Iraq: The Logic of Withdrawal

Iraq: The Logic of Withdrawal - April 30
Reception with Anthony Arnove
Reception and Book-signing
Sunday, April 30, 2006 - 2pm
MECA Office
901 Parker Street in Berkeley

Howard Zinn's book Vietnam: The Logic of Withdrawal, though it appeared five years before the United States eventually abandoned that war, argued with remarkable foresight that getting out was the only realistic option. Now, nearly forty years later, the United States is once again involved in a seemingly intractable foreign conflict. And, following in the footsteps of Zinn, Anthony Arnove (his co-editor on the widely acclaimed Voices of a People's History of the United States) has written a book that will likely prove equally prescient.

Arnove sets out a compelling case for the immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Countering widespread arguments made in support of the occupation by conservatives and liberals alike, Arnove insists that the U.S. presence is the major source of instability and suffering for the Iraqi people. He challenges the idea that George W. Bush has ever been interested in bringing democracy to the country and explores the real reasons behind the invasion, which centrally involve control over strategic Middle Eastern energy resources. And he sets out a constructive vision for the antiwar movement, one that involves soldiers, military families, and the many communities affected by the occupation, who together can build a coalition to bring the troops home.