Adopted as a work in progress at the June 2003 United for Peace and Justice National Strategy Conference

We, the members of United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ), stand opposed to the “pre-emptive” wars of aggression waged by the Bush administration; we reject its drive to expand U.S. control over other nations and strip us of our rights at home under the cover of fighting terrorism and spreading democracy; we say NO to its use of war and racism to concentrate power in the hands of the few, at home and abroad.

We come together to turn the tide, to overwhelm war with peace, and oppression with justice. We hold that sovereign nations have the right to determine their own future, free from the threat of “pre-emptive attacks” and “regime change,” military occupation, and outside control of their economic resources. We call for new foreign and domestic policies based on the peaceful resolution of disputes amongst states; respect for national sovereignty, international law, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; the defense and extension of basic democratic freedoms to all; social and economic justice; and the use of public spending to meet human and environmental needs.

We seek to build a broad mass movement for peace and justice composed of all who are threatened by the new war program. We envision UFPJ as a movement-building coalition that coordinates and supports the work of existing groups and builds linkages and solidarity where none exist. We will link the wars abroad with the assaults at home, and U.S. militarism to the corporate economic interests it serves. We will work to make the peace movement a strong ally to movements for social and economic justice in the U.S. and abroad.

We will pay special attention in all aspects of our work to the inclusion and leadership of constituencies bearing the brunt of the war’s impact at home, such as people of color, youth, women, and workers. We will be pro-active in addressing internal power dynamics within our movement, especially regarding issues of race, class, gender, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity, nationality, disability, cultural heritage, or ethnicity.

We will work for peace and justice through nonviolent means. We will strive to embody in our day-to-day work the values we espouse and the world we seek to build.

War and Empire: The Right-Wing Agenda and
Why It’s Urgent to Work for Peace and Justice

When the U.S. government invaded and occupied Iraq--though Iraq posed no imminent threat and had already been devastated by 12 years of punishing economic sanctions--it broke international law and defied world public opinion, killed thousands of Iraqi civilians and soldiers unnecessarily, treated U.S. soldiers as cannon fodder, and devastated Iraq’s ancient cities and modern infrastructure.

The Bush administration sold the war by claiming war was necessary to prevent terror attacks, eliminate weapons of mass destruction, and liberate Iraq through “regime change.” These were bold-faced lies and half-truths. Yet the corporate media and nearly all of the Democratic Party refused to challenge them. Now, with a colonial-style occupation underway, Washington is moving to place the reins of power in Iraq in U.S. hands, establish permanent military bases there, and shift control over Iraq’s oil reserves and companies to foreign corporations.

George W. Bush has declared the war on Iraq officially over, but the threat posed by the U.S.’ increasingly militaristic policies has only grown. It is now clear the war on Iraq was the leading edge of a relentless drive for U.S. empire. Exploiting the tragedy of September 11, 2001, the Bush administration has sought to use aggressive military action to pursue a long-term agenda: to forcibly dominate the world and impose right-wing policies at home under the cover of fighting terrorism. This
military strategy brutally reinforces the empire-building agenda of corporate
globalization, which uses “free trade” policies to concentrate power and wealth in the hands of a few by attacking labor and environmental protections, reducing governments’ control over their country’s economies, and slashing public services. This reckless pursuit of empire is endangering the lives and rights of people abroad and at home.

The U.S.’ September 2002 National Security Strategy states that the goal of U.S. foreign policy should be to maintain and expand the enormous gap between the military, economic, and political power of the U.S. and the rest of the world. It defines any nation or group of nations thinking of matching, let alone surpassing, U.S. military and economic power as a threat. It calls for the use of “pre-emptive war” to prevent the emergence of potential rivals. Emboldened by its military victory in Iraq, the Bush administration has warned Syria, Iran, Cuba, and North Korea that if they don’t comply with U.S. demands, they, too, could be subject to “pre-emptive war” and “regime change.”

In its run-up to the war on Iraq, the Bush White House dismissed any notion of accountability to international law, the UN Charter, or the will of peoples across the globe. Instead, it operated on a litany of assertions that UN resolutions meant whatever President Bush said they meant, and that, regardless, the U.S. doesn't need any UN resolutions because it had the god-given right to go to war when and where and against whomever it chooses.

U.S. military involvement is on the rise in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, reflected by increased aid to Colombia’s repressive governments, an increase in U.S. troops in the Philippines, and the expansion of a network of military bases stretching from East Africa to South Asia. U.S. political, economic, and military aid is fueling Israel's rise as an unchallengeable regional military power and sustains Israel’s illegal occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem and its denial of equal rights to Palestinians.

While undermining international treaties restricting the development of nuclear weapons, the White House publicly stated its commitment to developing a new generation of nuclear weapons intended for actual battlefield use. Fearing “pre-emptive” attacks by the United States, a number of countries appear to be undertaking or accelerating nuclear weapons programs. This situation underscores the urgent need for the worldwide elimination of all weapons of mass destruction, including the U.S.’ massive stockpile, and the use of peaceful, diplomatic means to resolve conflicts wherever possible.

By fostering injustice and unilaterally disregarding the will of people around the world, these arrogant foreign policies foment resentment against the U.S. government, reducing the security of the people of the U.S.

At home, the “war on terrorism” has been the excuse to officially sanction racial profiling, spy upon us, and expand the powers of the police and immigration agencies. The government treats all immigrants as potential terrorist threats until proven innocent, in violation of the Constitution. It has carried out blanket arrests and secretly detained thousands of Arabs, South Asians, and Muslims, deprived them of due process, and deported untold numbers. Under Operation Tarmac, the INS locked up low-wage airport service workers (largely Latino and Filipino), arresting documented and undocumented workers as well as citizens. It spread fear throughout immigrant communities by requiring thousands of Arab, African, Asian, Latino and Muslim immigrants to engage in “Special Registration.” Congress deprived all of us of critical Constitutional rights by passing the U.S.A. P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act. Now, the administration has fashioned an even more draconian P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act II.

Congress’ decision to
increase the military budget to $380 billion (up 35% under Bush), the launching of a $100-200 billion war in Iraq, and tax cuts for the wealthy, combined with the economic downturn, have caused the deepest budgetary
crises of U.S. states and cities since the 1930s Depression. Cuts in public services from public education to Medicaid and veterans benefits are people of color, young people, and seniors, yet billions are being diverted to a super-inflated war budget. Women in particular are bearing the brunt of the rollback in social programs. Military recruiters are aggressively targeting low-income students, predominantly people of color, who, because they are denied access to good schools and decent jobs, have few alternatives to poverty or incarceration other than joining the military. The war drive has served as a pretext for attacking basic rights of workers while serving as a cover and distraction for the sinking economy, corporate corruption, and layoffs.

For these reasons, we declare our unequivocal opposition to these militaristic policies and the empire-building agenda behind them. In the name of peace and justice, we call upon the Bush administration to immediately abandon the disastrous path it is forcing the world onto.