Category: Middle East Wars - Page 18 - Massachusetts Peace Action

Erik Edstrom speaks about cutting the military budget at a Tax Day event on May 17th in Boston.

The Patriotic Case for Cutting Our Bloated Military Budget

May 21, 2021 Erik Edstrom

by Erik Edstrom Remarks delivered at the People & Planet, not Profits Tax Day in Boston, MA on May 17th 2021. My name is Erik Edstrom. I am 35 years old. I am a veteran of the Afghan War. And like the rest of my […]

Peace doves fly on the grounds of the historic Hazrat-i-Ali mosque, in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan. The doves are part of a campaign launched by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in observance of the International Day of Peace. (UN Photo/Helena Mulkerns)

Biden’s Initial Steps in the Middle East Are Positive, But Not Enough

May 20, 2021 Jeff Klein

by Jeff Klein There is some good, if tentative, news regarding the Biden administration’s changes in Middle East policy that may lead to a long-term decrease in the US military footprint and may lessen the threat of new armed conflicts in the region. (Unfortunately, it […]

Arlington National Cemetery. Photo: Dudva/Wikimedia

How American Politics Got Troops Stuck—and Killed—in Afghanistan

May 7, 2021 Erik Edstrom

by Erik Edstrom Originally published in Politico Magazine As a combat officer, I watched people die in a dysfunctional war. Then I returned to a country unable to end it. Maybe it was the ketamine talking. Or maybe A.J. Nelson, an 18-year-old private, possessed a […]

Yemen Emergency Rally, Cambridge, MA, April 17, 2021

Yemen: Recognizing responsibility

April 21, 2021 Deborah Belle

by Deborah Belle Saturday’s rally in Brattle Square Plaza, Cambridge, MA, to end the U.S.-Saudi blockade of Yemen, began just as the morning’s rain ended and pedestrians returned to Harvard Square. Activists held signs and gave out leaflets urging an end to U.S. support for […]

We Applaud Announcement of Afghanistan Withdrawal, but Remain Vigilant

April 14, 2021 Cole Harrison

For nearly two decades, Massachusetts Peace Action has called for the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. We continue to call for a complete withdrawal of US forces, special forces, and military contractors from Afghanistan and an end to bombing and drone strikes. However, we have been […]

No War with Iran rally, Watertown, MA, 2021

The US Return to the Iran Nuclear Deal: Credibility and Mistrust

April 13, 2021 Tom Huf

by Tom Huf Last week, it was announced that the United States and Iran would commence talks in Vienna on April 6th on the return of the US to the Iran Nuclear Deal (JCPOA). This is a fulfillment of commitments made by then-candidate Joe Biden […]

Tigrayans and supporters rallied in downtown Boston April 7 calling for peace, an end to starvation and rape as tactics of war, and calling for US actions to stop the war. Paul Shannon photo

Tigray Urgently Needs Peace

April 12, 2021 Sunny Robinson

by Sunny Robinson Concerned people in the U.S. should be gravely concerned about the humanitarian disaster and the wide spread hunger and starvation in Tigray Province, Ethiopia. In the strongest possible terms and with the greatest sense of urgency, the U.S. should use its voice […]