New York, NY —

Today is scheduled to be another day of international protests against the war in Iraq. This one is not expected to draw millions to the streets, but WNYC's Brian Lehrer has seven ways the peace movement can help shape what happens next.


Brian: The first one should be obvious, but I'm not sure it is: Accept the fact that it's too late to stop the war. The most common protest sign since the fighting started has been US out of Iraq! But that's not an option. The US will complete the war and begin a transition to Iraqi rule. Focus instead on HOW it should be done.

#2. Demand that humanitarian assistance be massive and immediate. Some of the military planners who argued for more troops didn't think they were needed to win the war, but to deal with the national food and water shortage that would inevitably follow. That emergency is now. And it's a matter of life and death for many more civilians than have been killed in the fighting. Rumsfeld could act too slowly, then claim it couldn't be helped.

Tell the White House to fulfill the promise of real democracy. Those who opposed this operation will never believe this was a war to benefit Iraq. It was for American security and power. Iraqi Freedom was just a sales pitch. But make the promise real and everyone will be better off, even if Iraqis who are anti-US win free and fair elections.

Pressure President Bush to get serious about his road map for Middle East peace. It's his administration's plan, but Tony Blair looks passionate and earnest when he promotes the road map. Bush looks wan. For the sake of US credibility, Palestinian dignity, and Israeli security, Bush needs to do better than to be an apologist for the settlements and Sharon.

By the same token, tell him to talk straight about democracy to America's Arab allies. Rather than pussyfoot around about how Egypt and Saudi Arabia play both sides of the fence, call them on how they oppress their own people, while using the US and Israel as scapegoats, then tell us they're our friends.

#6. Tell the president: no more pre-emptive war in the region, based on hypothetical threats. If a new Iraq is supposed to serve as a peaceful model for Iran and Syria and others, give it time to work. You said Saddam was uniquely evil. Therefore, promise that the war was a unique response.

And finally, tell him to limit US profits from Iraqi oil. In a free economy, US companies have a legitimate right to be there. But why not write a sunset clause? In the same way that you're proposing a transition from American to Iraqi POLITICAL control, how about a transition from American to Iraqi CORPORATE control as soon as Iraq is ready?

It might be hard for anti-war protesters to get excited about fighting for the shape of a post-war Iraq. To some, even debating the nature of a US-led regime may feel too much like endorsing it. But that's where the real battles for peace and justice are right now. And no one in the government seems to be raising these issues: including most democrats who continue to abdicate. The anti-war movement can take up the cause of what comes next, or just shout Out of Iraq , and make itself irrelevant.