Why All Working People Should Support the Iran Deal
We’ll never rebuild this country if we keep wasting money on war.
This article is a joint publication of Foreign Policy In Focus and OtherWords.
This Labor Day, like others before it, finds American workers squeezed on many fronts. Inequality is rising, union membership is dwindling, and wages aren't keeping up with job growth.
Naturally, addressing all those challenges is a huge priority for the labor movement. But this year, I'd like to add another: protecting the nuclear deal with Iran.
It makes sense that unions might be concerned with issues like trade and immigration. But why else should workers worry about how our government operates outside the United States? Does labor need its own foreign policy?
Let me put it this way: When you don't speak up, your default policy is the status quo.
For most of its first 50 years of existence, the country's largest labor federation -- the AFL-CIO -- never once challenged the deployment of U.S. troops into foreign conflicts. But it turns out that workers have as much of a stake in those decisions as anyone.
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan together are projected to cost American taxpayers anywhere from $4 trillion to $6 trillion. And now the war on the Islamic State -- a direct continuation of the last war in Iraq -- has already racked up over $5.8 billion in costs, according to the National Priorities Project. And the tab's running up at a rate of over $600,000 per hour.
That's money that isn't available to put unemployed people back to work, fix our nation's failing infrastructure, provide high quality public education, create a universal Medicare-for-all health care system, build affordable housing, or help transition to a sustainable, de-militarized alternative economy, among many other major social needs identified by the labor movement.
War, in other words, is bad for working people.
That's why my organization, U.S. Labor Against the War, challenged the AFL-CIO back in 2005 to abandon its silence and oppose the George W. Bush administration's illegal war in Iraq.
The unions listened -- and subsequently called for an end to the war in Afghanistan, too. Several years later, in 2011, the AFL-CIO executive council proclaimed its opposition to our nation's "militarized foreign policy."
War, in other words, is bad for working people.With increasing clarity, unions have come to recognize that a country that commits over half its discretionary budget to war spending can't afford to address the increasingly pressing needs of its people.
So that brings us to the Iran deal, which was painstakingly negotiated by the Obama administration and its partners in the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, and Germany. It's been endorsed by over 100 former diplomats, hundreds of religious leaders, scores of distinguished non-proliferation experts, and numerous members of both the American andIsraeli military and intelligence communities.
But some war hawks in Congress -- along with their wealthy benefactors in the military-industrial complex and international hardliners like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- are intent on sabotaging the agreement. If they succeed, they'll put our country and the world on a fast track to yet another disastrous military conflict, the costs of which are too horrific to contemplate.
A war like this wouldn't just be unaffordable. It would be illegal and immoral, too. That's why the labor movement must see to it that such a conflict never begins.
If you're in a union, contact your rep and urge them to add their voice in support of the Obama administration's negotiated agreement with Iran. They can sign a statement set up by my organization at bit.ly/IranDeal_LaborSignOn.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. In a few short weeks, US voters will have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
This article is a joint publication of Foreign Policy In Focus and OtherWords.
This Labor Day, like others before it, finds American workers squeezed on many fronts. Inequality is rising, union membership is dwindling, and wages aren't keeping up with job growth.
Naturally, addressing all those challenges is a huge priority for the labor movement. But this year, I'd like to add another: protecting the nuclear deal with Iran.
It makes sense that unions might be concerned with issues like trade and immigration. But why else should workers worry about how our government operates outside the United States? Does labor need its own foreign policy?
Let me put it this way: When you don't speak up, your default policy is the status quo.
For most of its first 50 years of existence, the country's largest labor federation -- the AFL-CIO -- never once challenged the deployment of U.S. troops into foreign conflicts. But it turns out that workers have as much of a stake in those decisions as anyone.
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan together are projected to cost American taxpayers anywhere from $4 trillion to $6 trillion. And now the war on the Islamic State -- a direct continuation of the last war in Iraq -- has already racked up over $5.8 billion in costs, according to the National Priorities Project. And the tab's running up at a rate of over $600,000 per hour.
That's money that isn't available to put unemployed people back to work, fix our nation's failing infrastructure, provide high quality public education, create a universal Medicare-for-all health care system, build affordable housing, or help transition to a sustainable, de-militarized alternative economy, among many other major social needs identified by the labor movement.
