ACTIVISM

Anti-War Groups Lose Momentum

Despite Afghan surge.

Is the peace movement dead? Anti-war activists are struggling to mobilize, exhausted and disillusioned with the very president they catapulted to victory. Prominent anti-war activists are having difficulty raising money and convincing people to turn out for events, despite the increase in public opposition to the Afghan war. One reason for such a tepid movement is quite simply fatigue: “I was totally exhausted,” said United for Peace and Justice Leslie Cagan founder, “I have a long history of anti-war activism—about 45 years—but the last eight or nine years have been totally intense. In a post 9/11 world, it’s just nonstop.” Anti-war activists have long been allies to President Obama, whose vocal criticism of the Iraq war made him a favorite for the peace movement--but that support has all but vanished, and will prove difficult for Obama and Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections.