The Campaign for Peace and Democracy (CPD) was a

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

-based organization that promoted "a new, progressive and non-militaristic U.S.

foreign policy A State (polity), state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterall ...

," in contrast to existing foreign policy, which CPD characterized as "based on domination, militarism, fear of popular struggles, enforcement of an inequitable and cruel global economy and persistent support for authoritarian regimes." The hallmark of CPD's work was its efforts to seek out and work with dissidents and

social justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals fu ...

movements worldwide, and to forge alliances between them and progressive movements in the United States. The organization had more than 100 endorsers, including

Noam Chomsky Avram Noam Chomsky (born December 7, 1928) is an American public intellectual: a linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, social critic, and political activist. Sometimes called "the father of modern linguistics", Chomsky is ...

, Naomi Klein, and

Daniel Ellsberg Daniel Ellsberg (born April 7, 1931) is an American political activist, and former United States military analyst. While employed by the RAND Corporation, Ellsberg precipitated a national political controversy in 1971 when he released the ''Pent ...

. With the death of Joanne Landy in 2017, CPD ceased to function.

Initiatives

Since its inception, CPD was critical of

U.S. foreign policy The officially stated goals of the foreign policy of the United States of America, including all the bureaus and offices in the United States Department of State, as mentioned in the ''Foreign Policy Agenda'' of the Department of State, are ...

while at the same time defending democratic rights, whether in countries allied with the United States or not. In 2002, CPD issued a sign-on statement, "We Oppose Both

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolution ...

and the U.S.

War on Iraq {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

: A Call for a New, Democratic U.S. Foreign Policy," which was published in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper tha ...

'', '' The Progressive'' and elsewhere. Subsequently, CPD launched actions in opposition to the Israeli attack on Gaza and worked with Czech and Polish peace activists to block the installation of U.S. radar and missile bases in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

. It protested the persecution of trade unionists and human rights activists, such as Shirin Ebadi, as well as students and gay people, in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. After the

2009 Iranian presidential election Presidential elections were held in Iran on 12 June 2009, with incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad running against three challengers. The next morning the Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran's news agency, announced that with two-thirds of the votes co ...

, CPD put out a detailed statement in support of pro-democracy protests in Iran. In October 2009, it issued a widely circulated call for the Obama administration to end U.S. military action in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

; the statement appeared as an ad in the Pakistani newspaper, '' The News''. In January 2010, CPD participated in a protest at the

CIA headquarters The George Bush Center for Intelligence is the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency, located in the unincorporated community of Langley in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States; near Washington, D.C. The headquarters is a conglome ...

in Langley, Virginia against drone attacks. After the disastrous floods in Pakistan in August 2010, CPD circulated an appeal by the Sindh Labour Relief Committee, including 14 Pakistani unions and progressive organizations, for financial aid to the flood victims. CPD also posted a statement on the floods' political context by the

Labour Party Pakistan The Labour Party Pakistan ( ur, لیبر پارٹی پاکستان, LPP) was a far-left political party and a leading labor union, closely allying associating with Fourth International. It claimed membership of 7,300 members in 2009. It origin ...

and the National Trade Union Federation. In October 2010, CPD issued a sign-on statement, "End the War Threats and Sanctions Program Against Iran: Support the Struggle for Democracy Inside Iran." In December 2010, CPD declared its support for the work of

Wikileaks WikiLeaks () is an international Nonprofit organization, non-profit organisation that published news leaks and classified media provided by anonymous Source (journalism), sources. Julian Assange, an Australian Internet activism, Internet acti ...

Julian Assange Julian Paul Assange ( ; Hawkins; born 3 July 1971) is an Australian editor, publisher, and activist who founded WikiLeaks in 2006. WikiLeaks came to international attention in 2010 when it published a series of leaks provided by U.S. Army inte ...

