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[00:00.000 --> 00:02.920]  of the Spanish Civil War opposed the war
[00:02.920 --> 00:05.680]  during the period of the Hitler-Stalin pact,
[00:05.680 --> 00:08.360]  and the anti-war sentiment grew in strength
[00:08.360 --> 00:11.320]  as the Cold War seemed to present the situation
[00:11.320 --> 00:14.260]  of an unending series of conflicts.
[00:14.260 --> 00:17.540]  Later on, when the U.S. got involved in the Vietnam War,
[00:17.540 --> 00:19.360]  opposition movements began slowly
[00:19.360 --> 00:21.580]  on various U.S. college campuses.
[00:21.580 --> 00:24.620]  These campaigns grew into very large demonstrations
[00:24.620 --> 00:28.520]  from 1967 until 1971.
[00:28.520 --> 00:31.860]  Moving forward to the 2001 Afghanistan War,
[00:31.860 --> 00:33.760]  there was initially little opposition
[00:33.760 --> 00:36.420]  in the United States and the United Kingdom.
[00:36.420 --> 00:39.220]  Most vocal opposition came from pacifist groups
[00:39.220 --> 00:42.360]  and groups promoting a leftist political agenda.
[00:42.360 --> 00:44.000]  In the United States, for example,
[00:44.000 --> 00:46.880]  the group ANSR was one of the most visible organizers
[00:46.880 --> 00:49.400]  of anti-war protests.
[00:49.400 --> 00:52.400]  Opposition to the Afghan War grew more widespread,
[00:52.400 --> 00:54.360]  partly as a result of wariness
[00:54.360 --> 00:55.800]  with the length of the conflict,
[00:55.800 --> 00:58.380]  and partly because it conflated with the Iraq War
[00:58.380 --> 01:01.920]  and therefore a renewing support of anti-war movements.
[01:01.920 --> 01:04.840]  Millions of people staged mass protests across the world
[01:04.840 --> 01:07.160]  in the immediate prelude to the invasion,
[01:07.160 --> 01:10.720]  and demonstrations and other forms of anti-war activism
[01:10.720 --> 01:14.080]  have continued throughout the occupation.
[01:14.080 --> 01:16.040]  The anti-war movement continues today
[01:16.040 --> 01:18.760]  with talks of possible war against Iran,
[01:18.760 --> 01:22.240]  the U.S. drone attacks on Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen,
[01:22.240 --> 01:24.320]  and the military intervention in Libya,
[01:24.320 --> 01:27.080]  and a possible intervention in Syria.
[01:27.080 --> 01:29.720]  How effective is the anti-war movement today,
[01:29.720 --> 01:32.240]  and to what extent is anti-war activism
[01:32.240 --> 01:36.080]  helping in pressuring governments out of wars?
[01:36.080 --> 01:38.080]  Welcome, ladies and gentlemen.
[01:38.080 --> 01:42.080]  Mr. Assad, thank you very much for joining us on the show.
[01:42.080 --> 01:44.080]  Thank you for receiving me.
[01:44.080 --> 01:46.080]  Thank you.
[01:46.080 --> 01:50.080]  Mr. Assad, in a region that has been going on
[01:50.080 --> 01:53.080]  through different turmoils throughout the history,
[01:53.080 --> 01:56.080]  how important do you think an anti-war movement is
[01:56.080 --> 01:58.080]  in the Middle East where you are based?
[01:58.080 --> 02:01.080]  Well, I think it would be important
[02:01.080 --> 02:03.080]  not only in the Middle East,
[02:03.080 --> 02:08.080]  but anywhere where there are troubles,
[02:08.080 --> 02:11.080]  whether the troubles are between governments
[02:11.080 --> 02:15.080]  or between the same population in the same country.
[02:15.080 --> 02:18.080]  Okay, in this case, you mean civil war?
[02:18.080 --> 02:21.080]  Yes, it could be civil war in that case.
[02:21.080 --> 02:25.080]  And how important it is to promote peace among people
[02:25.080 --> 02:28.080]  so we can, like, how can we prevent civil wars in general,
[02:28.080 --> 02:30.080]  since we're talking about civil war,
[02:30.080 --> 02:32.080]  and you, sir, you're an activist
[02:32.080 --> 02:34.080]  when it comes to civil war as well.
