The war in Iraq may be over militarily, but the anti-war
movement here at home is far from finished.
Those who participated in a faculty-led teach-in at UCLA on
Friday afternoon argued the war in Iraq is only beginning. They
discussed U.S. policy on foreign and domestic fronts, and sought to
give students a view they feel is not represented in mainstream
society.
“The issue has never been the military outcome of the
war,” said Gabriel Piterberg, a history professor and one of
the event speakers.
“(The issues are) what will happen in Iraq, how much more
damage the Americans will do there … whether they will invade
Syria or anyone else in the Middle East,” he said.
The teach-in was also the inaugural event for the Student
Anti-War Committee, a new student group formed at the end of winter
quarter as a forum for anti-war students.
“Ultimately, we’re going to be presenting another
view than what you normally get on your TV screen,” said Ben
Yuminsky, a second-year history student and member of the Student
Anti-War Committee.
The event, attended by a largely anti-war crowd of about 130
students and members of the L.A. community, featured four speakers,
musical performances and several open discussion sessions.
Piterberg, who lectured on the history of Iraq, warned the Iraqi
people could be severely alienated by the war.
“One shouldn’t be surprised if the potential
progressive elements in these societies are suspicious of the U.S.
foreign policy,” he said.
Piterberg also said the Iraqi people might actually have
preferred a dictatorial regime to a democratic government, but he
later scaled his statement back and said the Iraqi people enjoyed
stability and predictability.
“They actually prefer the authoritative regimes that are
easier to strike a deal with,” he said.
Sonali Kolhatkar, a self-described media activist from public
radio station KPFK, discussed what she felt was bias in the
corporate media and war coverage she labeled as “gory”
and “obsessive.”
“Public relations are a very important psychological tool
in this war. It’s not just the bombs,” she said.
Discussion was not limited to the war in Iraq. Paul Von Blum, a
communications studies professor at UCLA and an anti-war activist
since the Vietnam War, spoke on the USA PATRIOT Act, a policy he
feels is reminiscent of the regime of “the old Soviet
Union.”
“I see the PATRIOT Act as a major intrusion on our
tradition of civil liberties. We need to mobilize politically to
prevent an Orwellian nightmare,” he said.
Though the audience was very receptive to the speakers and their
messages, some seemed disappointed at the turnout and were
uncertain as to what direction the anti-war movement should take
now.
Nitaña Sanchez, a third-year world arts and cultures
student, said some people in the anti-war movement feel
“discouraged” that their protests did not prevent
President Bush from going to war.
“I think people just don’t know what to do
anymore,” she said.
David Levy, a history graduate student, said he was disappointed
by the lack of on-campus debate in general and that he would like
to see more people discussing the issue.
“I genuinely think all opinions on this issue are relevant
and these things should be discussed,” he said. “I just
can’t tolerate indifference.”