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February 24, 2016
Dear Friend of the Campaign for Peace and Democracy,
We are delighted to welcome our new CPD endorsers:
- Aaron S. Amaral, International Socialist Organization; AKNY-Greece Solidarity Movement
- Riad Azar, MPhil/PhD candidate, Department of Sociology, London School of Economics
- Saulo Colón, LeftRoots; Puerto Rican Socialist; Co- editor, New Politics
- Mike Friedman
- Sam Friedman, socialist, activist, poet; author, Teamster Rank and File; AIDS researcher
- Carol E. Gay, President, NJ State Industrial Union Council
- Trevor Harrison, Political sociologist, University of Lethbridge, Canada
- Stanley Heller, Host, "The Struggle Video News"
- Temma Kaplan, Professor of History, Rutgers University
- Despina Lalaki, NY City College of Technology, City Univ. of NY; AKNY-Greece Solidarity Movement
- Nicholas Evangelos Levis, The Graduate Center, City Univ. of NY; AKNY-Greece Solidarity Movement
- Michael Löwy, Social scientist, Ecosocialist, Paris, France
- Paul Mackney, Former General Secretary of University and College Union (in UK) 1997-2007; Co-Chair, Greece Solidarity Campaign
- Gloria Mattera, Green Party of NY
- Ian McMahan, Author
- Deborah Meier, Vice-Chair, Coalition of Essential Schools and Save Our Schools
- Saskia Sassen
- Gar Smith, Co-founder, Environmentalists Against War; author, Nuclear Roulette
- Laura Veit, Architect
- Nantina Vgontzas, NYU Sociology; Academic Workers for a Democratic Movement, AKNY-Greece Solidarity Movement
- Joe White, Univ. of Pittsburgh, retired
- Ella Wind, NYU Sociology; Academic Workers for a Democratic Union; MENA Solidarity Network-US
*Organizations listed for identification purposes only
For those of you who may not be very familiar with the Campaign for Peace and Democracy, our current statement of purpose outlining our principles and a full list of endorsers are below. For more detailed information about CPD, check out our website at www.cpdweb.org and join us on Facebook. And to ensure that you continue receiving our emails, please add us to your address book or safe list.
In peace and solidarity,
Joanne Tom
Joanne Landy and Thomas Harrison
Co-Directors, Campaign for Peace and Democracy
CAMPAIGN FOR PEACE AND DEMOCRACY
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
The Campaign for Peace and Democracy works to advance a new, progressive and non-militaristic U.S. foreign policy -- one that encourages democracy and social justice by promoting solidarity with activists and progressive movements throughout the world. We stand in opposition to existing U.S. foreign policy, which is based on domination, militarism, fear of popular struggles, enforcement of an inequitable and cruel global economy, and -- despite the democratic rhetoric -- persistent support for authoritarian regimes.
Founded in 1982, CPD opposed the Cold War by calling for "detente from below." It engaged Western peace activists in the defense of the rights of democratic dissidents in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, and enlisted East-bloc human rights activists against anti-democratic U.S. policies in countries like Nicaragua and Chile.
Today, there is a growing awareness among many Americans that U.S. foreign policy, particularly the so-called war on terror, offers only a prospect of endless militarization and actually serves to strengthen dictatorship, political fundamentalism and terrorism throughout the world. They also sense that a powerfully enhanced national security state of secrecy, surveillance, “kill lists,” and indefinite detention poses a mortal threat to democracy at home. Millions realize too that this country’s bloated military budget starves essential social programs. We propose a new foreign policy based on the following principles:
• Renunciation of both military intervention and non-military coercion as a means of extending and consolidating U.S. imperial power, as in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and Syria, the rejection of military threats against countries like Iran, and the dismantling of Washington's massive global network of military bases.
• Taking a clear stand against authoritarian governments, whether they are U.S. allies, like Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, or states like North Korea, Iran, and Russia, to which the United States is hostile.
• Opposing all forms of terrorism worldwide -- not just by anti-U.S. forces like Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and the Syrian military, but also by states with which Washington is now aligned, such as Colombia, Yemen, Bahrain, Pakistan, and Israel -- and by the U.S. itself.
• Supporting the right of self-determination for all peoples, including the Kurds, Tibetans, Uyghurs, Chechens, and Kashmiris, and the right to equal citizenship and equal rights for all racial, religious and ethnic minorities.
• Opposing the continuing illegal and unjust Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and ending U.S. military, economic and diplomatic support for that occupation.
• Supporting freedom of speech, press, religion, artistic expression, electronic communication, and association including the right to form trade unions everywhere.
• Supporting equal rights for lesbians, gays, and transgendered people around the world.
• Defending the right of women in all countries to complete political, social and economic equality and to control over their bodies and reproduction.
• Taking major unilateral steps toward the elimination of weapons of mass destruction, above all nuclear weapons, and vigorously promoting international disarmament.
• Defending the environment from governmental and corporate depredation and taking radical emergency steps to address climate change.
