(Cross posted at
"For Our Future".)
Every year, Mother Jones Magazine publishes a list of the "Best Campus Activism." The list is designed to provide recognition to student activists and alert the broader progressive movement about campus organizing. I generally think that this list is a great idea, but I was somewhat puzzled by the groups that were recognized this year.
The people and organizations selected by Mother Jones certainty deserve recognition. However, it was surprising to see that no explicitly anti-war student groups were chosen by the magazine. Groups working on the environment, genocide prevention, and immigration rights were all highlighted. The only mention of the Iraq war was a small portion about commencement speakers who criticized Sen. John McCain and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
This can mean of one of two things. First, there is a lot of anti-war activism on campuses and Mother Jones is ignoring it. Alternatively, (and more likely) there is very little organizing happening around the war.
According to the polls, the war in Iraq is the primary reason that most youth disapprove of President Bush. Young people might oppose the war, but that doesn't mean they are being mobilized on the issue. This needs to change.
Why are progressive organizations failing to galvanize young people around the invasion and occupation of Iraq? One reason is because there is no popular based anti-war organization in the United States. United for Peace and Justice and International ANSWER, the two largest national coalitions, have affiliations with radical groups like the Communist Party and other far out organizations.
Student organizing has been dominated by the Campus Anti-War Network. CAN has connections to the International Socialist Organization, another hard-line left group. I think most students oppose the Iraq war because they see it as a radical policy--young people aren't particularly interested in associating with extremists from the other side of the aisle.
To truly mobilize the broad anti-war feelings among young people, progressives need to develop an approach that can be joined by the largest number of students possible. A simple endorsement of Congressman Jack Murtha's call for an immediate redeployment could serve as starting point. Organizing young people around Iraq could be a potent force in the 2006 elections and beyond. If progressives are serious about taking power, they need to focus on activate anti-war youth.