The only serious exit strategy for Afghanistan‏

STOP THE WAR COALITION 
NEWSLETTER  
No. 1128 30 November 2009  
Email office@stopwar.org.uk  
Tel: 020 7801 2768  
Web: http://stopwar.org.uk  
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

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IN THIS NEWSLETTER  
1) THE ONLY SERIOUS EXIT STRATEGY FOR AFGHANISTAN  
2) THE IRAQ INQUIRY CATCH PHRASE: "NOT ME, GUV'"  
3) VIVA PALESTINA CONVOY TO GAZA: 5 DECEMBER  
4) SUPPORT GROWING FOR MILITARY FAMILIES PROTEST  
5) THURSDAY 28 JANUARY: DATE FOR YOUR DIARY  
6) DON'T FORGET JOE GLENTON  
7) XMAS PARTY: FROM BLIAR TO STOP BUSH 
8) STOP THE WAR SONG OF THE WEEK

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1) THE ONLY SERIOUS EXIT STRATEGY FOR AFGHANISTAN

Inevitably the news of yet another British soldier dying in  
Afghanistan coincided with Gordon Brown's announcement that he 
is sending 500 more British troops to fight in a war which in 
the latest poll 71 per cent of the British public opposes.

We are witnessing a very dangerous escalation of the war. With 
Barack Obama likely to announce a surge of around 30,000  
troops, and other Nato allies adding a further five thousand, 
the total number of foreign troops occupying Afghanistan will 
equal that deployed by the Soviet Union in the 1979-89 Afghan 
war, which ended in its catastrophic defeat.

Gordon Brown's troop surge is a response to failure after  
eight years of war. All the various war aims have been shown  
to be false. The war has not made Britain safer from  
terrorism, but has made it more dangerous. The war is not  
being fought for democracy, but to protect one of the most  
corrupt governments in the world. The troops are not engaged  
in a humanitarian mission, but in a war of occupation opposed 
by the majority of Afghans.

Brown and Obama both claim that this dramatic increase in the 
number of troops is the  beginning of an exit strategy. It is 
nothing of the sort. It is the signal that the major powers  
are planning to continue a war -- which after Vietnam is the  
second longest in American history -- for years to come.

Just as in Vietnam the US claimed that sending more troops was 
the key to bringing peace, Obama and Brown are proposing more 
war as necessary for their "exit strategy".

There is only one serious exit strategy: that is to recognise 
that Britain and the other Nato powers have no right to be in 
Afghanistan, and -- far from escalating the numbers -- Gordon 
Brown should be withdrawing all British troops now.

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2) THE IRAQ INQUIRY CATCH PHRASE: "NOT ME, GUV'"

The evidence given to the Iraq Inquiry in its first week saw a 
series of establishment figures trying to absolve themselves  
of any blame for their part in the build up to war, implying  
all responsibility lay with Tony Blair.

It appears that Lord Goldsmith, the Attorney General who  
notoriously changed his advice about the legality of the war  
just days before the invasion, is getting his "not me, guv'"  
in early -- even before he appears at the inquiry. The details 
of a letter he wrote to Blair eight months before the 
invasion, in which he stated categorically that the war was  
illegal, were revealed over the weekend. You can read the  
details here: http://bit.ly/6Tk6w7

Apparently Gordon Brown is worried that in the run up to the  
general election all these revelations about Iraq will remind 
people of why they opposed  the war in the first place.

Stop the War is taking every opportunity to ensure that the  
issues remain in the public eye -- not least the key question 
of holding the war criminals to account.

Stop the War held a protest on the first day of the Chilcot  
inquiry, which received worldwide media coverage. (See 
http://bit.ly/5IYYCK). We will announce soon a major public  
meeting on the issue.

And we await with much anticipation the appearance of Tony  
Blair before the Iraq Inquiry -- likely to be in January or  
February -- when we will organise a large scale protest to  
ensure he is warmly welcomed.

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3) VIVA PALESTINA THIS WEEKEND

On 27 December, the anniversary of Israel's barbaric invasion 
at the turn of 2009, convoys from Britain, the United States  
and Turkey, packed with aid donated by the people of those  
countries, will converge on Gaza to break the inhuman siege  
which prevents essential resources reaching Palestinians in  
the world's most densely populated area.

The British convoy leaves London this weekend. Details of the 
departure place and time will be available shortly on the Viva 
Palestina website: http://www.vivapalestina.org/

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4) SUPPORT GROWING FOR MILITARY FAMILIES PROTEST

Support is continuing to build for the Military Families  
Against the War protest at Downing Street at 5pm on Monday 21 
December.

As well as many families who have lost loved ones in Iraq and 
Afghanistan, or have relatives serving in the Afghan war,  
there will be a number of former soldiers joining the protest, 
when the Bring the Troops Home petition will be handed in to  
Downing Street.

The military families also plan to demand to see Gordon Brown.

All the local Stop the War groups across the country have been 
asked to sponsor military families in their area to come down 
to the Downing Street protest and to send delegations in  
support.

The families are asking for the widest support possible.  
Please help publicise the event as widely as you can.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: http://bit.ly/4Z3eCR

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5) THURSDAY 28 JANUARY: DATE FOR YOUR DIARY

Gordon Brown has announced that he is organising an  
international conference on Afghanistan in London on Thursday 
28 January 2010.

As well as organising a protest at Brown's conference, Stop  
the War will in response hold its own alternative meetings and 
conference. Please note the date now. We will publicise  
further details soon.

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6) DON'T FORGET JOE GLENTON

Send messages of support to Lance Corporal Joe Glenton, in  
prison for speaking out against the Afghan war and facing  
court martial for refusing to return to Afghanistan.

* Email messages of support to: defendjoeglenton@gmail.com

* Write letters, cards to:  
Lance Corporal Joe Glenton  
Military Corrective Training Centre  
Berechurch Hall Camp  
Colchester CO2 9NU

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7) XMAS PARTY: FROM BLIAR TO STOP BUSH 
If you live in London, Stop the War's Xmas party on Friday 11 
December is not to be missed. As well as food, drinks and  
music, the party takes place surrounded by a showcase of Stop 
the War's history, drawn from our archive which is now housed 
at the Bishopsgate Institute.

The displays will include many of the posters and placards  
going back to our earliest demonstrations, including the now  
iconic designs by artist David Gentleman, leaflets, pamphlets, 
press cutting, photographs etc.

Admission is free.

STOP THE WAR'S XMAS PARTY  
FRIDAY 11 DECEMBER 7-10 PM  
BISHOPSGATE INSTITUTE 
230 BISHOPSGATE LONDON EC2M 4QH  
(Opposite Liverpool Street Station)

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8) STOP THE WAR SONG OF THE WEEK

Our song of the week is I Come And Stand At Every Door by This 
Mortal Coil. The song puts to music the English translation of 
a poem by Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet, which is a plea for peace 
from a seven-year-old girl who has perished in the atomic bomb 
attack at Hiroshima.

HEAR SONG OF THE WEEK: http://bit.ly/6gufI1