• Abandoning economic policies, including today's global austerity regimes, that bring mass misery to people in large parts of the world. Initiating a major foreign aid and economic development program directed at popular rather than corporate needs.
• Promoting the ability of all people to flourish with ample food, water, shelter, healthcare and education.
A U.S. government that carried out a foreign and domestic policy based on these principles would be radically different from the one we have now. Only under such a government would this country be in a position to honestly and consistently foster democracy and progressive social transformation around the world. It could do this by encouraging democratic forces aimed at empowering ordinary people, not unrepresentative elites, and by itself providing an example of genuine democracy. Some of these democratic forces exist today, others have yet to arise, but all would be strengthened if the United States were to abandon its current imperial foreign policy.
CAMPAIGN FOR PEACE AND DEMOCRACY ENDORSERS
*Organizations listed for identification purposes only
Ervand Abrahamian, City University of NY
Bashir Abu-Manneh, School of English at the University of Kent (UK)
Janet Afary, Iranian author
Michael Albert, Z Communications
Aaron S. Amaral, International Socialist Organization; AKNY-Greece Solidarity Movement
Kevin B. Anderson, Univ. of California-Santa Barbara
Stanley Aronowitz, Bd of Directors, Left Forum
Ed Asner
Riad Azar, MPhil/PhD candidate, Department of Sociology, London School of Economics
David Barsamian, Journalist
Medea Benjamin, Cofounder, CODEPINK and Global Exchange
Eileen Boris, Hull Prof. of Feminist Studies, Univ. of California, Santa Barbara
Sam Bottone, Retired, American Nurses Assn.
Laura Boylan, MD, Neurologist, NYU School of Medicine
Frank Brodhead, Concerned Families of Westchester
Richard J. Brown, MD, Physicians for a National Health Program, NY Metro
Beth Bush (1933-2014)
Leslie Cagan, Peace and Justice Organizer
Roane Carey, Managing Editor, The Nation
Donna Cartwright, Pride at Work
Noam Chomsky, M.I.T.
Joshua Cohen, Stanford Univ, Boston Review
Marjorie Cohn, Author; Professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law
Saulo Colón, LeftRoots; Puerto Rican Socialist; Co-editor, New Politics
Margaret W. Crane, Communications Consultant
M. Phyllis Cunningham, Granny Peace Brigade NY
Hamid Dabashi, Columbia University, New York
Gail Daneker, Peace and Justice activist, St. Paul, MN
Ariel Dorfman, Author
Martin Duberman, Emeritus Prof of History, Graduate School of the City Univ. of NY and Lehman College
Lisa Duggan, Prof., American Studies and Gender and Sexuality Studies, Dept. of Social and Cultural Analysis, NYU
Steve Early, Labor journalist; member, National Writers Union/UAW
Carolyn Eisenberg, Brooklyn For Peace
Daniel Ellsberg
Mark Engler, Author; Foreign Policy In Focus
Jodie Evans, Co-founder, CODEPINK
Gertrude Ezorsky, Author, Freedom in the Workplace?
Samuel Farber, Author
Thomas M. Fasy, MD, Brussels Tribunal
John Feffer, Co-Director, Foreign Policy in Focus
Adam Finger
Barry Finger, Editorial Board, New Politics
Bill Fletcher, Jr., BlackCommentator.com
David Friedman
Mike Friedman
Sam Friedman, socialist, activist, poet; author, Teamster Rank and File; AIDS researcher
Robert “Gabe” Gabrielsky
Adam Gaffney, MD, Physicians for a National Health Program
Dan Gallin, Global Labour Institute, Switzerland
Barbara Garson, Author, MacBird and Down the Up Escalator
Carol E. Gay, President, NJ State Industrial Union Council
Jack Gerson, Writer and activist
Joseph Gerson, Director, Peace & Economic Security Program, American Friends Service Committee in New England
Hadi Ghaemi
Jana Glivická
Jeff Goodwin, Prof. of Sociology, NYU
Suzanne Gordon, Author; member, National Writers Union/UAW
John D. Gorman, Tenants Attorney
Richard Greeman, Victor Serge Fdn., France
Jules Greenstein, Free for All Radio
Arun Gupta, Bd mem, Defending Dissent Fdn; investigative reporter, contributor, The Washington Post, The Nation, and The Guardian
Ernest Haberkern, Center for Socialist History
Mina Hamilton, Writer
David Hartsough, Peaceworkers, San Francisco
Nader Hashemi, University of Denver
Howie Hawkins, Green Party; Teamsters
Stanley Heller, Host, “The Struggle Video News”
Judith Hempfling
Bill Henning
Michael Hirsch, Democratic Socialists of America
Adam Hochschild, Writer
Nancy Holmstrom, Prof. Emeritus, Rutgers Univ.; Co-editor, New Politics
Ali Issa, Nat’l Field Organizer, War Resisters League
Marianne Jackson, Psychologists for Social Responsibility
Temma Kaplan, Prof. of History, Rutgers Univ.
