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Linda Sartor takes us behind the headlines. She hopes that her stories will inspire readers to confront fear, to follow their hearts, and to believe that ordinary people can ultimately undermine and reform the harsh imperial and economic systems that are too often accepted as a baseline "reality" when the nations of the world exercise power.
"I came back from Afghanistan in 2011 with 70 pages of notes and no clarity about demanding US withdrawal."
In the wake of the 9-11 attacks in 2001, Linda Sartor was dismayed to see her country responding in ways that punish civilians in foreign lands, lending credibility to Al Qaeda's depiction of the US as an imperial state and an enemy of Islam.
For the next decade Linda engaged in self-styled citizen diplomacy, traveling to six war-torn countries to see for herself, and to do what she could to provide unarmed civilian protective support to locals in their efforts to attain peace and justice.
Besides Afghanistan, Linda traveled to Israel/Palestine, Iraq, Sri Lanka, Iran, and Bahrain with several different Peace and Justice organizations.
List of contents
Introduction 12
1 My Tormented Heart 17
2 Israel/Palestine 38
3 Feeling More Alive Than Ever 67
4 Iraq 84
5 First Stays in Sri Lanka 106
6 Two Final Years in Sri Lanka 134
7 Iran 167
8 Afghanistan 177
Final Thoughts 202
Resources
Notes 211
References 211
Further Reading 212
Credits 212
Acknowledgements 213
Index 214
Cune Press 217
Author 218
About the author
The 9-11 attacks: When the World Trade Center's twin towers collapsed, Linda Sartor was at home in Sonoma County where she lives in an intentional community. During the US bombing of Afghanistan that followed, Linda realized that her previous life of protest marches and "teaching peace" in public schools were not enough. She felt called to make a statement. "The lives of men, women, and children across the globe," she told herself, "are just as valuable as the lives of US citizens."Linda joined an international peace group in Israel/Palestine in the spring of 2002. She was in Baghdad in 2003, the month before the US bombing began. After returning home--as the bombs landed--she received moment- by-moment accounts of what it was like to live through the American shock-and-awe campaign from teammates who had stayed on in Iraq.Later, Linda joined delegations to other countries to stand with people who faced violence from their governments, often abetted by the US and other international players. Afghanistan and Beyond is her account of these journeys.Linda currently resides in an intentional community in Sonoma County, CA.
