The ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism), a national anti-war organization with offices from coast to coast, successfully completed its first-ever speaking tour in the Midwest.
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For eight days in April, ANSWER activists traveled to five cities, large and small, to hold meetings and connect with local organizers. The cities on the tour were Hanover, Ind.; Sioux Falls, S.D.; Iowa City, Iowa; Chicago, Ill.; and Milwaukee, Wis.
Meetings were held at the following colleges and universities: Hanover College in southern Indiana; University of Iowa in Iowa City; Harold Washington College in Chicago; Harper College in Palatine, Ill..; and University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee.
The tour, entitled “The War, the Economy and the Elections,” featured Richard Becker, the Western Regional Coordinator of ANSWER. In total, over 300 people came out to hear Becker speak and engage in lively discussions about the struggle against the war.
In his presentations, Becker asserted that a combination of war, economic and environmental crises is preparing the way for an inevitable rise in mass struggle.
The Iraq war, the U.S.-backed Israeli war against Lebanon in 2006, the endless assaults against the Palestinian people and the growing threats against Iran have pitted the U.S. government against the people of the Middle East. But the confrontation is not simply regional. Wherever people are trying to create or maintain governments and institutions that are independent from U.S. domination another front of anti-imperialist struggle opens.
In their pursuit of greater dominance, U.S. imperialism is creating increasingly insufferable living conditions for workers and oppressed peoples around the world. Over the last 17 years, U.S. imperialism has torn Iraqi society to shreds—it has killed, wounded or displaced one-third of Iraq’s population for the sole purpose of colonizing the oil-rich country. The imperialists see Iraq as a lynchpin in their strategy to discourage independent development in the region and thwart any potential challenges to their global empire.
However, the Iraq war has not strengthened the U.S. position in the world. The resistance of the Iraqi people to occupation has created breathing room for countries such as Venezuela, Bolivia, Cuba and Iran to pursue a strategy of development outside of the U.S. controlled orbit.
Some of the looming crises Becker mentioned include the trillions of dollars spent on war instead of people’s needs; the deepening capitalist economic crisis; the reckless drive of U.S. corporations to maximize profit that is the underlying cause of the current global food and energy crises and many other growing problems; the weakening of the dollar as the United States continues to borrow billions to fund the war and bail out the banks; and the environmental crisis.
Becker said that the only way to stop the Iraq war and wage an effective fight against the root cause of the war, modern capitalism, is through the struggle of an independent mass movement and the building of organizations that can facilitate people’s struggle against the ruling class made up of the banks, oil corporations and the military-industrial complex.
The presidential candidates and other politicians, especially the Democrats, must give lip service to progressive demands and talk about change. However, they must also assure the ruling elite that they will serve the interests of the most powerful institutions in society—the banks and corporations—if they are to be elected.
“No movement has ever started in the White House or Congress,” Becker said. “In fact, they always ridicule mass movements when they arise. Only after a powerful mass movement has forced change do politicians enact reforms. They then pat themselves on the back and give themselves credit for progressive laws.
“But history has shown that it is the people themselves that make change.”
At every stop on the tour, people expressed interest in joining the organizing activities of the ANSWER Coalition.
