resources for peace
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Instant-Mix Imperial Democracy (Buy One, Get One Free), An original talk by Arundhati Roy [Followed by a public conversation with Howard Zinn, at The Riverside Church, May 13, 2003.

Peace Tools for Teachers

Peacemakers - biographic sketches of men and women who have struggled for peace

Real News From Iraq

William Beeman - articles, website

resources for high school students

educational material compiled by Katie Chavez, useful for high school education or as background material for teachers.

Good for facts on Iraq, Iraqi history, how Saddam got into power, etc. Not a very political site; uses most sources from encyclopedias and the like. http://www.geocities.com/iraqinfo

Another good site for background info on Iraq--the World Book Encyclopedia of the internet. http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/iz.html

A great article (you've probably read it--here's the link): "Why Another War? A Backgrounder on the Iraq Crisis." http://www.merip.org/iraq_backgrounder_102202/iraq_background2_merip.pdf

Although the language in this link may be a bit advanced (it's hard to tell), it provides a good history of US/Iraq relations, sanctions, and the Gulf War. Also convenient as a reference, as it breaks down into easily accessed chapters: "The Gulf War," "Oil for Food," etc. http://iraqpeaceteam.org/pages/history.html

This is an old site (last updated February 2002) and very political, but it reads well and fairly easily. Also, it discusses the relationship between Iraq and 9/11. Not good for use as factual evidence, but does put the whole issue into an easily digested perpective. http://www.nonviolence.org/iraq/

PDF fact sheet "Answering Bush's big myths about Iraq." (Need Adobe Reader.) A 2-page pamphlet that addresses many important issues such as International Law, US Congress, Iraq as a military threat, and more. http://www.iacenter.org/images/iraqfactsheet.pdf

Offers a series of short introductory articles about various aspects of the economic sanctions on Iraq. http://www.casi.org.uk/guide/index.html

Other great sites for general info, more links:
United for Peace
MERIP
International Action Center


Resources for teaching about the war from the British Columbia Teachers' Union


Suggestions for Further Reading on US Foreign Policy in the Middle East [added February 5, 2003]


John Cooley. Unholy Wars: Afghanistan, America and International Terrorism (London: Pluto Press, 1999).

Written by a well-respected journalist who has reported for decades on the Middle East, this book gives a balanced, sober account of the history of alliances that have tied US policy to some of the most unsavory characters of the region, many of whom‹such as Saddam Husayn and Usama bin Ladin‹are now US enemies. Cooley's account does not place the lion¹s share of blame upon the US, but rather shows the complex networks that have connected local elites to foreign superpowers since the Cold War.


Fred Halliday. Arabia Without Sultans (London: Saqi Books, 2002).

First published in the 1970s, this book charts the history of the rise of popular democratic movements in the Arabian Peninsula and Iran, along with efforts‹by local elites and US diplomatic and covert action strategies‹to prevent the possibility of democracy taking root there. In Halliday's account, the reason for Arabia's lack of democracy has little to do with local cultural and political values. Rather, it is rooted in an alliance of regional rulers and foreign powers which has, over the years, repeatedly blocked Arab efforts to democratize their governments and more fairly distribute the wealth produced by oil.


Chalmers Johnson. Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of US Empire (New York: Metropolitan Books, 2000).

An intensely frank and personal account of US foreign policy in East Asia, written by an esteemed scholar of Asia and a former proponent of US empire. What Johnson has to say about the recent history US military and covert policy in Japan, Korea and Vietnam has direct relevance for an informed understanding of US empire in the Middle East.


Melani McAlister. Epic Encounters: Culture, Media and U.S. Interests in the Middle East, 1945-2000 (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001).

McAlister persuasively argues that US understandings of the Middle East are as informed by a moral geography of imaginary investments as they are by knowledge of actual US political and economic interests in the region. This is the smartest study out there on the relationship between contemporary American popular culture and the Middle East‹written by a Brown PhD!


Abd Al-Rahman Munif. Cities of Salt, trans. Peter Theroux. (New York: Vintage Books, 1989).

This half--raqi, half-Saudi author has long lived in political exile. Jailed as an activist decades ago, Munif then led a respectable academic life with a PhD in petroleum economics. Much later, he began to write fiction‹becoming one of the greats of contemporary Arabic literature. Cities of Salt is the first of a quintet of novels describing the rise of oil power on the Arabian peninsula and the transformations which brought this region from the margins of the world economy into its center. As oil regimes do not allow critical histories to exist, Munif's novels have become an unofficial history for the region. His widely-read books remain banned in places like Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Note: this novel is best enjoyed when read slowly.


