As adopted at the Second UFPJ National Assembly in St. Louis, MO on February 19-21, 2005

Since its inception in October 2002, United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ) has worked from an understanding that the crisis in Iraq is the linchpin of a dangerous and much broader reordering of U.S. foreign and domestic policies, institutions, and practices. The Bush administration has used the “war on terror” to further an empire-building agenda designed to expand U.S. military and economic power worldwide and to undermine rights, liberties, and social programs here at home.

There is no indication that the Bush administration has plans to end the war or occupation in Iraq any time in the foreseeable future. Now, as much as ever before, we need a nationally coordinated peace and justice movement to resist the war and challenge the broader drive toward global empire and its consequences both at home and abroad.

In the coming months many demands will be placed on UFPJ: issues that rightly need our attention, crisis situations that arise, constituencies that reasonably want their issues addressed. As we had coming out of our first national assembly in June 2003, UFPJ needs an overall framework that sets clear goals and allows for our collective assessment of our priorities. This document draws both from our original Strategic Framework and from the insights we have gained from our work over the last two years.

As a coalition, United for Peace and Justice includes groups that focus primarily on the urgent need to end the war in Iraq as well as organizations committed to building a long-term movement able to effectively counter the economic, social and political forces that create wars like this. A central challenge our coalition faces is maintaining a proper balance between developing a program of action to end the war in Iraq and addressing the wide range of important issues that are intimately bound up with the war.

This strategic framework is intended to guide our decisions about what specific proposals to take up over the next 18 months, and what resources to devote to different areas of work. It is part of an ongoing and evolving conversation about the best focus for this coalition, the best way to build a strong and broad long-term movement to resist war and empire, and the best means to realize our deeper vision of a world where justice triumphs and peace prevails.


SECTION 1: The Immediate Goal of UFPJ

The immediate goal of United for Peace and Justice in the coming period is to force an end to the U.S. war in Iraq and bring the troops home now. We believe that withdrawal would constitute a victory against U.S. global empire, deal a blow to U.S. efforts to dominate the Middle East, and undermine corporate-military power.

Therefore, UFPJ’s central political demand is for the immediate withdrawal of the U.S. from Iraq, as the only possible basis for peace and reconstruction. We will focus our energies on the strategic points of vulnerability in the Bush administration’s war drive, and the bulk of UFPJ’s resources will be devoted to the pursuit of this goal.

UFPJ will also resist, as an urgent priority, any move by the United States to bomb, invade, or wage war against Iran, North Korea, Syria, Haiti, Venezuela, Cuba or any other country.

We also understand the war in Iraq as a centerpiece of the current domestic policies of the United States. The war in Iraq distorts our nation’s priorities and is inseparable from the “war at home”: the undermining of democracy, and the attacks on immigrants, youth, people of color, poor and working people in this country. UFPJ’s work to end the Iraq war will directly address the assaults on the rights of immigrants and dissenters; the targeting of youth for military recruitment, particularly from low-income communities and communities of color; and the militarization of the economy and the educational system.

All of our work is shaped by an understanding that racism is a key driving force behind many of this nation’s domestic institutions and foreign policies. UFPJ is committed to the struggle against white supremacy and other forms of oppression, both within our coalition and more generally in the work we do.

United for Peace and Justice works for peace and justice through nonviolent means. We strive to embody in our day-to-day work the values we espouse and the world we seek to build.


SECTION 2: The Role and Scope of United for Peace and Justice

UFPJ aspires not to be another organization to replace existing organizations, but to serve as a movement-building coalition that coordinates and supports the work of existing groups and builds linkages, solidarity and unity where none or little exist. UFPJ’s work in providing analysis, frameworks for actions, resources, information, and organizing tools is critical for amplifying the voices of the member organizations.

As we work to strengthen and expand opposition to the war in Iraq, with the goal of ending the war and bringing our troops home now, UFPJ also has a role to play as a broad coalition to:

1) Confront the U.S. drive toward global empire and its varied manifestations around the world, both military and economic.

2) Oppose U.S. military presence around the world, specifically the occupations of Afghanistan, Haiti and other nations should that arise, and U.S. support for the illegal Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. In this 60th anniversary year of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we will challenge U.S. nuclear hegemony and demand a plan for the elimination of nuclear weapons worldwide.

3) Address domestic issues tied specifically to the posture of permanent war and empire-building, particularly those that affect targeted or vulnerable communities.

4) Confront the undermining of democratic institutions, the attacks on the rights of workers, attacks on human/civil rights (including those of women, gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered people, people of color and ethnic minorities), and the deepening assault on the environment.

Given our limited resources and our central focus on ending the Iraq war, we are not likely to initiate or anchor major campaigns on these issues, but will provide support through website publicity, email announcements, endorsements, and/or other similar means. Wherever possible, we will seek opportunities to articulate the linkages between these issues and the Iraq War. In keeping with our coalition structure, we will encourage member groups with expertise in these areas to use the UFPJ network to build their campaigns, and we will create opportunities for member groups to collaborate on joint projects.

SECTION 3: Solidarity with Other Movements

UFPJ will seek to strengthen our alliances and working relationships with other forces in the antiwar movement, as well as the movements for global economic, environmental and social justice. Our international work will be based on respect for the sovereignty of other nations and a commitment to human rights and international law. We will support and seek cooperation with our sister organizations around the world, and we will act in solidarity with progressive groups and individuals within the United States and the nations occupied by U.S. forces.