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10 STRATEGIES FOR THE ANTIWAR MOVEMENT TO MAXIMIZE IMPACT THIS SUMMER
 
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Nadia Ahmad
May 18, 2024
LA Progressive
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_ The antiwar movement now stands at a crossroads this summer, poised
to become a transformative force for peace in a world wracked by
violent conflict. _

Police with riot shields and protesters stand across from one another
on the grounds of the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville,
Virginia on May 4., CAL CARY/DAILY PROGRESS/AP)

 

Student activism demanding divestment from companies profiting from
the Israel’s genocide in Gaza flared across major universities in
April 2024. The movement, which began at Columbia University on April
17th saw tents erected on campuses in solidarity with Palestinians.
What unfolded since has been riveting, spectacular, and harrowing all
at once. The antiwar movement now stands at a crossroads this summer,
poised to become a transformative force for peace in a world wracked
by violent conflict. To realize this potential, we must build our
political power and wield it strategically.

Many left-leaning organizations are already putting these strategies
into practice and achieving significant victories for the antiwar
movement.

Code Pink, for example, has maximized grassroots engagement through
creative protest tactics, like unfurling massive Palestine flags at
government buildings. For instance, Code Pink protesters unfolded a
massive Palestine flag outside the Senate building in January 2024.
These public-facing actions build momentum and generate social media
content. Code Pink has also amplified the peace message by organizing
antiwar concerts with celebrities and influencers. When Code Pink
activist Medea Benjamin interrupted President Barack Obama’s major
counterterrorism speech, she garnered global media attention for her
call to close Guantanamo and end drone strikes. She has continued to
provide leadership in the current antiwar movement with daily,
nonstop actions. [[link removed]]

Win Without War has united a broad coalition around a Progressive
Foreign Policy [[link removed]] agenda. By combining
savvy inside-the-Beltway advocacy with outside grassroots pressure,
they have notched key wins since 2002. In 2013, their “Diplomacy
Works” campaign helped secure the historic Iran nuclear deal. They
built left-right opposition to arms sales fueling the Yemen war,
forcing Trump to use vetoes to push them through. Win Without War
worked with groups like Amnesty International and Avaaz to hold a
Ceasefire Now vigil outside the White House.

Win Without War also handed out Ceasefire pins for the State of the
Union address.

Peace Action has mobilized constituents in all 50 states to move the
needle on policy and has been working for over 65 years to end U.S.
complicity in foreign wars
[[link removed]].
After Peace Action NH bird-dogged 16 presidential candidate events,
they got 15 candidates on the record agreeing to redirect funds from
the military budget to urgent domestic needs. Peace Action also
organized Ceasefire Now Grassroots Advocacy Days
[[link removed]] in
coordination with over 50 grassroots organizations to lobby lawmakers
in DC with virtual and in person meetings.

Friends Committee on National Legislation has empowered faith-rooted
activists to become effective lobbyists for peace. Advocacy Teams
across the country meet repeatedly with their representatives, armed
with FCNL’s trainings on strategic persuasion. In 2019, these
constituent lobbyists helped secure the historic bipartisan vote to
end US participation in the Yemen war—the first time Congress has
invoked the War Powers Act to end an unauthorized war.

“We’re clearly being outspent, but I think the saving grace is
that our ideas are just more popular,” said Hassan El-Tayyab, the
Friends Committee’s Middle East legislative director.

About Face (formerly Iraq Veterans Against the War)
[[link removed]] has harnessed the moral authority
of antiwar veterans to expose the human costs of war. Their “Right
to Heal” campaign gathered powerful testimonies on the health
impacts of burn pits and toxic exposures on service members and
Iraqis. About Face partnered with environmental justice groups to
contest the military’s role as the world's biggest polluter.

These examples show the antiwar movement already leveraging grassroots
people-power, diverse coalitions, moral framing and savvy tactics to
notch wins against a long-entrenched war machine. But to achieve a
truly transformative shift toward a just peace, we must massively
scale up these efforts.

The antiwar movement must grow into an unstoppable political force. We
need more people educated and activated. We need greater
organizational capacity and tighter transpartisan coordination. We
need a clearer, solutions-oriented policy agenda. We need to contest
the prowar narrative on a much bigger stage. We need elected officials
at all levels feeling constant pressure from antiwar constituents.
Most of all, we need to keep asserting, without apology, the
fundamental immorality of a system that squanders precious resources
on destructive militarism instead of serving human needs.

The good news is that the tide of public opinion is turning. After
decades of disastrous interventions, Americans are increasingly ready
for a new global engagement based on diplomacy, cooperation and
restraint. By following the roadmap below with renewed dedication, the
antiwar movement can translate this shift into a new political
reality. We can build the power to finally turn America's foreign
policy away from the futility of endless war, and toward the promise
of a just, sustainable peace. Here are ten actions the movement can
take to strengthen our influence and hasten a future beyond war.