[02:34.080 --> 02:36.080]  How can we prevent that?
[02:36.080 --> 02:38.080]  Yes, this is a good question,
[02:38.080 --> 02:43.080]  and I think that one should start with dealing
[02:43.080 --> 02:47.080]  with the injuries of the past, of history,
[02:47.080 --> 02:50.080]  because you would be really surprised
[02:50.080 --> 02:57.080]  if you knew how much we are carrying in our memory
[02:57.080 --> 03:02.080]  and in our history things that might push us
[03:02.080 --> 03:06.080]  to make war later on,
[03:06.080 --> 03:10.080]  further on in our country's history.
[03:10.080 --> 03:11.080]  This is one.
[03:11.080 --> 03:17.080]  The second thing would be to pacify people,
[03:17.080 --> 03:23.080]  and to put a kind of immunity among them
[03:23.080 --> 03:26.080]  and try to redeem, not to redeem,
[03:26.080 --> 03:30.080]  I mean to cover the divide
[03:30.080 --> 03:33.080]  that separates different components
[03:33.080 --> 03:36.080]  of this population or this nation.
[03:36.080 --> 03:38.080]  Because war creates gaps,
[03:38.080 --> 03:43.080]  and then you need to reconnect people together after a war.
[03:43.080 --> 03:48.080]  Yes, reconnecting can come even during the war,
[03:48.080 --> 03:51.080]  I mean, not shyly, of course,
[03:51.080 --> 03:53.080]  but it should start somewhere, I mean,
[03:53.080 --> 03:57.080]  but of course it would increase and become serious,
[03:57.080 --> 04:01.080]  and it will build for a better future.
[04:01.080 --> 04:03.080]  Okay, now we will talk about your activism
[04:03.080 --> 04:05.080]  and the work you do later on,
[04:05.080 --> 04:07.080]  but let me ask you this question.
[04:07.080 --> 04:09.080]  How can we have, like, from my understanding,
[04:09.080 --> 04:14.080]  there is no anti-war movement right now in the Middle East in general,
[04:14.080 --> 04:17.080]  but how can an anti-war movement in the Middle East
[04:17.080 --> 04:20.080]  affect the whole world, affect the whole region, maybe?
[04:20.080 --> 04:22.080]  Now, let's agree on something.
[04:22.080 --> 04:25.080]  When you say anti-war movement,
[04:25.080 --> 04:29.080]  we mean by it something that starts from within,
[04:29.080 --> 04:33.080]  not something that we import from another country
[04:33.080 --> 04:36.080]  or another group or another organization.
[04:36.080 --> 04:38.080]  I imagine that, no?
[04:38.080 --> 04:39.080]  Of course, of course. Yes.
[04:39.080 --> 04:42.080]  But what is the formula that is acceptable in the Middle East?
[04:42.080 --> 04:50.080]  Well, I think that once you start speaking of anti-war,
[04:50.080 --> 04:55.080]  you should speak also of anti-injustice
[04:55.080 --> 05:03.080]  and anti-aggression and anti-hatred and so on.
[05:03.080 --> 05:05.080]  Correct, correct.
[05:05.080 --> 05:09.080]  Now, when it comes to your work, Mr. Assad,
[05:09.080 --> 05:11.080]  can you tell us more about your work
[05:11.080 --> 05:14.080]  and what organizations you're part of
[05:14.080 --> 05:16.080]  and what is the kind of work you do?
[05:16.080 --> 05:17.080]  Yes, I'll tell you.
[05:17.080 --> 05:24.080]  I'm part of an organization called Initiatives of Change abroad, I mean.
[05:24.080 --> 05:30.080]  But in the Arab world, we kept the old name Moral Rearmament.
[05:30.080 --> 05:36.080]  In fact, it started as, if you like, a call to governments
[05:36.080 --> 05:39.080]  before the Second World War in Europe
[05:39.080 --> 05:46.080]  to stop buying weapons and preparing themselves to a military war
[05:46.080 --> 05:52.080]  and to rearm themselves instead morally.
[05:52.080 --> 05:58.080]  And later on, it became Initiatives of Change abroad, I mean.
[05:58.080 --> 06:02.080]  So I am part of this movement that changed me
[06:02.080 --> 06:05.080]  because I took part in the civil war in Lebanon.
