Longstanding activist, author, and filmmaker Tariq Ali spoke in the John B. Davis lecture hall Wednesday, Feb. 27 at noon. The lecture, entitled "War, Peace and Empire," centered on the recent United States drive for war against Iraq.

Ali outlined the reasoning behind a growing "atmosphere of fear," and the effects on a concerned global community. "Why Iraq? Why Now?" he asked.

According to Ali, Saddam Hussein does not have nuclear weapons, nor the technology required to launch such weapons of mass destruction. He pointed out that many of the chemical and biological weapons currently in Iraq were funded directly by the U.S. and Britain during the Cold War.

In his talk, Ali addressed the surge of anti-war activism as evidence of growing global opposition. He described the massive demonstrations held on February 15 worldwide and insisted that the magnitude of such mobilization cannot be described as ordinary.

According to Ali, the mass dissent represents a "protest against a regime that is out of control."

Ali suggested that the only way to topple repressive dictatorships is to strengthen the people beneath them. He offered the current situation in Afghanistan as created by U.S. forces as an example of a failure to produce changes that last. "Nothing has been stabilized in Afghanistan," he said. "If you want organic changes, you have to depend on the people in them."

Ali questioned the Bush administration's motives for going to war, suggesting that military threats are not the central issue. "No one is going to challenge the U.S. militarily," he said, given our present capabilities.

He said that denying the role of oil is simply not credible. But he also offered several other interpretations of U.S. policy.

First, Ali contended that the events of September 11 have become "an excuse for everything." In particular, he said that the U.S. language of pre-emptive strikes and pre-emptive wars is reminiscent most closely of the fascist regimes of Italy and Nazi Germany prior to World War II.

Ali next addressed U.S. demands for Iraqi disarmament. While he does not consider Hussein a positive influence, calls for disarmament signify a glaring double standard considering the existence of a U.S. backed Israeli war machine. Ali said that if the U.S. hopes to be taken seriously, it cannot continue its unwavering support for Israel.

Several people in attendance applauded Ali's honesty concerning the importance of Israel. Assistant Professor of Sociology Khaldoun Samman said that what he found most inspiring is Ali's "courage to speak frankly about the 'unmentionable' – as [Ali] calls it – Israel."

Ali concluded that everything western coalitions have done to Iraq has been wrong. If Iraq becomes a democracy under U.S. command, it will be "democracy Afghan-style; no democracy at all."

Jason Tanzman '06, who listened to the speech, agreed that the international community must "figure out a way to establish a legitimate democratic government in place of Hussein."

Ali has traveled three times to speak before the Macalester community, including once last year, but began his talk Wednesday by saying that "the world has changed a great deal since I was here last."

"His integrity and honesty is a breath of fresh air these days," Samman said.

When asked to offer constructive advice to student activists, Ali made clear that students must "try and find their own means of information." Throughout his speech, he decried mainstream media in the U.S., calling Fox News "a disgrace, a network for which the Third Reich would have been proud."

Citing examples of Israeli coverage, Ali noted that there was more criticism of Israel in Israeli news than in the U.S. press, and spoke of the stark differentiation between coverage of the impending war here and abroad, even between CNN International and its U.S. station.

He recalled having been told by an international network that he could not reschedule an interview for a later hour because, the station said, "America will have woken up by then."

Ali concluded his lecture on a hopeful note, insisting on activism in the face of irrational government. "Against all this, we have ourselves," he said.