As International Peace Movement Gains Momentum, Bush Prepares to Launch War Against Iraq

Interview with Phyllis Bennis, fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, conducted by Between the Lines' Scott Harris

While war planners at the Pentagon draw up their strategies for an invasion of Iraq, the Bush administration continues to deploy U.S. troops to the Persian Gulf region -- 120,000 since Christmas. But political advisors at the White House must be a bit concerned about recent events that point toward diminishing support for war at home and abroad.

In the U.N. Security Council, France publicly declared it would refuse to support any U.S. resolution authorizing military action against Baghdad in the coming weeks. Security Council members China and Germany also rebuffed the Bush administration's view that an interim report from U.N. weapons inspectors on Jan. 27 was the end of the process -- but these nations contend that the report is only the beginning of a longer effort to disarm Iraq. There is widespread speculation that President Bush may use his Jan. 28 State of the Union address, the day after the U.N. report is issued, to announce his war plans.

On the weekend commemorating the life and work of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., hundreds of thousands of citizens across the U.S. gathered to protest the Bush war drive. The largest of these rallies was held in the nation's capital Jan. 18, with estimates ranging from 200,000 to half a million participants. Other demonstrations were held in San Francisco, Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong, Portland, Denver, Chicago, Boston, Tampa and dozens of other communities. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Phyllis Bennis, a research fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, who attended the Washington rally, about the growing power of the peace movement and the mood among members of the U.N. Security Council.

Contact the Institute for Policy Studies by calling (202) 234-9382 or visit their Web site at www.ips-dc.org

Related link

NYC Rally for Peace Feb. 15, 2003 by United for Peace www.unitedforpeace.org

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