[06:05.080 --> 06:09.080]  I was a fighter with the Christians.
[06:09.080 --> 06:14.080]  I was an officer, let's say, in intelligence services.
[06:14.080 --> 06:19.080]  And at a certain level, I came to meet these guys
[06:19.080 --> 06:23.080]  and they told me, listen, you want to change Lebanon and the Middle East.
[06:23.080 --> 06:26.080]  Are you ready to change yourself?
[06:26.080 --> 06:27.080]  And it was a shock.
[06:27.080 --> 06:29.080]  That's what you said, change starts from within.
[06:29.080 --> 06:30.080]  Yes, yes.
[06:30.080 --> 06:34.080]  Now, I'll ask you to stay with me for a minute, Mr. Assad,
[06:34.080 --> 06:37.080]  because I'll go now to my guest via Skype, Mr. Chris.
[06:37.080 --> 06:41.080]  Mr. Chris, welcome and thank you for being on the show.
[06:41.080 --> 06:42.080]  Thanks very much.
[06:42.080 --> 06:43.080]  Thank you.
[06:43.080 --> 06:45.080]  Mr. Chris, can you first of all give us a general idea,
[06:45.080 --> 06:51.080]  a general overview of the anti-war movement taking place in Britain right now?
[06:51.080 --> 06:55.080]  Well, over the last 12 years, since the beginning of the war on terror,
[06:55.080 --> 06:59.080]  there's been a very, very big movement in Britain protesting,
[06:59.080 --> 07:02.080]  first of all, over the Afghan war, the occupation of Afghanistan,
[07:02.080 --> 07:08.080]  and then, of course, massive demonstrations against the invasion of Iraq,
[07:08.080 --> 07:13.080]  which continued right through till 2006.
[07:13.080 --> 07:21.080]  And then there's been big protests over the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 2007,
[07:21.080 --> 07:26.080]  more big demonstrations against the attacks on Gaza,
[07:26.080 --> 07:33.080]  and a continued spate of activity to try and get the troops out of Afghanistan,
[07:33.080 --> 07:38.080]  and protests as well over the current, the government attempts to,
[07:38.080 --> 07:45.080]  or plans to arm the rebels in Syria and intervene in that way.
[07:45.080 --> 07:49.080]  We have protests over the war, the bombing of Libya.
[07:49.080 --> 07:54.080]  The movement isn't at the same scale as it was back in 2003, 4, 5,
[07:54.080 --> 07:58.080]  but it represents the opinion of the vast majority of people
[07:58.080 --> 08:01.080]  who are actually, you know, opposed these foreign wars,
[08:01.080 --> 08:04.080]  and that's very important because it does put some pressure,
[08:04.080 --> 08:09.080]  and it kind of inhibits politicians, at least to a certain extent,
[08:09.080 --> 08:14.080]  stops them doing some of the more extreme things they might want to do.
[08:14.080 --> 08:20.080]  Okay. Now, Mr. Chris, why should people be more active as anti-war individuals?
[08:20.080 --> 08:26.080]  Because, like, can we talk about the effect war can have on a society in general,
[08:26.080 --> 08:30.080]  and how people should be more aware of these effects?
[08:30.080 --> 08:33.080]  Yeah, I mean, I think the main reason why people demonstrated
[08:33.080 --> 08:36.080]  and continue to protest and oppose the wars
[08:36.080 --> 08:40.080]  is because they know that they're completely counterproductive.
[08:40.080 --> 08:44.080]  They know that in Iraq, for example,
[08:44.080 --> 08:50.080]  up to a million people have been killed by the Western intervention.
[08:50.080 --> 08:53.080]  The infrastructure has been shot to pieces.
[08:53.080 --> 08:57.080]  There's obviously the problems that you know all too well about,
[08:57.080 --> 09:02.080]  the refugee crisis and the continuing damage that has been done by the wars,
[09:02.080 --> 09:03.080]  and I think that's the main reason.
[09:03.080 --> 09:07.080]  And the whole intervention was based on a lie. That was the...
[09:07.080 --> 09:12.080]  That's the whole question of the damage that it's done to our own political system here,
[09:12.080 --> 09:14.080]  because, as you say, there was a...
