Rules of Disengagement

by Cohn, Marjorie

• ISBN13: 9780981576923
• ISBN10: 0981576923
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-04-01
• Publisher: New York Univ Pr

Summary

Rules of Disengagementexamines the reasons men and women in the military have disobeyed orders and resisted the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It takes readers into the courtroom where sailors, soldiers, and Marines have argued that these wars are illegal under international law and unconstitutional under U.S. law. Through the voices of active duty service members and veterans, it explores the growing conviction among our troops that the wars are wrong. While the Obama Administration's pledge to remove all American troops from Iraq by the end of 2011 is encouraging and in no small way likely attributable to resistance by our armed forces it continues to fight in Afghanistan, and the military may soon have a heightened presence elsewhere in the Middle East and in Africa. As such, Rules of Disengagementprovides inspiration and lessons for anyone who opposes an interventionist U.S. military policy.

Author Biography

Marjorie Cohn is president of the National Lawyers Guild, a professor at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law, and a criminal defense attorney. The Stanford University and Santa Clara Law graduate is author of Cowboy Republic: Six Ways the Bush Gang Has Defied the Law (PoliPointPress). Her many awards include the 2008 Peace Scholar of the Year Award. Kathleen Gilberd is a GI rights counselor and veterans advocate. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, she co-chairs the National Lawyers Guild's Military Law Task Force. She is a nationally recognized expert on military administrative law and writes frequently for military law and counseling publications.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
The Vietnam-era GI Movement
Today's GI Movement
Resisting Illegal Wars	p. 13
Pablo Paredes and the Illegal War in Iraq
Howard Levy and the Illegal War in Vietnam
Modern Conscientious Objectors	p. 23
Defining a Conscientious Objector
Camilo Mejía; "Prisoner of Conscience"
Conscientious Objection Today
Conscientious Objection during Vietnam
Applying for CO Status Today: Myths, Regulations, and Resources
Winter Soldier	p. 45
Winter Soldier 1971
Winter Soldier 2008
Rules of Engagement
Winter Soldier Goes to Congress
Dissent and Disengagement	p. 61
Contested Territory: Free Speech and the Duty to Speak Out
High-Visibility: Demonstrations, Protests, and Street Theater
Squelching Dissent
New Technology and Traditional Dissent
Using the System to Protect Dissent: Vietnam
Using the System Today: Rules and Regulations
Challenging Racism	p. 85
Dehumanizing the Nonwhite Enemy Today
Dehumanizing Nonwhite Soldiers
Dehumanizing the Vietnamese
Using the System to Fight Racism
Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault in the Military	p. 105
Military Sexual Assault: One Soldier's Story
Military Sexual Assault: The History
Training Soldiers: Powers, Violence, and Sex
Response to Sexual Assault: More Hearings, Studies, and Regulations
Retaliation for Sexual Assault Complaints
Using the System to Fight Sexual Assault
The Medical Side of War	p. 127
The Story of Elizabeth Whiteside
The PTSD and Suicide Epidemics
The Failure of Military Medical Care
The Redeployment of Unfit Troops
The Regulations: GIs and Veterans Fight Back
Discharges	p. 149
A Soldier's Hardship
Reasons for Discharges
Delayed Entry Program Discharges
Involuntary Discharges
A History of Discharge Counseling
The Families	p. 171
Gold Star Families for Peace
Military Families Speak Out
Guerrero Azteca Peace Project
September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
Parents: Biggest Obstacle to Military Recruiters
Conclusion	p. 185
Questions of Law and Morality
The "Right War" Is Also Wrong
Mission and Condition
Disengaging
The GI Movement Today
Appendix: Resources	p. 195
Notes	p. 201
Index	p. 215
Acknowledgments	p. 227
About the Authors	p. 229
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.