A New Year's Message from IAC Founder Ramsey Clark

International Action Center - iacenter.org

A New Year's Message from IAC Founder Ramsey Clark

IAC end-of-year report

December 2010

Dear Friends,

I’m troubled but hopeful as I write you now. During the past year, there has been a dangerous upsurge, largely manufactured by the media, in anti-Islamic bigotry. Simultaneously – supposedly, in the name of “peace” – there has been a surge of U.S. attacks against civilians, largely by drones, in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. The so-called “end of combat operations” in Iraq has become a cruel joke.

As I write these lines, the U.S. government is threatening to renew the Korean War, using continuous provocations while denouncing provocations from the other side – the same old story. Now it is part of a new cold war against the Peoples Republic of China, a far more powerful force than the Soviet Union, against whom the U.S. waged disastrous wars in surrogate conflict in Asia, Africa, Europe, South and Central America for more than four decades in the second half of the 20th century.

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It is sad to start a New Year’s letter on such a somber note. However, I’m encouraged that we still have a strong, vibrant International Action Center, which demonstrated again this year how essential it is. In the face of an ugly message of hate focused on September 11 – calls to “burn the Koran,” and to stop the building of an Islamic center near the World Trade Center – the IAC organized a rally for solidarity and a respect for the rights of others, not war, racism and anti-Muslim bigotry.


This powerful rally far outnumbered the opponents, with a dignity and steadfastness that literally made history! It brought together a genuine cross section of our society -- young and elderly, people of all faiths or religious backgrounds, working and professional people, immigrants, labor unionists, community and human rights activists.

This was just a beginning. Orchestrated anti-Muslim campaigns and attacks on mosques are now a national rightwing scourge, while raids against immigrant workers have intensified.

We need the IAC’s type of bold organizing now more than ever. Endless new terror threats are hyped in a media blitz, allegedly coming from Iran, Somalia, Yemen, Pakistan or Palestine. Progressive governments in Latin America are demonized. Standing up to a media frenzy of fear and bigotry, refusing to join in the chorus of political attacks on any oppressed country has been the firm commitment of the IAC’s for 19 years. Its independent voice does not waver, compromise or concede; the organization has the right priorities, is constantly vigilant, and unrelenting in its perseverance, as it carries out effective organizing and mass mobilizing.

Now the threats of war against both Iran and Korea are intense. The attacks on domestic social programs are growing, as gains won by past generations in struggle are now being ruthlessly cut back. The global corporate assault is taking a terrible human toll.

We must build resistance and knit together many diverse movements. There are important plans for the spring: The IAC is playing a strong role in national student actions on March 2, in major, bi-coastal anti-war demonstrations on April 9, and strong solidarity actions with immigrants on May 1.

I ask you to stand strong in support of the IAC. I will. Let us make it as effective as it must be for the daunting struggles we face in 2011. Take a look at the IAC report on its past year of organizing and advancing the cause of peace and justice for all.

We invite you to join in the new year of activism with the IAC and to support its vital work—by participating in the struggles ahead and giving as much as you can, too.

Donate to the International Action Center: http://www.iacenter.org/donate/

IAC end-of-year report


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