Dear Supporter,

News today that Israel’s military chief said he believes Iran will choose not to build a nuclear weapon is a welcome addition to previous admissions by Leon Panetta and others.  It seems that, for the moment, a real crisis may be averted.

We know that can quickly change.  I need your generous finanical support today, to keep pressure on the Obama administration to find a negotiated solution.

Israeli peace activists, some of whom I have been in contact with, are just as determined as we to persuade our governments to stop militarizing the crisis with war preparations and inflamed rhetoric.  Maybe we’re stronger than we know.

Earlier this week, our attention was on the US war and occupation in Afghanistan when it was announced that the US and Afghanistan reached agreement on a draft Strategic Partnership Agreement that commits the United States to remain in Afghanistan through at least 2024.  It appears the agreement will be signed by Presidents Obama and Karzai just ahead of the upcoming May Chicago NATO Summit.

As you know, Peace Action, and most especially Chicago Area Peace Action, is heavily involved in organizing a series of events around the NATO summit, including a Counter-Summit for Peace & Economic Justice.

Peace Action and its allies will continue to press with all we have for an end to the occupation of Afghanistan by the US and NATO.  It only prolongs the insurgency and prevents a political solution. Commiting the US to a military presence until 2024 flies in the face of a series of poll numbers showing solid majority public support for bringing the troops home as soon as they can be safely withdrawn.

Counter-summit organizing in Chicago will help build our movement as it builds political pressure to end this disastrous war.  Please contribute today to our organizing of these important events.

While the US, which is currently spending a billion dollars a week on its military campaign in Afghanistan, was committing itself to an extended stay, another coalition partner was signalling an early exit.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard of Australia: "I'm now confident that Chicago will recognize mid-2013 as a key milestone in the international strategy, a crucial point when the international forces will be able to move to a supporting role across all of Afghanistan." Ms. Gillard was referring to the NATO summit, during which she plans to formally present the new timeline.

She said Australian troops would begin pulling out this year and most would be home by the end of 2013 - an election year in Australia.

Help me keep the heat on our President and the Congress to end aggressive military action, seek a cease-fire and political settlement to the insurgency along with the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Afghanistan.

Thank you for your work.

Humbly for Peace,

Kevin Martin
Executive Director
Peace Action

PS: The announcement of an agreement that keeps US in Afghanistan well passed the 2014 deadline for bringing our troops home reminded me of something Mark Twain said a hundred years ago. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do”.  Let’s not disappoint ourselves. Help Peace Action end this terrible war.