The fighting in Iraq may be over, but local peace activists say they will not put down their cause any time soon.
\We'll remain vigilant, because we're concerned that it was Yugoslavia first, Afghanistan next and now Iraq,"" said Ben Manski, a Madison activist and co-chair of the national Green Party steering committee. ""The U.S. foreign policy for the last 13 years has been fairly consistent-the Pentagon will look for another target.""
The vigilance Manski alluded to remains evident in Madison. Although U.S. officials announced April 12 that major combat operations in Iraq have ceased, the marches and rallies that started here prior to the U.S. military intervention in Iraq continued over the weekend. The Madison Area Peace Coalition held a candlelight vigil Sunday night and Peace Presence, a group of people from local Buddhist groups, held a peace walk at the Capitol Saturday.
According to Savitri Tsering, one of the walk organizers, participants acted in response to both the war in Iraq and the general, constant desire for a more peaceful world. She said the end of the Iraqi fighting would not affect the group's cause.
""If we work on seeing the interconnected nature of all things, and work to cultivate a harmonious relationship with things, we're going to have a more peaceful world,"" she said.
While Buddhists concentrate on peace more as a way of life, groups that focus specifically on peace in Iraq also said their activism would continue.
Melea Carvlin, a member of Stop the War!, the student/youth caucus of MAPC, said it is important to join Iraqis in calling for the United States' withdrawal from the country.
""A lot of people might be a little disillusioned at this point, not knowing how to proceed, but I think we need to continue to oppose what's going on now,"" Carvlin said.
Manski and Carvlin both cited the Bush administration's recent warnings to Syria as a sign that peace protesters should stay active.
""We need to continue to build an anti-war movement that can oppose the next war because I don't think this will be the last one,"" Carvlin said.
Even though activists said the fight is not over, the average person may wonder what is left to protest. UW-Madison sophomore Karen Best said that as the media pull back from covering the situation in Iraq, most people will not be informed enough to care.
Best said she knew people who participated in the Books Not Bombs rally March 5 even though they did not know what it was about.
Now, she said, ""I don't think people that are uninformed are going to be just going to random rallies ... I don't think there will be nearly as much protesting.\
