************************

Syria And The International Left


20/28

Omar S. Da eived his Ph.D. from re in theareaspoliticcoTh

When the uprisings be nal Left groupsrallied to theEUregiHowe agethe u S,the E

his aggressiveness manifest 1) They established andmes in those

st political parties.

itial form as

hiaduch as Syria, u

Syria, the Lef

roclaimed support for Syrian freedom and human rights by some of the worst humann the world; the fact that the largest exiled opposition group, the Syrianil (SNC) consists of pro-Western allies who race to please and appease

icial

singrevolts and uprisings sweeping across the Arab world, demanding

11.

hi is assistant professor of economics at Hampshire College. He recthe University of Notre Dame. His research and teaching interests a

of economic development and international trade, with a special focus on theal economy of the Middle East and North Africa and on South-South economic

operation. His publications include articles in the Journal of Development Economics,e Middle East Report, and the Review of Radical Political Economics.

gan in Tunisia and Egypt, Arab and Internatiothe protestors. These groups emphasized thecause of role that the US,

and their regional allies had in propping up and supporting these authoritarianmes.

ver, the US government and its allies, caught off guard, tried assertively to manprisings so as to preserve or further their own interests. By they, I refer to the UU and the Gulf countries led by Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

ed itself in three primary ways:Tsustained financial and military ties with friendly remnants of the old regi

countries and cultivated ties with new ones, in particular Islami2) They consolidated their cooperation with existing pro-US regimes, such as Moroccoand Jordan, in an attempt to head off revolutionary movements in those countries.

3) The Gulf countries moved assertively to re-spin the uprisings from their inmovements demanding civil rights, social justice, and democracy into a false picture of asectarian Sunni-Shia battle.

T s shift had the double benefit of shielding themselves from domestic demands forical reform and ensuring that a Sunni ally would come to power in those countries,r

s ndergoing mass upheaval.

t has much to be suspicious about, including the following: theInprights abusers i

ational CouncNthe West by promising to cut off ties with Iran and Hizbullah and demand westernmilitary intervention; and that the uprising has been at best poorly covered by theWestern media, or at worst, fabricated to make the Syrian government appear a lot morebrutal than it really is and to cover the brutality and crimes of its opponents.

Why should the International Left care about what happens in Syria?

Should it do anything other than oppose cynical US efforts to overthrow an offenemy?

The answer depends on how one answers a basic question: Is the Syrian upriart of thep

freedom and denouncing oppression and corruption, or is it a separate case to beevaluated on its own?

This question has been asked many times since March 15th 20


21/28

But it needs to be emphasized that the answer, whichever it is, carries ethical, analyticaand organizational implications: Ethical, because it conditions whether one supports apeoples aspirations for freedom; Analytical, because it conditions ones understan

l,

dingf the motives of the protestors; Organizational, because it conditions who the Left

t the political level, the Syrian uprisings were a militant civil rights movement

erely signing a petition that called for some moreeedoms made Syrians vulnerable to punishment of several years in prisons

s.

k place in Damascus, even before thecidents at Daraa, the main slogan chanted by the demonstrators was the Syrian

s

he state-security apparatus had extended its tentacles to all aspects of Syrias

vor, and bribe and appease the mukhabarat (the notorious secretervice apparatus) to get the simplest task done, or simply to be left alone.

e

ce - have lessened or improved in the last decade.

rule of Bashar Al-sad. That is because the revolts were an expression of anger against economic

tothe poverty line.

ost

e drought should not be thought of as merely a natural disaster.

obelieves to be its allies in this struggle.

Aagainst the Security-Party-Military nexus.

As recently as a year ago, mfrunder charges such as weakening national morale and other Orwellian phraseIn the first scattered demonstrations that tooinpeople cannot be humiliated.

Political debate was stifled and discussions in public were guarded and reserved.

Syrias authoritarian regime was not just a danger for political dissidents;navigating daily life in Syria was a struggle for most ordinary and lower-clasSyrians.

Tpolitical economy.

Everyone from the taxi driver, street vendorall the way up to businessmen hadto curry fas

However these grievances against the Syrian state have been well-documented; somaspects of the regime, including the more claustrophobic side of daily life in Syria-withubiquitous security presenMany aspects of this corruption became worse, not better, under theAdeprivations, corruption and inequality, and poverty.

Jamal Barout found that according to some measures of poverty, the percentage ofSyrians living under the poverty line rose from 11% in 2000 to 33% in 2010; That issay, about 7 million Syrians live around

The last decade has seen the increasing marginalization of Syrians, especially in therural areas.