Avi Shlaim. The Iron Wall (New York: Norton and Company, 2000).

A history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict told by an eminent Israeli historian. Relying exclusively upon official Israeli sources, Shlaim's study takes apart many of the myths of the conflict. Shlaim¹s is a distinctly Israeli perspective, but his history‹unlike most mainstream US and Israeli accounts‹begins with the assumption that basic Palestinian claims are legitimate and deserving of serious attention. Important starting place for a critical understanding of the conflict.


Additionally, there are many informative print and on-line resources for studying US foreign policy in the Middle East. Besides the Middle East analysis that regularly appears in Z Magazine and Counterpunch , here are two resources that focus specifically on the region:

Middle East Report offers progressive analysis of Middle East politics. Contributors include activists, academics and researchers from around the Middle East, Europe and the USA. For sale at the Brown Bookstore and at Borders Books. Also http:// www.wrmea.com


ALTERNATIVE NEWS SOURCES FOR INFORMATION ON THE IRAQ CRISIS


US-Based Sources


Common Dreams News

This is a clearinghouse of progressive opinion and commentary. Articles are listed by author and cover a range of positions. The reports of Robert Fisk, by far the most knowledgeable English reporter on the Middle East, are posted here.

CounterPunch

Counterpunch, edited by Alex Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair, publishes hard-hitting leftist analysis on the Middle East by people like Saul Landau, Neve Gordon, and Vijay Prashad.

MERIP: Middle East Research & Information Project. Publishes an excellent quarterly magazine and engages in several research and study programs. (MERIP) was started in 1971 by anti-war activists who wanted to connect US military intervention in Vietnam with its policies in the Middle East. You can find old issues of the journal on-line, as well as dispatches that respond to events as they break.

http://www.znet.org

This is the site of Z-Magazine. Here, Noam Chomsky and others regularly publish analyses of the media and policy. There is also a wealth of information about the relationship between current events and a history of interventionist US foreign policy.

International News Sources

http://mondediplo.com/

This is the English edition of Le Monde Diplomatique, France's leading mainstream on international news. Not all articles available online to non-subscribers, but really the best source for the European critique of American imperialism. Check out their maps‹an immensely useful visual resource for seeing what¹s happening and where.

The Guardian

This is the site of Britain's most prominent liberal daily. Their reporters in the Middle East are consistently digging up good information. The bias presented in this news source is clear‹and provides sources for genuine debate on the role of the US in the world. See how out of touch Blair is from the mainstream liberal position in the UK!,

http://www.haaretz.com/english

One of Israel's leading newspapers and a forum for many progressive Jewish and Palestinian intellectuals. US readers may be surprised to learn that it is far more critical of Israeli military policy than any US newspaper. Though the English version censors some of the pieces that appear in Hebrew, Haaretz Enlish remains one of the best direct sources of information on the Middle East‹and useful for seeing through much of the propaganda on the region.

http://www.ahram.org.eg/weekly/

This is the site of the largest English-language weekly published in the Arab world. Edward Said, Graham Usher and others publish regularly here. Although it is the semi-official paper of the Egyptian regime, there are surprisingly clear analyses of military and economic power in the region.


Throughout January, leading up to the 27th, hundreds of groups across the country held marches, workshops, vigils, and other events indicating the public opposition to war. Many of the events are listed at: United for Peace.org. You can also list local events on the site if they're not already there. we can't make any promises about the organization or tone of the events listed at the sites, but we do feel it's important that people speak up at this critical time. Take a look - there might be an event in your area that will appeal to you... we've got less than a month to convince Bush to let the inspections work. please consider joining an event in your community.

R.I. joins march for peace : Members of Providence's Bell Street Chapel congregation are among hundreds of Rhode Islanders planning to march in today's antiwar demonstration in Washington, D.C. 01/18/2003 by Karen Lee Ziner

Providence Journal Staff Writer

Peace protest -- Rhode Islanders facing trial - accused of trespassing at the former School of the Americas, which critics claim has trained soldiers who massacred and assassinated people who opposed dictators and leaders in Latin America. 01/16/2003 BY Richard C. Dujardin, ProvidenceJournal Religion Writer

downloadable Iraq primer from MERIP

Collateral Damage: the health and environmental costs of war on Iraq

"The evidence-based report, introduced by Dr June Crown, Medact Presidentand former president of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians UK, summarises from a public health perspective the effects of the previous Gulf War, and outlines the likely impact of another war on the people of Iraq, on the combatants and on the wider world. It concludes that the threatened war could have disastrous short, medium and long-term consequences for all concerned and summarises alternatives to war."

