Peace Activists Convene at University For Three Day Conference Decrying War

Matthew Hersh

Peace activists descended on Princeton last weekend to voice their opposition to current U.S.-led military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The three-day event for the 16th Annual National Conference of the Coalition for Peace Action, concluded with the organization's "campaign for a new foreign policy."

The conference opened on Friday with remarks by Leslie Totter, chief of staff to Congressman Rush Holt.

Ms. Totter outlined the minority opinion in the House of Representatives that preemptive strikes can ultimately result in a more volatile, unstable global environment. She also cited that 121 out of 425 U.S. Representatives cast dissenting votes against appropriating $87 billion toward the war effort in Iraq.

Ms. Totter said that Mr. Holt, who attended the conference on Sunday, and those who share his philosophies in the House believe that the U.S. should not handle a disproportionate cost of the war. Ms. Totter said that more financial equity would have resulted from including more United Nations involvement.

A portion of the money spent in the Iraq campaign would have been better spent on domestic issues such as education and health care, Ms. Totter said.

"The president's approach to make the world and Americans safe could really make us less safe," she said. She added that while Mr. Holt and others in the House are satisfied that Saddam Hussein is no longer a threat in Iraq, unilateral action is a mistake and that more of a global consensus should have been sought.

Ms. Totter concluded that Mr. Holt "fundamentally opposes the Bush Administration's doctrine of preemption," and that it sets a precedent for future war efforts.

The Rev. Robert Moore, executive director of CPA, called Congressman Holt "a friend and ally of [the peace] movement" He also noted that Mr. Holt has served as a longtime member of CPA. Those who participated throughout the weekend were The Rev. George Carey, former Archbishop of Canterbury; Dr. Richard Falk, professor emeritus of international law at Princeton University; Phyllis Bennis, a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C.; Dr. Cornel West, professor of Religion at Princeton University; and U.S. Representative Barbara Lee, the only House member to vote against bombing in Afghanistan.