What Happened to the Antiwar Movement?

Even as President Obama maintains close to 50,000 troops in Iraq and continues to escalate and expand the war in Afghanistan, the antiwar movement in America continues to shrink.

So, what happened?

Reason.tv visited two antiwar protests—one left-leaning, one libertarian—in an attempt to answer that question. Author and historian Thaddeus Russell and Reason Senior Editor Brian Doherty also weigh in.

War, it seems, is a bipartisan venture, which is reflected by the fact that Democrats have a favorable view of Obama's foreign policy, despite its remarkable similarity to George W. Bush's foreign policy. And though there have been rumblings of antiwar sentiment from some on the Right, Republicans remain strongly in favor of an interventionist foreign policy.

Although public sentiment is turning against the war in Afghanistan, the always-shifting withdrawal deadlines and the unwillingness to touch defense spending mean that this bipartisan war is likely to continue far into the future.

Approximately 7 minutes. Written and Produced by Zach Weissmueller. Senior Producer: Ted Balaker.

Visit Reason.tv for downloadable versions, and subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube Channel to receive automatic notification when new material goes live.

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[Rufus Guts]

"One day while I was in a bunker in Vietnam, a sniper round went over my head. The person who fired that weapon was not a terrorist, a rebel, an extremist, or a so-called insurgent. The Vietnamese individual who tried to kill me was a citizen of Vietnam, who did not want me in his country. This truth escapes millions."

- Mike Hastie U.S. Army Medic Vietnam 1970-71

peterattwoodDOTblogspotDOTcom.­au/2011/05/memorial-day.html

[cranyonrye]

I stand for peace and non violence, I stand with the victims and the persecuted against the violence, the greed, the corruption, the terrorism and savagery of neoliberal capitalism...

[ERNIE CARVAJAL]

Fuck the anti war movement!

[Niklas323]

I just have to say, that fucking Paul Rand, and his filibuster against drone use on Americans IN America, is a clear political move on his part. Even though the libertarians seem to be "extra partisan", they still dont seem to reflect our interest.

[Niklas323]

War is the old doing to the young, what the can no longer do to their wives.

[juliaquon]

how sad america

[geyerbrad1]

VFP Resolution 2011-7, Impeachment Of President Barack H. Obama For War Crimes: "committed a criminal act by ordering the U.S. military to war in Libya without first obtaining the consent of the U.S. Congress"... "use depleted uranium munitions, cluster bombs and white phosphorous..." "use of toxic and radioactive materials," "millions of Iraqi, Afghani, Pakistani, Yemeni, Somali, and Libyan civilians have been maimed, poisoned, displaced from their homes, and killed..."

[geyerbrad1]

We never stopped protesting. Veterans for Peace | veteransforpeace dot o-r-g

[theothertoolbox]

Being anti-war is RASSIS. Unless there is a white guy in the white house...then it's OK.

[Nemesis1ism]

Anti war and history . The biggest organized Anti war didn't happen in the recent history morons . It was in the late sixties and early seventies , Kent state studenrs were murdered by us government troops. National gaurds. What happen to these people nothing . Most were Cowards. As they control now and have no problem with War now that they to old . But they willing to let your children die but not theirs . Fight or Freedom or die . Your gooberment is the enemy and all welfare types.

[William Reynolds]

my 4 farthers died obama hmm?

[ladyelicharlot]

LOL!! "I believe war is justified on "humanitarian grounds", obama. OOOO...the vile and disgusting irony...of those vile and disgusting words (aka "lets kill'em to save'em" it is all evil manipulation) bush=cheney=obama=the fed=wallstreet=irs=the military industrial congressional complex=pharma=oil=surveillanc­e/police state=blackwater=bilderberg=bo­hemian grove=the ELITE....from the puppetmouthpiece of the only REAL terrorists...the united states of murderthefttorturepoisoncorrup­tion&lies.