Published by the MIT News Office at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.

Study War No More, Jackson Urges

KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Study War No More, Jackson Urges

On the eve of both the deadline in the Persian Gulf and the birthday of 
the late Martin Luther King Jr., the Rev. Jesse Jackson called on an MIT 
audience to emulate the slain civil rights leader by following the 
biblical admonishment to "study war no more."

"MIT," he said, "do the world a favor. Don't just protest war. Make war 
less likely by committing yourself to study war no more. In the final 
analysis, we do what we study. . ." He linked the biblical reference to 
beat swords into plowshares to current demands for a conversion of "war 
buildup into peace buildup."

Rev. Jackson, at MIT to deliver the keynote address at the first of a 
series of events arranged by the MIT Initiative for Peace in the Middle 
East, spoke to a full house in Kresge Auditorium. Hundreds of others 
watched on TV monitors in Lobdell and at several other points around 
MIT, including those in living units watching on cable. The total 
audience was estimated at 5,000.

Rev. Jackson claimed that the Bush Administration's "rush towards war" 
was closing a "window for negotiations" contained in the UN resolution 
that set January 15 as a deadline for Iraq's withdrawal from Kuwait.

"War represents moral exhaustion, intellectual bankruptcy. When there 
are no thoughts left, when there's no hope left, we fight to. . . 
reflect our lack of vision," he said.

But there is another way, he said, pointing to the third article of the 
UN resolution.

"We must continue to condemn the invasion of Kuwait as a violation of 
human rights. We must continue to call for the withdrawal of Iraqi 
forces from Kuwait." Then he cited the third article of the resolution 
which he said calls for resolving differences between Kuwait and Iraq. 
"The UN understands there is a zone of dispute and opens a window for 
negotiations. Why should we close that window in the rush towards war?"

He called on the US to pursue the UN resolution for an international 
peace conference on the Middle East that he said predates the Aug. 2 
invasion. America, he said, "has accepted a perverse, reverse linkage 
[by] refusing to proceed toward a conference that we are committed to 
because of the Iraqi invasion. We must break this linkage and pursue the 
UN resolution for an International Peace Conference. In this way we can 
use the leverage of military deterrents and economic sanctions to 
restore Kuwaiti sovereignty. In this way, the Iraqis can come from under 
the bomb shelters; the Saudis can be more secure; Israelis and 
Palestinians can pursue a course of coexistence; the United Nations can 
play a peace keeping role, and our American men and women can return 
home. 

"Surely, we cannot send American men and women to their death because we 
refuse to do now what we have pledged to do later."

Recalling the last birthday Martin Luther King Jr. celebrated in 1968, 
Rev. Jackson said the day was spent making plans to advance peace and 
combat poverty.

"You can do no less tomorrow," he told his audience. "Focus on racial 
justice, social justice and peace, because justice and peace are 
indivisible. You can't have a peace movement and ignore the lack of 
racial justice taking place at home. Martin Luther King had a broader 
focus than that."

After the speaking program at Kresge ended, many in the audience moved 
to Lobdell Dining Room where members of the MIT Initiative for Peace in 
the Middle East declared the establishment of a Martin Luther King Jr. 
Center for Peace and Justice.

Also scheduled was what the event's organizers called an "All-Nighter 
for Peace." Several discussion groups and activities took place.

Professor Noam Chomsky and Michael Albert, co-editor of Z magazine and a 
member of the Class of 1969, were scheduled to make an analysis of the 
crisis on Tuesday, Jan. 15, the second night of the week-long events. 
Other speaking events scheduled: January 16, 7:30pm, Rm 4-270, "No More 
Vietnams"; January 17, 7:30pm, Rm 10-250, "Academic and Scientific 
Response," and January 18, 7:30pm, Rm 4-270, "The Israeli/Palestinian 
Question."

Other speakers at Monday's event were Columbia University Professor 
Seymour Melman, MIT Lecturer Joni Seager, Fatima Zaidan of the Union of 
Palestinian Women's Groups, and Marie Jose-Rahab, international 
representative of the National Organization of Women.