Peace, Jobs and Education

March 19th marked the fourth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Across the country and on campuses nationwide, youth and students joined with thousands of other Americans to protest to demand an end to the war in Iraq and to bring our troops home.

This year’s anniversary marked a huge turning point for the U.S. peace movement. With the election November’s election victory and the historic march called by the nation’s main peace coalition, United for Peace and Justice, which drew roughly 500,000 people on January 27th, the peace movement is poised to make huge gains in ending the war.

With the history of struggle for liberation in our country, the people of Burma hope that we will support their course for national democracy.

The struggle in Iraq to build the national unity that can establish an independent democratic Iraq is riddled with uncertainty. National unity against US occupation and economic imperialism is stifled by struggle over political power and social divisions. This fragmentation has created and is also escalated by violence, sectarian, militia (such as the Mahdi Army), and terrorist (such as foreign Al-Qaeda agents and former Baathists). Sectarian violence, which is a struggle for some political power or influence, is also a reaction to the violent roles of militias, which has largely been ignored by Maliki (Iraq’s Prime Minister). While the motivations of this sectarian violence can be seen as self defense, or as a more grassroots “guerrilla” style of resistance, the reality is much less romantic.