Published August 19, 2008 @ 01:52PM PT

Do you live in Denver or plan to be in the area the week of the Democratic Convention? Would you like to meet some of the 95 veterans who are running as Democrats for U.S. Congress? If so, please join us!  The Council for a Livable World’s Veterans’ Political Action Committee affiliate is hosting a public event and reception at the Democratic National Committee Convention to honor veterans who are running as Democratic candidates for U.S. Congress. Honorary co-hosts and speakers include Rep. John Salazar, the sole veteran from the Colorado delegation, as well as Sen. Patty Murray (WA) and Reps. Joe Sestak (PA), Phil Hare (IL), Tim Walz (MN) and Zack Space (OH) Event Details: What: “Future Leaders of America” event hosted by CLW-VETPA... Read More

Published July 24, 2008 @ 07:45AM PT

by Travis Sharp (The Iraq Insider) Download the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation's new July 2008 war costs fact sheet. In June 2008, Congress passed, and President Bush signed into law, another $162 billion in funding for ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. With enactment of these funds, the Department of Defense will have enough money to keep war operations running until May or June of 2009 - when either Barack Obama or John McCain will be President. With the passage of $162 billion in June 2008, total Iraq and Afghanistan war costs now stand at $872.6 billion. This total breaks down as follows: This can be a lot of money to conceptualize, so here are some things to put it in perspective. With $872.6 billion, the cost of the conflicts in Iraq and Afg... Read More

Published June 04, 2008 @ 12:34PM PT

National Call-In Day on Iran Tuesday, June 10th   Tell Congress You Want Direct Dialogue Not War with Iran     The same people who called for attacking Iraq now are raising the drumbeat for military action against Iran. Despite the November 2007 U.S. National Intelligence Estimate concluding that Iran had halted its nuclear weapons program, the Bush administration is bolstering its case for war by labeling Iran one of the greatest threats to American security.   Bombing Iran would bring disastrous consequences.     •        The entire Middle East likely would descend into further violence putting the well-being of innumerable civilians at risk.  •        U.S. s... Read More

Published April 04, 2008 @ 01:08PM PT

In preperation for General Petraeus' hearing to Congress next week on Iraq (huge deal), the Council prepared a list of questions that could be asked and sent them to members of Congress and thier staffs. We expect that one of them, or a variation of them, will be used. We'll let you know if so, and of course, send you analysis on what the hearings will mean for the future of the U.S. in Iraq. QUESTIONS FOR GENERAL DAVID PETRAEUS 1. PETRAEUS: General, you told Fox News in 2007 that "Historically, counterinsurgency operations have gone at least nine or 10 years." According to that timeline, how far along are we right now in Iraq? Are we half way through, since we have been in Iraq for five years already? Or are we less than a year through, if we use the beginning of counterinsurgency... Read More

Published April 01, 2008 @ 07:00AM PT

On Saturday, April 12th, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, American University’s Nuclear Studies Institute, and Americans for Informed Democracy are sponsoring an all-day conference at American University in Washington, DC titled Think Outside the Bomb. Think Outside the Bomb provides students and young professionals with the opportunity to engage in discussions about the need for a world free of nuclear weapons with policy experts, historians, and award-winning authors. The conference will also teach participants practical skills that will help accomplish this goal. Apply Today!   For a full agenda and general information, go to: http://www.thinkoutsidethebomb.org/ To apply, go to: http://www.thinkoutsidethebomb.org/menu/conference/dc_spring_2008/apply.htm For a... Read More

Published March 19, 2008 @ 01:27PM PT

From Erik Leaver and Jenny Shin via FPIF (PDF here): U.S. military killed in Iraq: 3,973 Number of U.S. troops wounded in combat since the war began: 29,203 Iraqi Security Force deaths: 7,924 Iraqi civilians killed: Estimates range from 81,632-1,120,000 Internally displaced refugees in Iraq: 3.4 million Iraqi refugees living abroad: 2.2-2.4 million Iraqi refugees admitted to the U.S.: 3,222 Number of U.S. soldiers in Iraq: 155,000 Number of "Coalition of the Willing" soldiers in Iraq: February 2008: 9,895 September 2006: 18,000 November 2004: 25,595 Army soldiers in Iraq who have served two or more tours: 74% Number of Private Military Contractors in Iraq: 180,000 Number of Private Military Contractors criminally prosecuted by the U.S. government for violence or abuse in Iraq: 1 Num... Read More

Published March 11, 2008 @ 09:54AM PT

Council staff member Travis Sharp just posted this blog entry over at his blog, Iraq Insider. It's worth a read. New Pentagon study reaffirms no Al Qaeda-Saddam link McClatchy reports that the Pentagon will release an exhaustive study of the old Iraqi regime's archives later this week that concludes that there was no "direct operational link" between Hussein's Iraq and Al Qaeda before the American invasion in 2003. The new study, titled "Saddam and Terrorism: Emerging Insights from Captured Iraqi Documents," went through more than 600,000 pages of Iraqi documents to reach its conclusion. It was completed by the federally-funded and widely respected Institute for Defense Analyses. McClatchy takes us down the sorrowful pre-war threat hyping by the Bush administration: President B... Read More

Published February 06, 2008 @ 10:16AM PT

The Council for a Livable World advocates to pull troops out of Iraq and strongly opposes a permanent U.S. military presence in the country. Already, we've lost over 4,000 U.S. lives, 35,000 U.S. soldiers have been wounded, and upward of 100,000 Iraqi civilian lives have been lost. But often times, we don't see the human side of the war. Tell us, write about it here -- use this space to get personal about the war.

Published February 05, 2008 @ 08:19AM PT

The war in Iraq and Afghanistan has already cost the United States upward of $700 billion – but we can't afford the war in more ways than just monetary value. A new congressional commission report was released just a few days ago that said there is an "appalling gap" in our readiness to defend ourselves against a catastrophic event within our borders. The Washington Post reports that: "The situation is rooted in severe readiness problems in National Guard and reserve forces, which would otherwise be well-suited to respond to domestic crises but lack sufficient personnel and training, as well as $48 billion in equipment because of deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a report by the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves." The New York Times reporte... Read More