[09:14.080 --> 09:17.080]  We were taken to war on a series of lies,
[09:17.080 --> 09:21.080]  secret deals made between Tony Blair and George Bush,
[09:21.080 --> 09:25.080]  openly lying to Parliament, to the people, to the cabinet,
[09:25.080 --> 09:27.080]  and there's a kind of democratic deficit,
[09:27.080 --> 09:31.080]  there's a kind of degrading of the democratic system in Britain,
[09:31.080 --> 09:35.080]  which is directly linked to that whole experience of those wars.
[09:35.080 --> 09:39.080]  So it's been very bad. It's very bad for civil liberties as well.
[09:39.080 --> 09:43.080]  We've all seen the kind of things that the NSA has been up to in America
[09:43.080 --> 09:46.080]  in the last three or four years or more,
[09:46.080 --> 09:51.080]  but also GCHQ in Britain is very, very centrally involved in that as well.
[09:51.080 --> 09:54.080]  So civil liberties have been massively under attack.
[09:54.080 --> 09:58.080]  There's also been an increase in racism in British society against Muslims
[09:58.080 --> 10:01.080]  as a direct product of the war on terror.
[10:01.080 --> 10:06.080]  So there's lots of reasons, lots of very, very good reasons
[10:06.080 --> 10:09.080]  to be against these wars, and that's before you even mention
[10:09.080 --> 10:11.080]  the hundreds of British soldiers that have died,
[10:11.080 --> 10:13.080]  the thousands that have been wounded,
[10:13.080 --> 10:17.080]  the families that have been torn apart by that whole experience.
[10:17.080 --> 10:20.080]  It's been a disaster. The war on terror has been a complete catastrophe,
[10:20.080 --> 10:24.080]  and that's why the majority of people in Britain are against it.
[10:24.080 --> 10:29.080]  Mr Chris, how is Stop the War coalition involved on ground
[10:29.080 --> 10:31.080]  in fighting war and promoting peace?
[10:31.080 --> 10:35.080]  What activities is the coalition involved in?
[10:35.080 --> 10:39.080]  Well, we've got groups up and down the country.
[10:39.080 --> 10:42.080]  We have public meetings and protests
[10:42.080 --> 10:45.080]  and a whole series of events throughout the year.
[10:45.080 --> 10:48.080]  Sometimes we come together in London for a big event.
[10:48.080 --> 10:51.080]  We had a conference earlier this year,
[10:51.080 --> 10:53.080]  which was an international peace conference,
[10:53.080 --> 10:57.080]  where we had some people come over from the United States and elsewhere,
[10:57.080 --> 11:02.080]  where we had 1,000 people to discuss the situation of the war on terror
[11:02.080 --> 11:04.080]  and to debate how best to counter it.
[11:04.080 --> 11:07.080]  We have, as you know, over the last 10 or 12 years,
[11:07.080 --> 11:10.080]  we've had absolutely massive demonstrations,
[11:10.080 --> 11:13.080]  the biggest demonstrations of any kind in British history,
[11:13.080 --> 11:17.080]  2 million people demonstrated against the Iraq war.
[11:17.080 --> 11:19.080]  We have direct action.
[11:19.080 --> 11:24.080]  We have a kind of an information campaign
[11:24.080 --> 11:27.080]  via the web and publications,
[11:27.080 --> 11:31.080]  exposing the lies and the arguments
[11:31.080 --> 11:33.080]  that the government put forward to promote the wars.
[11:33.080 --> 11:36.080]  We also have a campaign against Tony Blair,
[11:36.080 --> 11:40.080]  because we believe that Tony Blair is essentially a war criminal
[11:40.080 --> 11:42.080]  and that he should be brought to justice
[11:42.080 --> 11:45.080]  for what he's done to the Iraqi people
[11:45.080 --> 11:48.080]  and the fact that he's done it deceitfully
[11:48.080 --> 11:51.080]  and behind the backs of the population in Britain,
[11:51.080 --> 11:53.080]  behind the back of Parliament.
[11:53.080 --> 11:57.080]  So we've got a kind of ongoing campaign to bring him to justice,
[11:57.080 --> 11:59.080]  which is also very popular.
[11:59.080 --> 12:02.080]  So, I mean, we just put the arguments against the war
[12:02.080 --> 12:06.080]  as high profile in society as we possibly can
[12:06.080 --> 12:08.080]  and as loudly as we possibly can.