Kathy Kelly, Co-coordinator, Voices for Creative Nonviolence
Richard Kim, Executive Editor, The Nation
Naomi Klein, Author
Dan La Botz, Teacher, writer, labor journalist; Co-editor New Politics
Despina Lalaki, NY City College of Technology, City Univ. of NY; AKNY-Greece Solidarity Movement
Nydia Leaf, Resistance Cinema
Roger Leisner, Founder/Owner of Radio Free Maine
Jesse Lemisch, Prof. Emeritus of History, John Jay College, CUNY
Sue Leonard
Rabbi Michael Lerner, Editor, TIKKUN Magazine
Nicholas Evangelos Levis, Grad. Ctr, City Univ of NY; AKNY-Greece Solidarity Movement
Nelson Lichtenstein, Director, Center for the Study of Work, Labor, and Democracy, UC Santa Barbara
Amy Littlefield, Journalist, New York, NY
Martha Livingston, Physicians for a National Health Program, NY Metro
Paul Mackney, Former General Secretary of University and College Union (in UK) 1997-2007; Co-Chair, Greece Solidarity Campaign
Betty Reid Mandell (1924-2014)
Marvin Mandell, New Politics
Nasir A. Mansoor, Deputy General Secretary, National Trade Union Federation (Pakistan)
Dave Marsh, Writer-broadcaster, Sirius Satellite Radio
Kevin Martin, Executive Director, Peace Action
Gloria Mattera, Green Party of New York
Michael McCally, MD, PhD, Physicians for Social Responsibility
Scott McLemee, Intellectual Affairs columnist, Inside Higher Ed
Ian McMahan, Author
David McReynolds, Socialist Party presidential candidate, 1980 and 2000
Deborah Meier, Vice-chair, Coalition of Essential Schools and Save Our Schools
Bitta Mostofi, Lawyer and activist
Erika Munk, Writer
Manijeh Nasrabadi, member, Havaar: Iranian Initiative against War, Sanctions and State Repression; member, Raha Iranian Feminist Collective
Mary Nolan, Brooklyn For Peace; Prof. of History, NYU
David Oakford
Mary E. O’Brien, MD, Physicians for a National Health Program, NY Metro
Derrick O’Keefe, Editor, Ricochet.Media; member, Canadian Peace Alliance
Costas Panayotakis, NY City College of Technology (CUNY)
Christopher Phelps, Univ. of Nottingham, UK
Charlotte Phillips, MD, Chairperson, Brooklyn For Peace
Charles Post, Prof, Borough of Manhattan Community Coll; AFT 2334-PSC-CUNY
Danny Postel, Center for Middle East Studies, University of Denver
Leonard Rodberg, Queens College, CUNY
Richard Roman, Socialist Project; Co-author, Continental Crucible
Ruth Rosen, Historian and Journalist
Peter Rothberg, Assoc. Publisher, The Nation
Matthew Rothschild, Executive Director, Wisconsin Democracy Project
John Sanbonmatsu, Animal liberationist
Saskia Sassen
Jennifer Scarlott, Coordinator, Bronx Climate Justice North
Jay Schaffner, Moderator, Portside
Bill Scheurer, Editor, PeaceMajority
Jason Schulman, Co-editor, New Politics
Peter O. Schwartz
Richard Seymour, author of The Liberal Defence of Murder and Unhitched
Stephen Shalom, William Paterson University
Alix Kates Shulman, Writer
Alice Slater, Nuclear Age Peace Fdn, NY
Gar Smith, Co-founder, Environmentalists Against War; author, Nuclear Roulette
Stephen Soldz, Professor, Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis
Cheryl Stevenson
Bhaskar Sunkara, Founding Editor and Publisher, Jacobin
Yifat Susskind, Exec. Dir., MADRE
David Swanson, Co-Founder, After Downing Street
Peter Tatchell, Human rights campaigner, London, UK
Chris Toensing, Executive Director, Middle East Research and Information Project (MERIP)
Bernard Tuchman
Adaner Usmani, NYU Sociology
Laura Veit, Architect
Nantina Vgontzas, NYU Sociology; Academic Workers for a Democratic Movement, AKNY-Greece Solidarity Movement
David Vine, American University
Judith Podore Ward
Lois Weiner, Prof. of Education, NJ City Univ
Steve Weissman, Journalist
Suzi Weissman, St. Mary’s College of California; Beneath the Surface KPFK radio
Cornel West, Prof. of Philosophy and Christian Practice, Union Theological Seminary
Joe White, Univ. of Pittsburgh, retired
Reginald Wilson, Former Director, Office of Minorities in Higher Education, American Council on Education
Ella Wind, NYU Sociology; Academic Workers for a Democratic Union; MENA Solidarity Network-US
Lawrence Wittner, Executive Secretary, Albany County AFL-CIO (NY)
Emira Woods, Co-Dir., Foreign Policy in Focus
Kent Worcester, Marymount Manhattan College
Julia Wrigley, Co-editor, New Politics