This marginalization has exacerbated the increasing desertification of the country, mnotably the devastating drought. The International Crisis Group reported that thedispossession of the several hundred thousand farmers in the Northeast as a result ofth


22/28

The increase and intensive use by agro-businessmen (including land previously kepgrazing), as well as the illegal drilling of water wells (by whom?) (facilitated by payinglocal administration) have contr

t foroff

ibuted to the crisis of agriculture.

nder Bashar Al-Asad to check the power of influential businessmen or to perform basic

tally, this means that the protests denounced the capture of the statey a few oligarchs.

n by the level of anger against Rami Makhlouf, the cousin ofe President.

r thexture

f coercion and intimidation, instrumental use of state power (including the

ria isndermining both state and market due to extreme cronyism and patronage networks

other words, the Syrian regime is a corrupt and authoritarian power that a very largeto.

s of society, including frominority populations and those who have been traumatized by the destructive legacy of

sectarian cleansing that occurred in Syria.

frse than is being

ported.

ctual destructionaused by the invasion.

rther destroying the fabric of Syrian society.

inrough education, solidarity, and aid) the uprising.

es, while opposing armed intervention. We must choose among the

Both of these practices are a manifestation of the inability of the Syrian governmentu

regulatory functions.[1]

FundamenbThis can be best seethMakhlouf and his close associates turned Syria into their private fiefdom ovepast decade. They did so by building a large economic empire through a miojudiciary) and outright fraud.[2]

As Bassam Haddad argued in a recent article, the private sectors march in Syuwhich are unable or unwilling to change despite the fast changing pace of events in thecountry.[3]

Insector of Syrian society no longer supports and to and which it refuses to acquiesce

The regime continues to enjoy the support of many sectormUS invasion of Iraq. The invasion has killed hundreds of thousands and contributed to

the ethnic andHowever the fact that the Syrian uprising is being manipulated and highjacked byimperialism and its allies does not mean the regime is worth supporting or simplyopposing any intervention or help for Syrians. It also does not mean that the brutality othe regime is not real and in fact, the casualty rate may be in fact woreWe can challenge military intervention in Syria an intervention that is likely to havedisastrous consequences there as well as in Iraq, in terms of the ac

We can also anticipate as a certainty that the invading powers will pick winners andinstall their own allies, fuThe International Left, as well as the broader International civil society, must intervenea way that sustains (thIt must also, as much as possible, attempt to sustain and protect the agency of theSyrians themselv


23/28

least worst options, since doing nothing will ensure that that the crisis continues to bemanipulated by cynical powers.

[1] Popular Protest in North Africa and the Middle East (VI): The Syrian Peoples Slow-motionevolution. Middle East/North Africa Report N108, 6 Jul 2011.

t1. See also Bassam Haddad, Dictatorship, Military Intervention, and False

R

[2] Carsten Wieland. 2011. Asads Lost Chances. Middle East Report Online.

[3] Bassam Haddad. 2011. The Political Economy of Syria: Realities and Challenges, Middle Easolicy, 17(2): 46-6P

Binaries on Syria.

Troops Invited:Comments, arguments, articles, and letters from service menand women, and veterans, are especially welcome. Write to Box126, 2576 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10025-5657 or email

[email protected]: Name, I.D., withheld unless yourequest publication. Same address to unsubscribe.

DANGER: POLITICIANS AT WORK


24/28

CLASS WAR REPORTS

Free Syrian Army Fighters In ANeighborhood Of Damascus

April 1, 2012: Free Syrian Army fighters are seen in a neighborhood of Damascus,Syria. Government and opposition forces fought across Syria Monday. (AP Photo)


25/28

April 6, 2012 Syriantroops in a suburb of Damascus, Syria. (AP Photo)

: Free Syrian Army fighters try to spot a sniper during fighting with

Syrians wave revolutionary flags and chant slogans at a night protest against President

ashar Assad in a neighborhood of Damascus, Syria, Monday, April 2, 2012. (AP PhB

oto)


26/28

A Free Syrian Army fighter stands guard during the funeral for four people killed in a raidby government forces in a neighborhood of Damascus, Syria, April 5, 2012. (AP Photo)

Mourners carry bodies draped in the Syrian revolutionary flag during the funeral for fourpeople killed in a raid by government forces in a neighborhood of Damascus, Syria, April5, 2012. (AP Photo)


27/28

GET MILITARY RESISTANCE NEWSLETTERBY EMAIL

If you wish to receive Military Resistance immediately anddirectly, send request to [email protected]. There isno subscription charge.

Copies Of Military Resistance NewsletterFree On Request

If you have some good use in mind for a package of Military Resistance &Traveling Soldier newsletters, email [email protected] with amailing address, an indication of how many you need, and how they will be used.

The single largest failure of the anti-war movement at this pointis the lack of outreach to the troops.

Tim Goodrich, Iraq Veterans Against The War

Military Resistance Looks Even Better Printed OutMilitary Resistance/GI Special are archived at websitehttp://www.militaryproject.org .The following have chosen to post issues; there may be others:http://williambowles.info/military-resistance-archives/; [email protected];;


28/28

Msusuch copyrighted material as provided for in se aw since it is being distributed withoutcharge or profit for educational purposes to th r interest in receiving the included

no

ore information. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site foryou must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

ilitary Resistance distributes and posts to our website copyrighted material the use of which has not always beenpecifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in an effort to advancenderstanding of the invasion and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any

ction 107 of the US Copyright Lose who have expressed a prio

information for educational purposes, in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107. Military Resistance hasaffiliation whatsoever with the originator of these articles nor is Military Resistance endorsed or sponsored bythe originators. This attributed work is provided a non-profit basis to facilitate understanding, research,

education, and the advancement of human rights and social justice. Go to:www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml for murposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use',p

If prlegabe p

inted out, a copy of this newsletter is your personal property and cannotlly be confiscated from you. Possession of unauthorized material may notrohibited. DoD Directive 1325.6 Section 3.5.1.2.

Documents

Military Resistance 10D4: for the Cause