, and Chelsea Manning, which revealed the influence of the United States Intelligence Community on other countries. CPD enthusiastically welcomed the beginning of the

Arab Spring The Arab Spring ( ar, الربيع العربي) was a series of Nonviolent resistance, anti-government protests, Rebellion, uprisings and Insurgency, armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in T ...

with the statement, "We Support the Democratic Revolution in Tunisia" on Jan. 16, 2011. One month later, CPD hailed the

Egyptian uprising The 2011 Egyptian revolution, also known as the 25 January revolution ( ar, ثورة ٢٥ يناير; ), began on 25 January 2011 and spread across Egypt. The date was set by various youth groups to coincide with the annual Egyptian "Police ho ...

in the statement "Egypt After Mubarak" on February 14, 2011, which also warned against the continuing power of the Egyptian military and elements of the old regime and called for the completion of the democratic revolution. As part of its ongoing work on behalf of the democratic movement in Iran, CPD led a delegation of peace and human rights activists in a visit to the U.S. and Iranian missions to the UN in February 2011, arguing with officials there that both U.S. war threats and sanctions program and Iranian repression should be ended. CPD opposed NATO intervention in Libya ("We support the Libyan Democratic Revolution and Oppose Western Intervention and Domination," April 16, 2011) and played an active role in building solidarity with the democratic opposition in

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

. The CPD statement, "End U.S. Support for Bahrain's Oppressive Government," which included hundreds of Bahraini signatures, was published in ''The Nation'' (June 6) and the ''New York Review of Books'' online (June 9, 2011). After Israeli soldiers on the Syrian border fired on Palestinian demonstrators in May 2011, CPD issued a statement condemning "Israel's Murderous Attack on Unarmed Palestinians" (June 9, 2011). As the Arab Spring continued, CPD declared its ardent support for Syrian democracy activists: "CPD Salutes Syria's Courageous Democratic Movement" (June 9, 2011). In response to the violence of the

Assad Asad ( ar, أسد), sometimes written as Assad, is an Arabic male given name literally meaning " lion". It is used in nicknames such as ''Asad Allāh'', one of the by-names for Ali ibn Abi Talib. People Among prominent people named ''Asad'', ...

regime, CPD released both a "Message of Condolence and Solidarity From U.S. Peace Activists to the Syrian People" and an "Open Letter to the Syrian Government in Protest Against the Death of Non-Violent Activist Ghayath Mattar and Brutal Repression of Syrian Democratic Activists" (Sept. 16, 2011).

''Peace and Democracy News''

In the spring of 1984, CPD/EW published the first issue of its magazine, ''Peace and Democracy News''. It printed a speech by Daniel Singer, the European correspondent for ''The Nation'' and author of books on Polish Solidarity, "A Plague on Both Their Houses", which had been delivered at a CPD/EW forum entitled "In Solidarity With the Right to Rebel: Spotlight on Chile and Poland"; the forum had also featured the Chilean playwright and novelist Ariel Dorfman. Subsequent writers for ''Peace and Democracy News'' (later renamed ''Peace and Democracy'') included Adam Hochschild,

Richard Falk Richard Anderson Falk (born November 13, 1930) is an American professor emeritus of international law at Princeton University, and Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor's Chairman of the Board of Trustees. In 2004, he was listed as the author ...

Jan Kavan Jan Kavan (born 17 October 1946 in London) is a former Czech politician and diplomat. Biography Kavan was born in London as the son of a Czechoslovak diplomat, Pavel Kavan, and a British teacher, Rosemary Kavanová. Kavan moved back to Czecho ...

, Judith Hempfling,

Randall Forsberg Dr. Randall Caroline Forsberg ( – ) led a lifetime of research and advocacy on ways to reduce the risk of war, minimize the burden of military spending, and promote democratic institutions. Her career started at the Stockholm International Peace ...

Ann Snitow Ann Barr Snitow (May 9, 1943 – August 10, 2019) was an American feminist activist, writer and teacher. She was a co-founder of the New York Radical Feminists, and the (co-)author and (co-)editor of several books. Life Snitow was born in New Y ...

, Mina Hamilton,

Stephen Shalom Stephen Rosskamm Shalom is a professor of political science at William Paterson University where he has taught since 1977. He is a writer on social and political issues and is a contributor to Znet and '' Democratic Left''. He is on the editorial ...

