Statement on the Occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq

Stand Against War and Imperialism!

Coinciding with the 20th anniversary weekend of the US-invasion of Iraq, antiwar forces in the United States and elsewhere are conducting a major set of actions demanding “Peace in Ukraine – Say NO to Endless U.S. Wars” and “Fund People’s Needs, Not the War Machine.” The International Peoples’ Assembly (IPA) supports these actions. The struggle for peace and in opposition to imperialism is a matter of survival for the human family and other living things.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed in the brutal, illegal U.S. invasion of Iraq that commenced on March 19, 2003. Tens of thousands of U.S. troops either died or suffered life-changing wounds. The war was based on lies. U.S. wars, including the proxy war with Russia, always require lies and deception.

The war in Ukraine is a terrible tragedy. The war needs to end and there is an obvious path to peace. But the US Administration has essentially scuttled a negotiated solution.

The Biden administration today seems determined to escalate the Ukraine war. Having recklessly and unnecessarily expanded NATO military bases right up to Russia’s border the US government is now sending ever more advanced weapons to Ukraine. Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the US administration resolutely refused to negotiate over Russia’s call for Ukraine to remain a neutral country rather than being incorporated into NATO.

Now the danger of a catastrophic global war – including nuclear war – is real. A U.S. General commanding 50,000 troops in the Pacific also issued a letter to his sub-commanders in recent days informing them that he believes that the United States will be at war with China within two years. The danger of global war is growing! The danger of nuclear war is real! The people must act!

This March 18-20 weekend of action is an opportunity to reach out to different sectors of the working class, and especially young people, about the pressing issues of the new era including the rising tide of militarism and the dangerous path toward global war that the Pentagon has adopted.

It will be the sons and daughters of the working class who will be sent to kill and be killed in imperialist wars. All of society is threatened by the growing war danger. We are committed to build a new global movement for peace and social justice.