War, in other words, is bad for working people.
That's why my organization, U.S. Labor Against the War, challenged the AFL-CIO back in 2005 to abandon its silence and oppose the George W. Bush administration's illegal war in Iraq.
The unions listened -- and subsequently called for an end to the war in Afghanistan, too. Several years later, in 2011, the AFL-CIO executive council proclaimed its opposition to our nation's "militarized foreign policy."
War, in other words, is bad for working people.With increasing clarity, unions have come to recognize that a country that commits over half its discretionary budget to war spending can't afford to address the increasingly pressing needs of its people.
So that brings us to the Iran deal, which was painstakingly negotiated by the Obama administration and its partners in the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, and Germany. It's been endorsed by over 100 former diplomats, hundreds of religious leaders, scores of distinguished non-proliferation experts, and numerous members of both the American andIsraeli military and intelligence communities.
But some war hawks in Congress -- along with their wealthy benefactors in the military-industrial complex and international hardliners like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- are intent on sabotaging the agreement. If they succeed, they'll put our country and the world on a fast track to yet another disastrous military conflict, the costs of which are too horrific to contemplate.
A war like this wouldn't just be unaffordable. It would be illegal and immoral, too. That's why the labor movement must see to it that such a conflict never begins.
If you're in a union, contact your rep and urge them to add their voice in support of the Obama administration's negotiated agreement with Iran. They can sign a statement set up by my organization at bit.ly/IranDeal_LaborSignOn.
This article is a joint publication of Foreign Policy In Focus and OtherWords.
This Labor Day, like others before it, finds American workers squeezed on many fronts. Inequality is rising, union membership is dwindling, and wages aren't keeping up with job growth.
Naturally, addressing all those challenges is a huge priority for the labor movement. But this year, I'd like to add another: protecting the nuclear deal with Iran.
It makes sense that unions might be concerned with issues like trade and immigration. But why else should workers worry about how our government operates outside the United States? Does labor need its own foreign policy?
Let me put it this way: When you don't speak up, your default policy is the status quo.
For most of its first 50 years of existence, the country's largest labor federation -- the AFL-CIO -- never once challenged the deployment of U.S. troops into foreign conflicts. But it turns out that workers have as much of a stake in those decisions as anyone.
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan together are projected to cost American taxpayers anywhere from $4 trillion to $6 trillion. And now the war on the Islamic State -- a direct continuation of the last war in Iraq -- has already racked up over $5.8 billion in costs, according to the National Priorities Project. And the tab's running up at a rate of over $600,000 per hour.
That's money that isn't available to put unemployed people back to work, fix our nation's failing infrastructure, provide high quality public education, create a universal Medicare-for-all health care system, build affordable housing, or help transition to a sustainable, de-militarized alternative economy, among many other major social needs identified by the labor movement.
War, in other words, is bad for working people.
That's why my organization, U.S. Labor Against the War, challenged the AFL-CIO back in 2005 to abandon its silence and oppose the George W. Bush administration's illegal war in Iraq.
The unions listened -- and subsequently called for an end to the war in Afghanistan, too. Several years later, in 2011, the AFL-CIO executive council proclaimed its opposition to our nation's "militarized foreign policy."
War, in other words, is bad for working people.With increasing clarity, unions have come to recognize that a country that commits over half its discretionary budget to war spending can't afford to address the increasingly pressing needs of its people.
So that brings us to the Iran deal, which was painstakingly negotiated by the Obama administration and its partners in the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, and Germany. It's been endorsed by over 100 former diplomats, hundreds of religious leaders, scores of distinguished non-proliferation experts, and numerous members of both the American andIsraeli military and intelligence communities.
But some war hawks in Congress -- along with their wealthy benefactors in the military-industrial complex and international hardliners like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- are intent on sabotaging the agreement. If they succeed, they'll put our country and the world on a fast track to yet another disastrous military conflict, the costs of which are too horrific to contemplate.
A war like this wouldn't just be unaffordable. It would be illegal and immoral, too. That's why the labor movement must see to it that such a conflict never begins.
If you're in a union, contact your rep and urge them to add their voice in support of the Obama administration's negotiated agreement with Iran. They can sign a statement set up by my organization at bit.ly/IranDeal_LaborSignOn.