On Feb 15, four SAIS students participated in perhaps the largest world-wide demonstration in history. In over 600 cities in 60 countries, people took to the streets. The main purpose was to protest against an immediate U.S. attack against Iraq, but there were myriad agendas present at these demonstrations, ranging from anti-globalization to an independent Kurdish state.

Rebecca Coolidge, Liz Martin, Chris Shephard and I took part in Rome where the numbers of protestors were estimated from 500,000 to 4 million. The eight-hour demonstration began at La Piramide, made a 10-kilometer arc through the city, and finished south of Roma Termini at Piazza San Giovanni, but the route was unable to contain the overwhelming number of demonstrators who filled street after street alongside the official course holding banners and PACE flags. Protesters marched with their children, friends, and pets. They played music, danced and simply walked slowly and enjoyed the atmosphere. The weather was sunny and the mood throughout the day was upbeat and fraternal.

Banners at the demonstration contained a variety of messages, “No Alla Guerra!” being perhaps the simplest and most common. The SAIS group carried a sign that read: “Studenti Americani dicono: Regime Change Begins at Home, No Democracy through Violence,” which was well-received by those present at the protest. Many approached us to find out where we were from and what we were doing in Italy. Our banner caught the eye of several television cameras in Piazza San Giovanni and was shown briefly on television later that night. A similar sign read “Not In Our Name: Statiunitensi Contro La Guerra.” One well-intentioned banner exhorted to the American president: “Bush No War, Do Sex.”

At the finishing point of the march at Piazza San Giovanni, a stage had as a backdrop a canvas of Picasso's Guernica as a reminder of the destruction of war. Among presenters were Heidi Giulliani, the mother of Carlo Giulliani, the protester killed during the G8 demonstrations in Genoa; an Israeli man who had been imprisoned for refusing to perform military service, an Iraqi man, and several RAI journalists. They spoke about the war, Palestine, and about the general march of geopolitics.

Having been among those who deliberated and drafted the SAIS letter to Paul Wolfowitz, the day's events in Rome provided one more opportunity to reflect on the impending war in Iraq, the merits of the use of force and other means of coercion, and my own values.

I realize that reasonable cases may be made both for going to war and avoiding conflict.

Nonetheless, while the masses of protesters marching around the world against the war probably had little in common with each other, they joined together to demonstrate against a war that they feel has not been well-justified. Their notions of justice both for the world and the Iraqi people, I argue, are at least as well-founded and well-thought out as the masses of Americans passively supporting the war.

The unionists, communists, greens, no globals, free Palestine supporters, independent Kurdistan advocates, anti-war protesters, political extremists and moderates, and everyday people that marched made a powerful statement. It is my hope that, if war does occur, the demonstrations will have laid the foundation for further activism to encourage the Bush administration to follow use of force with significant aid for the Iraqi people and their economy.