Once again, the US military machine has dropped bombs upon a defenseless country in the Middle East—this time Syria. As with “shock and awe” against Iraq in 2003 and the “humanitarian” war for regime-change in Libya in 2011, Washington has launched a war of aggression based upon lies.

The real reasons for this war, like those that preceded it, are being kept from the American people. The government claims that the target is the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, yet the main allies of the US in its campaign include Saudi Arabia and Qatar, both of which have heavily financed Islamic fundamentalists forces in Syria as part of the US-backed civil war in that country.

Behind all the lies and pretexts, the new war in the Middle East is motivated by the drive for domination and control over the region. It is part of an ever expanding campaign of militarism, with the US and the European powers increasingly targeting Russia and China. One hundred years after the beginning of World War I, the major powers are once again plotting catastrophe.

The fight against war must be based on an understanding of its social and political causes. This meeting will address the background to the present conflict in the Middle East and the broader war drive of American imperialism.

Meeting details:

Tuesday, November 18, 7 p.m.
Portland, Oregon
Portland State University
Smith Memorial Union, Room 298
1825 SW Broadway
Map

Tuesday, November 25, 7 p.m.
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge Public Library
Central Square Branch, Lewis Room
45 Pearl Street
Public transport: Red Line T, Central Square 
Map