MARCH 10, 2003

WAR
Preparing to push peace amid war

What happens when a broad-based peace movement - larger than anything since Vietnam - finds itself facing a war that it has not been able to slow or stop? The day of and day after war begins, expect widespread and well-planned civil disobedience, peace groups say. But plans and hopes extend beyond that. Peace groups say they will also shift their focus to how the war is conducted, with an emphasis on Iraqi civilian casualties as well as U.S. deaths and economic costs. They are preparing personnel and policies to support U.S. military who find themselves morally unable to carry out their duties and wish to become conscientious objectors. They also say they are planning to extend their widening and increasingly organized reach - made possible by the Internet - to affect the 2004 elections and, they hope, U.S. foreign policy.

But even as they plan for the long term, many peace organizers acknowledge concerns about divisions within the movement that could grow wider under the pressures of war. Faced with the reality of American bombs falling on Iraqi cities - especially if the Pentagon follows through on its plans to use a "shock" strategy of overwhelming force - they worry that some factions within the diverse anti-war movement may resort to aggressive civil disobedience. That could result in violent clashes, which could alienate more mainstream peace activists as well as turning wider public opinion against them.

Why it matters
Religious people and groups are core members of many anti-war organizations, yet a recent Gallup Poll found that Americans who identified themselves as very religious were more likely to support war. Observers say people of faith - whatever their beliefs - have served an important function of debating war on moral and ethical grounds and identifying the human cost of conflict.

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Here are issues to explore when reporting on the peace movement, culled from interviews with organizers, religious leaders and academic experts:

• Religious groups are generally committed to nonviolent civil disobedience, but not all peace activists may follow suit. If war begins, are civil disobedience actions symbolic and nonviolent? Or are they more aggressive and disruptive? What do other peace activists and local residents say about them? Do they serve to divide or unite public opinion?
• Using email and the Internet, U.S. anti-war organizers are trying to head off such a scenario by circulating protocols for civil disobedience, especially with groups in Europe, where civil disobedience is expected to be sharpest. Do these efforts help?
• If bombing begins, how do peace activists shift their message? Are they talking about how the war is conducted and how civilians and military personnel on either side are treated? Are they talking about the economic costs?
- Religious-based relief groups are already cranking up their operations, pressing for donations and asking local congregations for help. How will the different denominations respond? Will they send food or Bibles? What will Muslim groups do? And how will the peace groups lobby the biggest single donor - the U.S. government? One activist said that whatever Washington plans for post-war humanitarian aid, peace activists will demand that it be doubled.
• How are local places of worship balancing the need to support military families while also encouraging moral questions about war? What are clergy preaching from the pulpits?
• How are religious groups supporting military personnel? Are they sending chaplains overseas or offering information on the "crystallization of conscience" required to be a conscientious objector? Are they talking about what kinds of military action could be considered morally wrong and how enlisted personnel can object?
• Peace movements' popularity generally peaks right before war. Presidential approval ratings have historically been highest during war, making peace movements difficult to sustain. How do attitudes toward peace efforts shift as fighting begins?
• People learn and develop new skills by participating in activism, making them more likely to participate in other civic issues. Do first-time activists say they will be more likely to work on other issues? Do they plan to continue involvement in peace efforts? What do local organizers say the movement has gained?
• Observers say the peace movement is organized better and differently now because of the Internet. Its reach is global and more efficient, and it's easier for participants to see that they are not alone in their beliefs. Do people say that has encouraged their involvement? Do local organizers plan to use web sites and email for other issues and efforts? Can they give specific examples of events that could not have occurred, or would have been smaller, without the Internet?
• Are local Congress members elected by slim margins paying attention to the size of peace movements in their district?
• Many peace groups have boasted that their supporters are drawn from a broad base of Americans, including many who have never participated in activism before. Other peace groups have been criticized for representing the "radical left" of political thought and for being "anti-American." What tensions exist between groups?

National sources

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• Win Without War is a coalition of faith and secular interest groups, including the National Council of Churches, the Sierra Club, the National Organization for Women and the NAACP. Contact spokesman David Cortright, president of the Fourth Freedom Forum, an organization that promotes the use of international law and nonviolent dispute resolution. Cortright is also a professor at Notre Dame University. Contact 574-631-8536 or 574-534-3402, ext. 10, dcortright@fourthfreedom.org.
• United for Peace is a coalition of more than 120 groups. Contact Andrea Buffa, 415-255-7296, ext. 263, or cell 510-325-3653, andrea@globalexchange.org; Leslie Cagan, 212-927-8342, lesliecagan@igc.org; Bill Fletcher, 202-223-1960, ext. 113, bfletcher@transafricaforum.org.
• Peace Action calls itself the nation's largest grass-roots peace movement. Active for 40 years, it is now addressing the situation in Iraq. Contact communications director Scott Lynch at 202-862-9740 ext. 3030 or 703-725-5680.