* MAXIMIZE GRASSROOTS ENGAGEMENT. The lifeblood of our movement is
passionate, informed citizen participation. We must organize at the
grassroots from campus clubs to community peace groups. Regular
educational events, protest rallies, and public forums can engage more
people in the cause. Volunteer recruitment drives and community
outreach can help grow a broad base of local antiwar activists across
the nation.
* ENCOURAGE ANTIWAR CHAMPIONS TO SEEK OFFICE. We need elected
officials at all levels who will be principled voices for peace and
diplomacy. The antiwar movement should actively encourage and support
veterans, activists, and everyday citizens who share our values to run
for office. We can offer training on campaign skills and public
communication, connect them to donors and volunteers, and help elect a
new generation of antiwar leaders.
* STRENGTHEN ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY AND COALITIONS. A more
effective antiwar movement requires robust peace organizations and
savvy coalition-building. We must invest in the long-term health of
nonprofits and grassroots groups dedicated to this work, including
their professional staff, data systems, and strategic planning. At the
same time, we must forge durable coalitions between peace groups,
faith leaders, veterans, labor, issue advocates and others, uniting
around a cohesive antiwar agenda.
* PRIORITIZE YOUTH OUTREACH. Young people have historically been at
the vanguard of social change. We must empower youth as leaders of the
antiwar movement through school clubs, mentoring, leadership
development, and opportunities for meaningful participation in
campaigns and events. By supporting young voices for peace, we ensure
the movement will endure and evolve.
* OFFER POLITICAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING. To be effective
advocates, antiwar activists need political savvy. The movement should
offer accessible education on the workings of government, skills like
lobbying and media relations, and analysis of the political landscape.
Workshops, guides and trainings can help members maximize their
impact. Developing a program to train new generations of peace
campaign managers and nonprofit leaders can build lasting
infrastructure.
* UNITE AROUND A CLEAR POLICY AGENDA . The antiwar movement needs
clear, specific demands. We must arrive at a focused policy platform,
from repealing outdated war authorizations to blocking arms sales to
cutting weapons budgets to invest in human needs. Putting forward
viable alternatives—diplomacy, economic development, international
cooperation—is also key. A proactive, solutions-oriented agenda can
guide our efforts.
* BUILD LEFT-RIGHT COALITIONS. A transformative antiwar movement
must bridge partisan divides. We need to actively cultivate
relationships with groups and leaders on both the right and left who
share skepticism of war and militarism. Finding common cause, from
fiscal conservatives to civil libertarians, can multiply our numbers
and power. An antiwar effort that rises above polarization to build
transpartisan appeal is the path to real policy change.
* HARNESS PEOPLE-POWERED MEDIA AND NARRATIVES. To shift public
opinion, we must contest the prowar narratives that still dominate
media and political discourse. Antiwar voices need to be much more
visible through both traditional media - op-eds, interviews, ads - and
nimble use of social media, memes and viral content. We must flood the
conversation with compelling stories, moral arguments and hard facts
about the futility of war. Reclaiming the narrative is essential.
* DEFEND DISSENT AND CIVIL LIBERTIES. A robust antiwar movement
depends on the ability to dissent and organize freely. In partnership
with civil liberties advocates, we must be vigilant against any
efforts to suppress antiwar speech or activity. Whether it's bogus
"material support" laws or surveillance of activists, we need to
expose and resist such threats. Defending the right to protest war is
fundamental.
* CENTER MORALITY AND JUSTICE. Ultimately, our greatest power comes
not from clever tactics but from the unshakable moral force of our
cause. In all our efforts, we must frame opposition to war in terms of
the deepest human values: the sanctity of life, the imperative of
compassion, the dream of a better future for all. When we speak from
conscience with reason and conviction, we have the potential to reach
every human heart. This is the source of real, lasting political
power.

By pursuing these ten strategies with courage and perseverance, the
antiwar movement can achieve unprecedented political clout in the
years ahead. We owe it to ourselves, our children, and our wounded
world to build the power necessary to turn the tide toward peace. The
time has come to act boldly on this moral obligation. Together, we can
shape a new political reality—a future where war is obsolete, and
the human family can at last devote our shared resources to our shared
flourishing. 

This change won't happen overnight, and the obstacles are immense. But
the stakes for humanity could not be higher. As advocates of peace, we
must embrace the slow, patient work of movement-building as the only
path to a transformed future. In a world still wracked by violent
conflict and suffering, we really have no other choice. The time has
come to act boldly on our deepest convictions. I invite you to join
us.

_NADIA AHMAD is a law professor based in Orlando, Florida, and Fellow
at the Rutgers Center for Security, Race, and Rights, and PhD
Candidate at Yale University in Environmental Studies. She is the
co-founder of Ceasefire 2024 [[link removed]]._

* Israel-Gaza War
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* pro-Palestine protests
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* political strategy
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* Anti-War Movement
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