SEPTEMBER 11, 2013
Where's the Anti-War Left?
Youth activists oppose unconstitutional war in Syria — but protesters of Bush's wars are nowhere to be found
ARLINGTON, Va. – Now that President Obama and Democratic leaders in the House and Senate are calling for military action in Syria, the anti-war Left is nowhere to be found.
Many of the most vocal opponents of the U.S.'s intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan under President Bush have changed their tune under Obama's leadership.
Despite as few as 19 percent of Americans actually supporting a U.S. military strike in Syria, influential Left-wing youth organizations including the College Democrats, Young Democrats, and Generation Progress (formerly Campus Progress) have yet to publicly decry President Obama's call for military action in Syria.
Occupy Democrats, who've voiced criticism over Iraq, released a statement praising Obama on Syria.
"What's really disappointing is the lack of principled resistance to this new intervention from the 'anti-war' Left," Bonnie Kristian YAL Communications Consultant said. "When President Bush was in office, we saw constant anti-war protests from the Left. Where are they now that President Obama is continuing – and expanding – all the same policies?"
"It's astonishing to see some on the Left stumble to defend Obama's indefensible position on intervention in Syria," Kristian added. "The usual talking heads on MSNBC are scrambling to explain how Syria is different than Bush's wars."
While there are no protests in DC like those seen in the run-up to the 2003 Iraq invasion, opposition to war hasn't died down among Millennials.
In Spring 2013, nearly 100 YAL chapters nationwide participated in YAL's "Generation of War" activism project, protesting the unconstitutional and unaffordable wars of the last decade. The demonstrations reached tens of thousands of college students, many of whom joined Young Americans for Liberty to express their support for peace.