[12:08.080 --> 12:11.080]  And it has had some effect, because, as I say,
[12:11.080 --> 12:14.080]  we're now in a position where 75% of the British people
[12:14.080 --> 12:18.080]  think these foreign interventions should cease
[12:18.080 --> 12:22.080]  and that we should stop supporting US foreign policy
[12:22.080 --> 12:24.080]  and participating in their wars.
[12:24.080 --> 12:27.080]  Great. That's quite a lot of proportion.
[12:27.080 --> 12:29.080]  Mr Chris, I would ask you to stay with me for a minute,
[12:29.080 --> 12:31.080]  because we're going to take a short break
[12:31.080 --> 12:53.080]  and we'll be right back. Ladies and gentlemen, stay in tune.
[13:01.080 --> 13:29.080]  Thank you.
[13:29.080 --> 13:43.080]  Evening. Women's rights redefined.
[13:43.080 --> 13:44.080]  Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen.
[13:44.080 --> 13:48.080]  Early in all, we talked to our two guests, Mr Assad and Mr Chris.
[13:48.080 --> 13:51.080]  We talked about the work Stop the War Coalition does
[13:51.080 --> 13:54.080]  and also the organizations that Mr Assad is involved in.
[13:54.080 --> 13:57.080]  Mr Assad, you said that you're involved in the first organization.
[13:57.080 --> 14:00.080]  Can you tell us more about the activities that you do
[14:00.080 --> 14:05.080]  regarding peace and reconciliation
[14:05.080 --> 14:08.080]  and also promoting anti-war sentiment?
[14:08.080 --> 14:13.080]  Yeah. In fact, our main work is to speak about personal change
[14:13.080 --> 14:20.080]  and that one should change to improve his family, his society,
[14:20.080 --> 14:25.080]  his country, everything, according to some moral values.
[14:25.080 --> 14:31.080]  But we had the occasion because I had changed.
[14:31.080 --> 14:34.080]  I mean, and because in the year 2000,
[14:34.080 --> 14:39.080]  I addressed a public letter of apology to the Lebanese population
[14:39.080 --> 14:44.080]  regarding what I had done during the civil war in Lebanon
[14:44.080 --> 14:49.080]  in the name of Christianity and of Christ and of my country.
[14:49.080 --> 14:54.080]  So we have the occasion together with another ex-fighter also
[14:54.080 --> 14:57.080]  who was with the Muslim side.
[14:57.080 --> 15:04.080]  We go and meet young people in schools, universities, clubs, et cetera,
[15:04.080 --> 15:09.080]  to talk about how hatred starts in the heart, you know,
[15:09.080 --> 15:15.080]  and how you carry it and how you slip into violence very easily
[15:15.080 --> 15:18.080]  and what you are able to do during the war.
[15:18.080 --> 15:20.080]  It's unbelievable.
[15:20.080 --> 15:23.080]  And what is the best way to get out of this?
[15:23.080 --> 15:26.080]  So basically, you just promote peace throughout workshops
[15:26.080 --> 15:28.080]  and maybe seminars and talks.
[15:28.080 --> 15:29.080]  Yes.
[15:29.080 --> 15:32.080]  Okay. Mr. Assad, I want you to stay with me for a minute
[15:32.080 --> 15:37.080]  because I go now to our guest, to joining us via phone, Mr. Brian Becker.
[15:37.080 --> 15:40.080]  Mr. Brian Becker, thank you for being on the show.
[15:40.080 --> 15:41.080]  Thank you for having us.
[15:41.080 --> 15:44.080]  Thank you. Mr. Brian, can you give us a general overview
[15:44.080 --> 15:48.080]  of the work of the Answer Coalition and the role you play on ground
[15:48.080 --> 15:50.080]  in pressuring the U.S. government out of wars
[15:50.080 --> 15:53.080]  or trying to pressure the U.S. government?
[15:53.080 --> 16:00.080]  Certainly, the Answer Coalition has been in existence since September 14, 2001.
[16:00.080 --> 16:03.080]  We formed just three days after the September 11 attacks
[16:03.080 --> 16:06.080]  on the World Trade Center in Pentagon.
