When: Thursday, July 18th, 7:00pm
Where: 2650 Humanities Bldg., UW-Madison

Endorsed by: UW Progressive Green Alliance, Madison Area Peace Coalition (MAPC), & US Out Now.

Austin-based activist RAHUL MAHAJAN is a specialist on U.S. Middle East policy and has campaigned against the U.S.-imposed Iraq sanctions and Israel's treatment of the Palestinians. Since 9/11 he has worked extensively on U.S. policy toward Afghanistan, Central Asia, and South Asia.

MAHAJAN serves on the National Board of Peace Action, the nation's largest grassroots peace organization and served on the Coordinating Committee of the National Network to End the War on Iraq for its first year. He runs Iraq Update, the nation's largest email list sending out news and analysis about Iraq. He is a member of the Nowar Collective, which runs Austin's largest progressive event-announcement listserv.

MAHAJAN has published over 30 articles, including over a dozen op-ed pieces in newspapers like Newsday (Long Island), the Baltimore Sun, the Houston Chronicle, and The Hindu, one of India's largest English-language papers. He has also been published in the alternative media, with articles on Enron, Iraq, and other issues. Since September 11, he has written numerous antiwar articles for websites like Common Dreams, Counterpunch, ZNet, and AlterNet. His recently released book, "The New Crusade: America's War on Terrorism," has been described as "mandatory reading for anyone who wants to get a handle on the war on terrorism."

He is currently running for Governor of the State of Texas as the Green Party candidate

The attacks of September 11, 2001 and the U.S. government response, especially after the bombing of Afghanistan, transformed U.S. and global politics.

The NEW CRUSADE examines the myths that have arisen around the war on terrorism and the ways they are used to benefit a small elite. Mahajan demonstrates how accepted accounts of the causes of the U.S. military intervention in Afghanistan, the conduct of the war, and its consequences have been systematically distorted. He shows how global power is being redefined in the process and explores the new directions the war is likely to take.

Reflecting both deep knowledge of the region and the commitment and hands-on experience of a seasoned activist, Mahajan provides a powerful interpretation of events that will be decisive in the making of our time.