Alex de Waal Alexander William Lowndes de Waal (born 22 February 1963), a British researcher on African elite politics, is the executive director of the World Peace Foundation at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Previously, he wa ...

, and Matthew Rothschild, along with CPD staff writers Jennifer Scarlott, Steve Becker, Gail Daneker, Joanne Landy and Thomas Harrison. The first issue of CPD/EW's journal, Peace and Democracy News, appeared in the spring of 1984. It published a speech given at a CPD/EW forum called "In Solidarity With the Right to Rebel: Spotlight on Chile and Poland" by Daniel Singer, the European correspondent for The Nation and author of the book "A Plague on Both Their Houses" about Polish Solidarity. The forum also included Chilean playwright and novelist Ariel Dorfman. Adam Hochschild, Richard Falk, Jan Kavan, Judith Hempfling, Randall Forsberg, Ann Snitow, Daniel Ellsberg, Mina Hamilton, Stephen Shalom, Alex de Waal, and Matthew Rothschild later contributed to Peace and Democracy News (later renamed Peace and Democracy), along with CPD staff writers Jennifer Scarlott, Steve Becker, Gail Daneker, and Joanne

Core principles

Until 1995, when ''Peace and Democracy'' ceased publication and a decline in funding and popular support for a peace movement forced the organization into temporary dormancy, CPD/EW (which changed its name to the Campaign for Peace and Democracy in 1990 to reflect the

end of the Cold War End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to: End *In mathematics: **End (category theory) **End (topology) **End (graph theory) ** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) **End (endomorphism) *In sports and games **End (gridiron football) ...

) continued to mount campaigns, organize conferences and issue statements based on its core principles: opposition to nuclear weapons and

military intervention Interventionism refers to a political practice of intervention, particularly to the practice of governments to interfere in political affairs of other countries, staging military or trade interventions. Economic interventionism refers to a diffe ...

, withdrawal of U.S. troops and bases from all foreign countries, and international economic policies to combat poverty based on aid and development aimed at popular rather than corporate needs.

Détente from below

Embracing the idea of “détente from below," first articulated by British historian and peace activist

E.P. Thompson Edward Palmer Thompson (3 February 1924 – 28 August 1993) was an English historian, writer, socialist and peace campaigner. He is best known today for his historical work on the radical movements in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, in ...

, CPD insisted that lasting peace could not be achieved by relying on existing governments, with their own elite realpolitik agendas, but only by alliances of

grassroots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...

movements working across frontiers. In particular, CPD/EW strove to forge links among the Western liberal movements of the early 1980s, the U.S. anti-intervention movements then opposing the

foreign policy of the Reagan administration Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * Unit ...

, and Soviet bloc dissidents. CPD became widely known for its direct contacts with

Eastern-Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc and the Soviet Bloc, was the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the influence of the Soviet Union that existed d ...

activists, and provided many U.S. peace groups with the opportunity to meet them and support their democratic struggles.

History

Founding

The group was founded in 1982 as the Campaign for Peace and Democracy/East and West (CPD/EW) by Joanne Landy and Gail Daneker. Its initial inspiration was the emergence of the independent Polish trade union movement Solidarność (

Solidarity ''Solidarity'' is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. It is based on class collaboration.''Merriam Webster'', http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictio ...

), and the massive upsurge of opposition to

nuclear weapons A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...

represented by the Nuclear Freeze movement in the United States and the

European Nuclear Disarmament European Nuclear Disarmament (END) was a Europe-wide movement for a "nuclear-free Europe from Poland to Portugal” that put on annual European Nuclear Disarmament conventions from 1982 to 1991. Origins The founding statement of END was the Eur ...

(END) movement, which protested

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

deployment of

cruise A cruise is any travel on a cruise ship. Cruise or Cruises may also refer to: Tourism * Booze cruise * Music cruise * River cruise Aeronautics and aircraft * Cruise (aeronautics), a distinct stage of an aircraft's flight * Aviasouz Cruise, a R ...

and Pershing missiles. CPD/EW was formed around a perspective of independence from both Cold War blocs; it dedicated itself to helping build a third alternative based on popular struggles for peace, human rights and social justice.