[16:06.080 --> 16:09.080]  We were concerned that the Bush administration at that time
[16:09.080 --> 16:15.080]  would take advantage of that horrible attack in order to carry out
[16:15.080 --> 16:23.080]  a cynical shift in U.S. foreign policy, specifically in interventionist foreign policy.
[16:23.080 --> 16:27.080]  And we saw that manifest itself quickly with the invasion of Afghanistan
[16:27.080 --> 16:31.080]  and then in March 19, 2003, the invasion of Iraq.
[16:31.080 --> 16:35.080]  During that time period, the Answer Coalition organized
[16:35.080 --> 16:39.080]  literally hundreds of thousands of people almost every month,
[16:39.080 --> 16:44.080]  starting in October 2002 until after the invasion of Iraq,
[16:44.080 --> 16:48.080]  generating an anti-war movement that began in the United States
[16:48.080 --> 16:51.080]  but then became a worldwide movement.
[16:51.080 --> 16:55.080]  Since then, we have continued to oppose U.S. foreign policy,
[16:55.080 --> 17:01.080]  which we consider to be aggressive, imperial in its designs and its objectives.
[17:01.080 --> 17:05.080]  We've continued to oppose the ongoing occupation of Afghanistan.
[17:05.080 --> 17:09.080]  We opposed and organized large-scale activities in the United States
[17:09.080 --> 17:12.080]  against the bombing of Libya in 2011.
[17:12.080 --> 17:17.080]  And just recently, we've been organizing events, rallies,
[17:17.080 --> 17:20.080]  demonstrations against the use of drone warfare
[17:20.080 --> 17:24.080]  that's targeted assassinations against people in other lands,
[17:24.080 --> 17:29.080]  drone technology that's quickly migrating, in fact, into the cities of the United States.
[17:29.080 --> 17:36.080]  And right now, we're organizing in opposition to the stepped-up U.S. intervention
[17:36.080 --> 17:41.080]  vis-à-vis proxies but also coordinated by the CIA for intervention in Syria.
[17:41.080 --> 17:44.080]  So we're an activist organization.
[17:44.080 --> 17:48.080]  We link the issues of war abroad with the pressing issues of social
[17:48.080 --> 17:53.080]  and economic justice within the United States, which are, of course, very grave issues.
[17:53.080 --> 17:58.080]  There are 30 to 40 million Americans who are unemployed or underemployed,
[17:58.080 --> 18:01.080]  many, many millions more going into poverty,
[18:01.080 --> 18:07.080]  while a big part of the National Treasury goes for war and militarism
[18:07.080 --> 18:10.080]  and the invasion and occupation and bombing of other people.
[18:10.080 --> 18:14.080]  So we try to combine peace and social justice
[18:14.080 --> 18:17.080]  and try to educate the American public about these issues.
[18:17.080 --> 18:23.080]  Okay. Mr. Bryant, why is it that the anti-war movement lost momentum,
[18:23.080 --> 18:30.080]  like especially in recent years, especially after 2008 elections of President Obama?
[18:30.080 --> 18:32.080]  Well, I think there are two reasons.
[18:32.080 --> 18:39.080]  One, of course, is that many people identified the Iraq invasion with George W. Bush
[18:39.080 --> 18:44.080]  and anticipated that the Obama administration would represent
[18:44.080 --> 18:47.080]  not simply the absence of Bush but something new and different,
[18:47.080 --> 18:52.080]  and I think there was a hopefulness on the part of many people in the anti-war movement
[18:52.080 --> 18:55.080]  that Obama would, quote, do the right thing.
[18:55.080 --> 18:59.080]  And secondly, and I think this is important,
[18:59.080 --> 19:06.080]  is that a factor for U.S. politics is the significance of American soldiers and Marines
[19:06.080 --> 19:11.080]  who are fighting, killing, being killed, being wounded.
[19:11.080 --> 19:16.080]  In other words, the personal engagement of American service people in foreign wars.
[19:16.080 --> 19:19.080]  And I think what we saw in the case of Libya,
[19:19.080 --> 19:24.080]  the U.S., along with its NATO partners, bombed Libya relentlessly.
[19:24.080 --> 19:30.080]  The number of U.S. casualties was exactly zero during the course of the bombing campaign.
[19:30.080 --> 19:36.080]  And so the American government constructed a foreign policy that was equally aggressive
[19:36.080 --> 19:40.080]  but made sure that all the bleeding was done on the other side.
