Anti-war activism in the age of Obama

Remember when the United States was involved in seemingly unending wars in faraway lands, fighting against an increasingly resilient insurgency, with no defined exit strategy in place? Remember the protests (and there were plenty) and the crowds those protests drew (and they were large)?  Remember when this issue was the one on everyone’s tongue, whether in support or opposition?

Unfortunately, only the latter has changed. The wars go on, the death toll continues to rise, and the exit strategy remains foggy at best.

Why, then, has the issue faded from the public consciousness?

One strong possibility may be the emergence of new issues taking precedence over the anti-war agenda. In an August article on the withering of the peace movement,  Washington Examiner columnist Byron York noted that during the 2009 Netroots Nation – the annual convention held by the DailyKos –  there was almost no talk of the ongoing wars, with the issue ranking 8th in a straw poll of current priorities.

In an even more surprising straw poll at the same event, anti-war activism ranked last in a list of causes that participants currently put their greatest efforts into.

The College Democrats at the University of Michigan have had similar developments.

“We haven’t really done much this year about the war. Health care has really taken up our time so far,” said Sam Marvin, chairman of the College Democrats.

Indeed, it seems that the debates over health care and the economy have dominated the political arena since Obama’s election, to the exclusion of all other issues – including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Another answer to this puzzling question could be President Obama. The anti-war movement derived the great majority of its support from the left, and with the election of a progressive Democrat, it seems natural that criticism from his base would soften and fade away.

This was the conclusion that Cindy Sheehan came to in a recent blog entry responding toABC News anchor Charles Gibson –  a glowing Sheehan supporter during the Bush Administration who had made a dismissive comment about her ongoing efforts. “I am sure that he just wants me to go away like most of the rest of the anti-war movement has done under the Obama presidency,” Sheehan wrote.

Sheehan’s recent event, held outside Obama’s vacation spot in Martha’s Vineyard, may be telling. Unlike her famous protest outside of Bush’s Texas ranch in 2005, which drew thousands of supporters, this event included only about a dozen activists.

It’s difficult, however, to extrapolate this conclusion to all progressives. A poll conducted by CNN at the beginning of September shows more Americans (57%) are opposed to the war in Afghanistan than ever before, and this increase has not come from disgruntled Republicans, who still overwhelmingly favor the USA’s involvement in the conflict. Why, then, does the issue seem to have left the limelight?

John Oltean, Chair of the MSA’s Peace and Justice Commission, expressed his distress at the lack of organized opposition to the wars, noting that there hasn’t been a “strong, continuous group presence” andthat there is no student group specifically dedicated to the issue.

“Lots of groups are dedicated to human rights,” Oltean said, and added that he found it “bizarre” that there has not been more focus on the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite the smattering of events related to the issue, including annual protests on the anniversary of the Iraq War and a large march down Liberty Street in 2008, he believes that more should be done.

However, Oltean is skeptical about the near-future.

“I feel like a lot of people have given up,” he said, regarding the recent decline in the issue’s prevalence, adding that, “since Obama got elected, a lot of people forgot we are still at war.”
Oltean feels this is exactly the wrong time for the anti-war movement to let up. “With Obama, we can really affect policy.”
And, indeed, now is the time for the anti-war movement to gear up and pressure our leaders to make good on their promise of change – an end to Bush’s wars and an end to America’s deadly adventures abroad.