[WCUSP] Fwd: sds middle east draft for the convention

[Odile Hugonot Haber]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Alan Haber <megiddo at umich.edu>
Date: Jul 18, 2007 3:18 PM
Subject: sds middle east draft  for the convention
To: Odile Hugonot-Haber <odilehh at gmail.com>


"Position On U.S. Imperialism In The Middle East" by Pat Korte, The New
School
Contact Pat Korte

Proposal: That the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) adopt the
following statement (a statement which benefited from the document "SDS
Statement Against Oppression and Empire in the Middle East" by Doug
Viehmeyer and Brian Kelly) as its position on U.S. imperialism in the
Middle East:

        ▪        The Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) declares that the
military occupations of Afghanistan, Iraq, and Palestine further
undermine the prospects for liberation and democracy in the Middle East
and therefore, the world. U.S. and Western imperialism have only
brought poverty, genocide, torture, deterioration in people's mental
and physical health, and environmental destruction to the Middle East.
These occupations must be brought to an immediate end and the systems
responsible for their creation and continuation must be destroyed and
replaced with humanist institutions.
        ▪        We broadly support and stand in solidarity with
genuine efforts to
build a radical democratic Left across, and in despite of, the borders,
religions, languages and cultures of the Middle East. We see such a
democratic movement as a grassroots and collective effort to force
radical change from below. We support the self-determination of all
people. We stand in solidarity and seek to work with groups both
domestically and in the Middle East who share our vision of a
participatory democracy.
        ▪        We see the main opposition to achieving these goals as U.S.
imperialism as expressed through its economic control, direct military
intervention and occupation, and the use of its Arab and Israeli client
regimes. We condemn all acts of aggression against the Iraqi, Afghani,
Palestinian, Lebanese, Iranian and all occupied and oppressed peoples
of the Middle East; and reject the notion that use or threatened use of
chemical, nuclear, biological, or radiological weapons by any party to
the conflict can be anything other than destructive. A democratic
Middle East means a nuclear-free Middle East. We also systematically
oppose the current occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan by U.S. and
Western forces. It is appalling to see the Western media's hypocritical
characterization of what constitutes terrorism by both state and
non-state actors.
        ▪        We support the right of Middle Eastern people to engage in
resistance, whether armed or unarmed, by all legitimate means, and
condemn acts of terrorism targeting innocent civilians, especially
sectarian attacks. Moreover, we support any forces, armed or unarmed,
that are fighting for the liberation of the Middle East and to achieve
a democratic and progressive outcome and we withhold our support from
those whose tactics are systematically unacceptable and from those who
would impose a rigid dictatorship – whether secular, Islamic, or
Zionist – over Middle Eastern People.
        ▪        We oppose bigotry and racism in all its forms, and against all
nationalities, religions, cultures, and groups in the Middle East
including but not limited to: anti-Arabism, anti-Semitism,
Islamophobia, patriarchy, and heterosexism. We support all efforts
toward the liberation of women, and their full and equal participation
in building a new society. At the same time we oppose all attacks
against gender and sexual minorities by totalitarian forces. We stand
in solidarity with workers in the Middle East who come under attack for
union organizing, and support full freedom of expression, including
free speech and assembly, for all people.
        ▪        We shall seek to build international solidarity and support for
the Palestinian and Middle Eastern people who engage in nonviolent
struggle and resist U.S. and Israeli war and occupation. We condemn all
attacks against civilian populations, from Qana to Nanhariyah, as war
crimes and crimes against humanity. We clearly distinguish between
anti-Semitism, a reactionary form of racism against the Jewish people,
and Zionism, a political movement that relies on imperialism to achieve
its goals. The later has manifested itself as an apartheid regime based
upon the colonial occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, institutional
racism and segregation, and an increasingly rightward shift in Israeli
political discourse. We will take action to show our strong opposition
to both anti-Semitism and Israeli imperialism, as both are completed
counterpoised to our vision of a democratic society.
        ▪        As internationalists, we are committed to building an
international solidarity movement that is explicitly opposed to U.S.
and Western imperial ambitions, and will work to develop programs of
mass resistance and popular education to build radical democratic
alternatives to the current nightmare in the Middle East. As part of
this campaign we hope to: increase solidarity delegations to the
region; build support for war resisters both foreign and domestic; seek
out, oppose, and destroy pillars that allow this ongoing tragedy to
continue indefinitely, and build campus and community opposition to
U.S. government policies that stand in the way of lasting peace and
democracy in the region.

  It is to these ends that we issue the following demands:
1. An immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all U.S. and foreign
military forces from Afghanistan, Iraq, and all other nations or
territories where the U.S. maintains a military presence.
2. An immediate and unconditional end to all U.S. military and economic
aid to the Israeli occupation and self-determination for the
Palestinian people.
3. An immediate end to the use of economic control and political
coercion of Middle Eastern governments by the U.S.
4. Reparations for the victims of occupation and military aggression so
they can rebuild and take control of their own lives and future.
5. Full benefits, medical care (including mental health), and other
forms of support for soldiers who served in the Afghanistan and Iraq
Wars.
6. For the architects of the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars to be placed on
trial for committing war crimes against the people of the Middle East
and against humanity.

Explanation: This document seeks to outline a militant and
anti-imperialist stance on the military occupations of Iraq
Afghanistan, and Palestine and provide room for the further development
of anti-imperialist though within and outside of our organization. The
author intends for this position to lead to further study of the events
unfolding in the Middle East, to the historical legacy of U.S.
imperialism and domination, and to the formation of an anti-imperialist
praxis. It should be made clear that the majority of this document was
included in a previous statement by several SDS members, but
unfortunately did not receive widespread distribution or study.

Implementation: This proposal will enter into affect after being
discussed, debated, revised, and passed at the 2007 National Convention
at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. It is to be distributed
in print form to all chapters, may be reproduced freely by all SDS
organizers, and will be posted on the SDS National Website. It should
be circulated for debate and discussion, and serve the project of
significantly expanding SDS's understanding of U.S. imperialism.