July Essay Dialogue: Iraq War Protests, 10 Years Later

In the fall of 2002, as the Bush Administration heightened its campaign for invading Iraq, small groups of activists began protesting the plans for invasion, seeking to avert the impending war. While they were ultimately unsuccessful in stopping the war itself, activists successfully mobilized millions around the world as part of their anti-invasion campaign, resulting in what has been called the largest protest in human history on February 15, 2003. After the start of the Iraq war the following month, protests continued, though their size, tactics, and focus changed during the course of the war. As the 10 year anniversary of the start of the anti-Iraq war movement approaches, Mobilizing Ideas has invited scholars and activists to reflect on the movement and its trajectory. How has the anti-war movement changed over the past 10 years?  How has the anti-Iraq war movement differed from past anti-war movements?  In what ways has it succeeded or failed in reaching intended outcomes?  Has it had any unintended consequences?  What can this movement teach us about issues like coalition-building, activist burnout, and movement trajectories?

We thank our distinguished scholars and activists for this month’s dialogue:

Catherine Corrigall-Brown, University of Western Ontario (essay)
David Cortright, University of Notre Dame (essay)
William Gamson, Boston College (essay)
Michael Heaney, University of Michigan (essay)
Kathy Kelly, Voices for Creative Nonviolence (essay)
Lisa Leitz, Hendrix College (essay)
David S. Meyer, University of California, Irvine (essay)
Eric Stoner, Waging Nonviolence (essay)
Andrew Yeo, Catholic University of America (essay)

Enjoy the essays, and join the debate by posting your opinions in the comments.

Editors in Chief,

Grace Yukich, David Ortiz, Rory McVeigh, Dan Myers