1) Can you tell ZNet, please, what your new book is about? What is it trying to communicate?
This short, highly readable book summarizes in one place many of the arguments against the war with Iraq. It is trying to arm the reader with a basis for opposition to the war and provides a list of resources that , hopefully, will get people active. It lays out the international prohibition on the use of force, the two exceptions permitted under the U.N. Charter, and explains the various United Nations resolutions regarding Iraq. It details the Bush Administrations justifications for a new war, particularly with regard to weapons of mass destruction and points out how its claims are misleading, exaggerated or false. It analyzes many of the alleged rationalizations for the war, finds them unconvincing and proceeds to discuss what this war is really about. It summarizes the early roots of the doctrine of preemptive strikes and explains the war as one for oil and U.S. world domination. The book also contains a section on the serious consequences and dangers such a war will have for the people of Iraq, the U.S. and the rest of the world.
2) Can you tell ZNet something about writing the book? Where does the content come from? What went into making the book what it is?
This book was a joint effort by lawyers, staff and associates of the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR). We had an obvious expertise in legal issues surrounding the use of force, the United Nations and the analysis of various resolutions. CCR has brought numerous cases against various US sponsored wars including the 1991 Iraq war and has opposed the “no fly zones,” the embargo and other punitive measures taken against Iraq. We felt that the legal prohibitions on the use of force are a reflection of the moral truth that that aggressive war is no longer acceptable in the world. We wanted to make clear that this war will be a war of aggression no matter how the U.S. disguises it.
3) What are your hopes for ” Against War with Iraq “? What do you hope it will contribute or achieve, politically? Given the effort and aspirations you have for the book, what will you deem to be a success? Our hopes are that this book will be used to help stop the war, that it will convince the unconvinced, deepen peoples reasons for opposing the war and that it will become a tool for activists. Every person who reads this book and is convinced to oppose this war, and who will be active in such opposition, will be a measure of our success. 4) What would leave you happy about the whole undertaking? What would leave you wondering if it was worth all the time and effort?
We would be happy if this book contributed to stopping the war with Iraq. We hope it will make people see that the war against Iraq is only part of a broader U.S. imperialist policy and that the Bush administration presents a grave danger to all of us.
Book can be obtained on amazon.com or sevenstories.com
Michael Ratner (June 13, 1943 – May 11, 2016) was an American attorney. For much of his career, he was president of the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), a non-profit human rights litigation organization based in New York City, and president of the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) based in Berlin. Ratner "will be most remembered for filing Rasul v. Bush, the first lawsuit challenging President Bush's wartime detentions." He was co-counsel in representing the Guantanamo Bay detainees in the United States Supreme Court, which ruled for the detainees' right to test the legality of their detentions in US courts, saying that the Guantanamo base was effectively an extension of US territory and covered by US law.
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