From the executive Summary:

"Researched and written by health professionals, this evidence-based report examines the likely impact of a new war on Iraq from a public health perspective. Credible estimates of the total possible deaths on all sides during the conflict and the following three months
range from 48,000 to over 260,000. Civil war within Iraq could add another 20,000 deaths. Additional later deaths from post-war adverse health effects could reach 200,000. If nuclear weapons were used the death toll could reach 3,900,000. In all scenarios the majority of casualties will be civilians.

The aftermath of a 'conventional' war could include civil war, famine and epidemics, millions of refugees and displaced people, catastrophic effects on children's health and development, economic collapse including failure of agriculture and manufacturing, and a requirement for long-term peacekeeping. Destabilisation and possible regime change in countries neighbouring Iraq is also possible, as well as more terrorist attacks. Global economic crisis may be triggered through trade reduction and soaring oil prices, with particularly devastating consequences for developing countries."

To download full pdf version, press release, executive summary, fact sheet:
http://www.medact.org/tbx/pages/sub.cfm?id=556

"Doctors warn war in Iraq could be devastating:"
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1037177298323_58///?hub>

"Iraq invasion will trigger 'human catastrophe,' report warns:"
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_PrintFriendly&c=Article&cid=1035774253734

"Iraq war 'could kill 500,000'
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993043

"Up to Four Million Could Die If the US Unleashes War on Iraq: British Medical Organization:"
http://palestinechronicle.com/article.php?story 021113194820333

VoteNoWar


Websites

International A.N.S.W.E.R. (Act Now to Stop War & End Racism)

CODEPINK, Women's Pre-emptive Strike Force for Peace

Not in our Name


War Times Online

Alternet

Flashpoints News Program

Z Magazine's Znet

True Majority

http://www.campusgreens.org/get_involved/campaign/iraq/index.html - great premade pamphlets and educational pieces

Middle East Children¹s Alliance


Muslim Public Affairs Council

The Education for Peace in Iraq Center

Bad Subjects (Political Education for Everyday Life)

Bear Left


Consortium News

Focus on the Global South (Bangkok)

Global Policy Network

Independent Media Center (IndyMedia)

The Lysisttrata Project: Theater Artists Against the War The First-Ever World-Wide Theatre Event For Peace

MoveOn

Moving Ideas

National Security Archive

On Line Journal

Orion Society On Line

Pacific News

Progressive Portal easy online activism

Punk Planet

Rabble news for the rest of us

Resist


Salon Magazine

Smoking Gun

Speakers Bureaus


Speak Out of Emeryville, CA (originally of Z mag)

oil

Everyday Uses of Oil

common things made using oil

Earth on Empty

Films and contacts

Alternative Film Distributors
Bullfrog Films
Cinema Guild
EnviroVideo
Facet Film and Television offerings in U NESCO film catalogue Facets Multimedia
Films for the Humanities & Sciences
Filmakers Library
First Run/Icarus Films
Home Film Festival
Latin American Video Archives
New Yorker Films
V Tape
Videoteca del Sur (Distributor of Latin American films)

Ana Galland ­ AFSC film library

Key primary documents for understanding current affairs

Third World Network
TomPaine.com
Transnational Institute
Working For Change

Alternative Press in the US


Adbusters-Journal of the Mental Environment

Against the Current

Christian Science Monitor

Covert Action Quarterly

Cultural Survival Quarterly

Dollars & Sense Magazine of economic justice

Extra! Magazine of FAIR, Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting

Harper's

The Hightower Lowdown

In These Times

Mother Jones

Multinational Monitor

The Nation (provides digital archive of complete contents of 6,500 issues since 1865!)

The National Catholic Reporter

New Internationalist

The New Yorker

The Progressive

Rachel's Environment & Health News

Red Pepper (UK)

The Village Voice

The War Times Journal

WorldWatch

Z Magazine (full text available for free on line until January, 2003; thereafter by subscription)

immigration, deportation: related issues

Coalition for the Human Rights of Immigrants

The Amer Jubran Defense Committee - formed in response to the illegal arrest and detention of Amer Jubran, a Palestinian human rights activist from Rhode Island. The Committee will remain active until Amer Jubran is released from INS custody and all proceedings against him have been dropped

page created December 9, 2002. last updated May 21, 2003.


 


Harrelson speaks out

What War Looks Like by Howard Zinn

Technical Difficulties from MoveOn.org

last update:May 21, 2004

FAS Against the War

MoveOn.org

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