1980s

Throughout the 1980s, CPD insisted that independent peace and human rights groups in the Soviet bloc, not government-controlled "peace councils," were the allies of Western peace movements. It drew up joint statements by peace and human rights activists from both sides of the Cold War divide condemning the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile, persecution of dissidents in Soviet Bloc states, U.S. intervention in Central America, the Tiananmen Square massacre in China, and Israel's refusal to withdraw from the

Occupied Territories Military occupation, also known as belligerent occupation or simply occupation, is the effective military control by a ruling power over a territory that is outside of that power's sovereign territory.Eyāl Benveniśtî. The international law ...

. As well as with END, CPD had close ties with the Green Party in West Germany (especially with party co-founder and leader

Petra Kelly Petra Karin Kelly (29 November 1947 – 1 October 1992) was a German Green politician and ecofeminist activist. She was a founding member of the German Green Party, the first Green party to rise to prominence both nationally in Germany and wor ...

), Solidarność and the antiwar Freedom and Peace movement in Poland, Charter 77 in Czechoslovakia, and peace groups in the Soviet Union.

1990s

The fall of Communism in Europe was welcomed by CPD, but after 1989, the group expressed its dismay that the form of

social democracy Social democracy is a Political philosophy, political, Social philosophy, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocati ...

advocated for by Solidarność was eclipsed in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union by a turn to a

market economy A market economy is an economic system in which the decisions regarding investment, production and distribution to the consumers are guided by the price signals created by the forces of supply and demand, where all suppliers and consumers ...

instead. It spoke out against the imposition of " shock therapy" policies which sought to replace the old

Communist system Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

with policies that favored a

capitalist Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, priva ...

market economy. During the 1990s, CPD opposed the aggression of the Yugoslav Army against the breakaway republics, the

first Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

and U.S. intervention in Haiti. It sponsored debates over the issue of "

humanitarian intervention Humanitarian intervention is the use or threat of military force by a state (or states) across borders with the intent of ending severe and widespread human rights violations in a state which has not given permission for the use of force. Humani ...

".Stephen Shalom, Branka Magas, Thomas Harrison, Richard Falk, Roundtable on Intervention, ''Peace and Democracy News'', Vol. VII No. 2 (Winter 1993-940)

Revival in 2002

In 2002, the Campaign for Peace and Democracy was revived by co-directors Joanne Landy, Thomas Harrison and Jennifer Scarlott. With the death of Joanne Landy in 2017, CPD ceased to function. The Campaign for Peace and Democracy papers, including correspondence, flyers, and a complete set of ''Peace and Democracy News'', are available at the Tamiment Library.

Selected members

Ervand Abrahamian
Bashir Abu-Manneh
Janet Afary
Michael Albert

Stanley Aronowitz Stanley Aronowitz (January 6, 1933 – August 16, 2021) was a professor of sociology, cultural studies, and urban education at the CUNY Graduate Center. He was also a veteran political activist and cultural critic, an advocate for organized labo ...

Ed Asner

David Barsamian David Barsamian (born 1945) is an Armenian-American radio broadcaster, writer, and the founder and director of ''Alternative Radio'', a Boulder, Colorado-based syndicated weekly public affairs program heard on some 250 radio stations worldwide ...

Leslie Cagan Leslie Cagan is an American activist, writer, and socialist organizer involved with the peace and social justice movements. She is the former national coordinator of United for Peace and Justice, the former co-chair of Committees of Corresponden ...

Tim Carpenter

Joshua Cohen
Ariel Dorfman
Martin Duberman
Steve Early

Jodie Evans

David Friedman David Friedman may refer to: Music * David Friedman (percussionist) (born 1944), American jazz musician * David Friedman (composer) (born 1950), Broadway and film composer Film * David Friedman (actor) (born 1973), American film and TV actor and ...