[19:40.080 --> 19:47.080]  And I think that was done as a political calculation to keep the American political opposition on the sidelines.
[19:47.080 --> 19:49.080]  Okay. Mr. Ryan, thank you for joining us.
[19:49.080 --> 19:51.080]  Keep up the good work. Thank you very much.
[19:51.080 --> 19:52.080]  Right. Thank you.
[19:52.080 --> 19:53.080]  Thank you.
[19:53.080 --> 19:55.080]  Now, I'll go back to my guest via Skype.
[19:55.080 --> 20:00.080]  Yes. You've heard as I was speaking to my guest, Mr. Brian,
[20:00.080 --> 20:05.080]  and we talked about how the anti-war movement lost its momentum some way somehow.
[20:05.080 --> 20:07.080]  Do you agree with this?
[20:07.080 --> 20:13.080]  Clearly, until the troops came out of Iraq, there was a very, very strong movement.
[20:13.080 --> 20:18.080]  And the British troops did come out of Iraq.
[20:18.080 --> 20:21.080]  The promise was made at least in 2006.
[20:21.080 --> 20:22.080]  So that was important.
[20:22.080 --> 20:29.080]  And then there have been a series of demonstrations since then that have been a major size,
[20:29.080 --> 20:35.080]  particularly, as I mentioned, the demonstrations against the attacks by Israel on Gaza,
[20:35.080 --> 20:41.080]  which have been demonstrations of historic size.
[20:41.080 --> 20:44.080]  And that's right up until 2009, 2010.
[20:44.080 --> 20:48.080]  So I wouldn't write off the anti-war movement.
[20:48.080 --> 20:55.080]  I think what's happened is that the British government has been forced to commit
[20:55.080 --> 20:58.080]  to withdrawing the troops from Afghanistan,
[20:58.080 --> 21:02.080]  which has to some extent stopped people going out on the streets.
[21:02.080 --> 21:07.080]  But if the British government decided to participate in another war,
[21:07.080 --> 21:10.080]  for example, if there was an attack on Iran
[21:10.080 --> 21:15.080]  and the British government committed to supporting an Israeli strike or a U.S. strike,
[21:15.080 --> 21:19.080]  I think we'd do people out on the streets again, because one thing that hasn't changed, indeed,
[21:19.080 --> 21:23.080]  one thing that has actually increased has been the popular opposition to wars.
[21:23.080 --> 21:25.080]  So I think it's a complicated picture.
[21:25.080 --> 21:27.080]  I mean, I agree with what he said about Obama.
[21:27.080 --> 21:31.080]  I think people thought Obama was going to be different.
[21:31.080 --> 21:34.080]  And in a sense, he has been different, but not in the way that people hoped,
[21:34.080 --> 21:41.080]  because what he's done is he's changed the strategy so that now they're not sending American troops
[21:41.080 --> 21:46.080]  in any serious numbers into the places they want to attack.
[21:46.080 --> 21:48.080]  They're attacking them with drones.
[21:48.080 --> 21:50.080]  And that obviously is a...
[21:50.080 --> 21:56.080]  You know, they hope that that's a kind of cost-free operation from their point of view.
[21:56.080 --> 22:01.080]  It's a strategy that they can conduct without consulting with the people,
[22:01.080 --> 22:03.080]  and people don't even know about it.
[22:03.080 --> 22:05.080]  So I think that's had an impact as well.
[22:05.080 --> 22:08.080]  But in general terms, and it's true in America as well,
[22:08.080 --> 22:17.080]  there's a very, very big section of the population that completely opposes these kind of imperial wars.
[22:17.080 --> 22:19.080]  And that's very, very important.
[22:19.080 --> 22:21.080]  Okay. Mr. Chris, I want you to stay with me for a minute.
[22:21.080 --> 22:24.080]  I'll go now to my guest in the studio, Mr. Assad.
[22:24.080 --> 22:29.080]  Mr. Assad, how important do you think is getting the youth involved
[22:29.080 --> 22:36.080]  and getting youth activists all together in fighting war and in creating more peace in a society?
[22:36.080 --> 22:46.080]  Listen, I think that it's obvious that the youth are those who are asked to carry guns,
[22:46.080 --> 22:53.080]  whether in a war or in a civil war, and they will be its first victims.