CATHOLIC
• Maryann Cusimano Love, professor of politics at Catholic University of America, has written that that preventive use of force is ineffective. She is writing a book on the ethics of the war on terror. Contact 202-319-4783, cusimano@cua.edu.
• The U.S. Roman Catholic bishops wrote a letter in September to President Bush saying the United States should "pursue actively alternatives to war" because striking Iraq does not meet criteria for just war found in Catholic social teaching. They reaffirmed their reservations at their annual meeting in November. The Vatican has also been outspoken in demanding that Bush stop pursuing war with Iraq. On Ash Wednesday, March 5, the pope prayed for peace and sent his personal envoy to the White House. Read a March 5, 2003, Catholic News Service story about the meeting with Bush.

PROTESTANT CHRISTIANS
• David Wildman is executive secretary for human rights and racial justice for the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church in New York. He is also associated with United for Peace. He can talk about the contributions of religious people in the peace movement, their message and civil disobedience. Contact 212-870-3735, dwildman@gbgm-umc.org.
• The National Council of Churches sent a 13-member delegation to Iraq in December and argued that pre-emptive war is "immoral and illegal" in a statement here. The NCC has an index of resources. Contact 212-870-2252.
• Dr. Richard Land is president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission for the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's largest Protestant denomination, which supports President Bush's policy on Iraq. Contact 615-244-2495.

JEWISH
• Rabbi Michael Lerner is the editor of Tikkun magazine and the founder of the Tikkun Community, a peace and social justice movement. Contact 415-575-1200, rabbilerner@tikkun.org.
• David Harris, executive director of the American Jewish Committee, says Saddam Hussein is a "clear danger" and must be dealt with. Contact him through Kenneth Bandler, 212-751-4000, ext. 271, bandlerk@ajc.org.
• Rabbi Arthur Waskow of the Shalom Center is urging American Jews to contact leaders of Jewish organizations to speak out against war in Iraq. A letter contains the signatures of 125 prominent American Jews. Contact the center, 215-844-8494.
• American Jewish groups are divided in their positions on Iraq. The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America applauded Bush's leadership. The Union of American Hebrew Congregations, which represents Reform Judaism, gave qualified support for unilateral action. The Jewish Council for Public Affairs said Oct. 14 that it supported the use of force as a last resort.

MUSLIM
• Muslim Peace Fellowship is forming local groups in San Francisco; Columbia, S.C.; and San Antonio, Texas. Contact Rabia Harris, 845-358-4601, ext. 43.
• Arab American Institute president James Zogby wrote Jan. 13 that Bush won't invade Iraq, despite urgings from advisers. Contact 202-429-9210, jzogby@aaiusa.org.
• The Muslim Students Association is active in the anti-war coalition. Contact president Altaf Husain, 703-820-7900.

BUDDHIST
• The Buddhist Peace Fellowship is active in the anti-war movement. 510-655-6169.
• Roshi Bernie Glassman heads the Massachusetts-based Peacemaker Community, which has global chapters. 413-367-2080.

OTHER SOURCES
• Patrick G. Coy teaches in the Center for Applied Conflict Management at Kent State University. He can offer historical context on peace movements and their religious component. He is conducting a study of peace movement responses to Sept. 11, 2001, and the war on terrorism. Contact 330-672-2875 or pcoy@kent.edu.
• Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, members of families of Sept. 11, 2001, have traveled to Iraq this year and urged U.S. leaders to find alternatives to military action. Contact David Potorti, 919-466-9355.
• William J. Bennett is most recently the author of Why We Fight: Moral Clarity and the War on Terrorism. A co-director of Empower America, he is an advocate of a moral justification for action in Iraq, with or without support from other nations. Contact 202-452-8200.
• Jen White, 22-year-old graduate of Bennington College, is coordinator of the Student Peace Action Network. Contact 202-862-9740, ext. 3051, or span@peace-action.org.
• The Center for Conscience and War works to defend and extend the rights of conscientious objectors and is supported by many religious organizations. Contact attorney and executive director J.E. McNeil, 202-483-2220, j_e@nisbco.org.
• Teresa Panepinto is GI rights coordinator of the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors, a resource for youth required to register as well as those already enlisted, with offices in Oakland, Calif., and Philadelphia. Contact 888-231-2226, teresa@objector.org.
• Richard Deats is editor of Fellowship Magazine, a magazine about peacemaking published by the Fellowship of Reconciliation, an interfaith organization committed to nonviolence, peace and justice. Contact 845-358-4601.

Background

• Read a March 8, 2003, New York Times article about how morally complex incidents from recent combat raise questions about what soldiers may face in Iraq.
A March 4, 2003, CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll found that celebrities had minimal opinion on war in Iraq.
• A Feb. 27, 2003, Gallup Poll found that Americans who describe themselves as members of the Religious Right, born-again or evangelical are more likely to support war in Iraq. Americans who said religion was not very important in their lives were less likely to support war.
• Read a Crosswalk.com article about how Christian relief organizations are preparing to help people in Iraq.
• Read a March 6, 2003, New York Times story about the diverse denominations that have condemned war in Iraq.
• Read recent polls about the possibility of war and related issues.
• Sojourners magazine, a faith-based social justice magazine, offers a variety of resources on faith groups' positions against the war, including links to official statements from faith denominations and traditions.
• A Jan. 17, 2003, Christian Science Monitor article describes peace activists' efforts to involve mainstream Americans in the peace movement. This includes a list of 100 Christian ethicists in states across the country who oppose war.
• See web resources with definitions and debate about just war theory from the University of San Diego Values Institute Forum.