Barbara Garson Barbara Garson (born July 7, 1941, Brooklyn) is an American playwright, author and social activist, perhaps best known for the play '' MacBird!'' Education and personal life Garson attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she e ...

Howie Hawkins } Howard Gresham Hawkins III (born December 8, 1952) is an American trade unionist, environmental activist, and perennial candidate from New York. A co-founder of the Green Party of the United States, Hawkins was the party's presidential nominee ...

Adam Hochschild

Doug Ireland William Douglas Ireland (March 31, 1946 – October 26, 2013) was an American journalist and blogger who wrote about politics, power, media, and LGBT issues. He was the U.S. correspondent for the French political-investigative weekly Bakchi ...

Richard Kim
Naomi Klein
Dan La Botz

Rabbi Michael Lerner Michael Lerner (born 1943) is an American political activist, the editor of '' Tikkun'', a progressive Jewish interfaith magazine based in Berkeley, California, and the rabbi of Beyt Tikkun Synagogue in Berkeley. Biography Family and education ...

Nelson Lichtenstein Nelson Lichtenstein (born November 15, 1944) is a professor of history at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and director of the Center for the Study of Work, Labor and Democracy. He is labor historian who has written also about 20t ...

Dave Marsh Dave Marsh (born March 1, 1950) is an American music critic, and radio talk show host. He was an early editor of ''Creem'' magazine, has written for various publications such as ''Newsday'', ''The Village Voice'', and ''Rolling Stone (magazine), ...

Kevin Martin
David McReynolds

Mary Nolan Mary Nolan (born Mariam Imogene Robertson; December 18, 1902 – October 31, 1948) was an American stage and film actress, singer and dancer. She began her career as a Ziegfeld girl in the 1920s performing under the stage name Imogene "Bubbles ...

Derrick O'Keefe CFRO-FM, licensed and owned by Vancouver Co-operative Radio, is a non-commercial community radio station in Vancouver, British Columbia. It is a legally registered co-operative and is branded as ''Co-op Radio''. The station broadcasts on 100.5 MH ...

Christopher Phelps
Charlotte Phillips

Ruth Rosen Ruth Rosen is a historian of gender and society, a journalist, and a Professor Emerita at University of California Davis. She is the editor of ''The Maimie Papers'', a New York Times Notable Book in 1978; the author of ''The Lost Sisterhood: Prost ...

Bill Scheurer The 2006 congressional elections in Illinois were held November 7, 2006 to determine who would represent the U.S. state, State of Illinois in the United States House of Representatives. Illinois had nineteen seats in the House, apportioned acc ...

Alix Kates Shulman Alix Kates Shulman (born August 17, 1932) is an American writer of fiction, memoirs, and essays, and a prominent early radical activist of second-wave feminism. She is best known for her bestselling debut adult novel, ''Memoirs of an Ex-Prom Qu ...

Stephen Soldz Stephen Soldz (born 19 November 1952) is a psychoanalyst, clinical psychologist, professor, and anti-war activist. Soldz is director of the Social Justice and Human Rights program at the Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis. He has received ...

David Swanson David Swanson is an American anti-war activist, blogger and author. He currently resides in Virginia and is the Executive Director of World Beyond War. Education Swanson obtained a Master of Philosophy degree from the University of Virginia in 1 ...

David Vine

Steve Weissman Steve Weissman is an American sportscaster who joined ESPN in January 2010. He came to ESPN from Comcast Sportsnet (CSN) in California, where he served as the network's lead anchor. Before CSN, he worked at WNEM in Saginaw, Michigan, winnin ...

Naomi Weisstein Naomi Weisstein (October 16, 1939 – March 26, 2015) was an American cognitive psychologist, neuroscientist, author and professor of psychology. Weisstein's main area of work was based in social psychology and cognitive neuroscience. She consider ...

Chris Wells
Cornel West
Reginald Wilson

References

External links

Website

List of endorsersGuide to Campaign for Peace and Democracy Records
Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives at New York University {{DEFAULTSORT:Campaign For Peace And Democracy Anti–Iraq War groups Political advocacy groups in the United States Organizations based in New York (state)