[22:53.080 --> 22:54.080]  Of course.
[22:54.080 --> 23:01.080]  So the more we talk to young people, we address them about being nonviolent,
[23:01.080 --> 23:11.080]  about looking towards other solutions, because at the end, violence helps nobody,
[23:11.080 --> 23:15.080]  and nobody wins a war or a civil war.
[23:15.080 --> 23:17.080]  I think that everybody loses.
[23:17.080 --> 23:21.080]  Okay. Now, what tools do you use to implement the youth?
[23:21.080 --> 23:23.080]  How can we get them involved, really?
[23:23.080 --> 23:33.080]  Well, if I may continue what I was trying to explain about the organizations I work in.
[23:33.080 --> 23:40.080]  We have recently created a new movement which is not registered yet.
[23:40.080 --> 23:46.080]  We call it the X Fighters, and we addressed to the Lebanese population recently,
[23:46.080 --> 23:53.080]  three weeks or a month ago maybe, our first press declaration.
[23:53.080 --> 23:59.080]  We called it from the X Fighters to the New Fighters, because we have new fighters today,
[23:59.080 --> 24:05.080]  young people carrying guns and going to fight the other inside our country.
[24:05.080 --> 24:10.080]  So this is one way, which is to address them directly.
[24:10.080 --> 24:17.080]  Now, the other way is through what we are trying to do in this gathering of 29 NGOs
[24:17.080 --> 24:25.080]  that work together for civil peace that we called our unity will save us.
[24:25.080 --> 24:28.080]  Okay. Mr. Assad, I would have to interrupt you here.
[24:28.080 --> 24:30.080]  Thank you very much for being on the show.
[24:30.080 --> 24:32.080]  Mr. Chris, thank you also for being on the show,
[24:32.080 --> 24:36.080]  and I would like to thank also Mr. Brian Becker for joining us via phone.
[24:36.080 --> 24:38.080]  Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen.
[24:38.080 --> 24:40.080]  See you next week. Bye-bye.
[25:08.080 --> 25:10.080]  Thank you very much.
[25:38.080 --> 26:05.080]  Thank you.
[26:05.080 --> 26:11.080]  Time.
[26:11.080 --> 26:15.080]  Variable.
[26:15.080 --> 26:18.080]  Event.
[26:18.080 --> 26:31.080]  The only constant variable in life is change.
[26:31.080 --> 26:36.080]  Oh,
[26:36.080 --> 26:49.080]  Trans analysis.
[26:49.080 --> 26:53.080]  panic.
[26:53.080 --> 26:55.080]  Well,
[26:55.080 --> 26:56.080]  The truth fears no questions.
[27:26.080 --> 27:34.920]  It is also fine to die in our beds, on a clean pillow and among our friends.
[27:34.920 --> 27:45.240]  It is fine to die once our hands crossed on our chests, empty and pale, with no scratches,
[27:45.240 --> 27:51.360]  no chains, no banners and no petitions.
[27:51.360 --> 27:57.480]  It is fine to have an undustful death, no holes in our shirts and no evidence in our
[27:57.480 --> 28:02.600]  ribs.
[28:02.600 --> 28:09.880]  It is fine to die with a white pillow not on the pavement, under our cheeks, our hands
[28:09.880 --> 28:16.280]  resting in those of our loved ones, surrounded by desperate doctors and nurses with nothing
[28:16.280 --> 28:21.040]  left but a graceful farewell.
[28:21.040 --> 28:28.200]  Paying no attention to history, leaving this world as it is, hoping that someday someone
[28:28.200 --> 28:57.680]  else will change it.
[29:28.200 --> 29:43.840]  It is fine to die once our hands crossed on our chests, empty and pale, with no scratches,
[29:43.840 --> 29:55.880]  no chains, no banners and no petitions.
[29:55.880 --> 30:08.600]  It is fine to have an undustful death, no holes in our shirts and no banners and no
[30:08.600 --> 30:37.720]  evidence in our beds, empty and pale, with no chains, no banners and no petitions.
[30:39.600 --> 30:41.600]  Will it take the lead in the future?
[30:41.600 --> 30:43.600]  I believe so.
[30:43.600 --> 30:46.600]  This is Underground.
[30:46.600 --> 31:13.600]  Underground, when vague turns to clarity.