Take Action: Justice Not War: Real Solutions for a Safer World
Don't Attack Iraq
While there is no evidence that Iraq was connected to the attacks of September 11th, the President has made it evident that Iraq is the next target in the war on terrorism. It is not clear if the administration is preparing to occupy Iraq, and if so, for how long.More Innocent Victims
The Iraqi people have been devastated by the misrule of Saddam Hussein and over a decade of economic sanctions. These civilians are the ones who will bear the brunt of a US invasion. If the US invades Iraq innocent people will be killed - perhaps many thousands.Killing innocent civilians will build anger and resentment against the US. Instead of attacking Iraq, the US needs to build international goodwill through a more just foreign policy. Increasing sustainable development aid and emphasizing support for human rights and democracy (rather than oil interests) need to be our priorities, particularly for our Middle East policy.
Dealing with Weapons of Mass Destruction
The administration has cited Iraq's possible development of weapons of mass destruction as a justification for attack. The best way to deal with this potential threat is to lift the blanket economic sanctions so that Iraq will allow weapons inspectors to return to the country. Hans Blix, head of the new United Nations weapons inspections team seeking to resume inspections in Iraq, thinks his team would need only one year to certify Iraq is free of weapons of mass destruction.The US should work to eliminate nuclear weapons, and all weapons of mass destruction. The UN resolution ending the Gulf War in 1991 called for negotiations leading to a nuclear, chemical and biological weapons-free zone in the Middle East. This is more crucial than ever, yet no negotiations have occurred. The US must lead by example, making an unequivocal commitment to nuclear disarmament, in order to lead on nonproliferation in the Middle East and elsewhere.
Tell Congress
You can search for your elected officials online, by zip code, at congress.org, and can find general contact information for Congress in our Contact Congress section.
You can reach your member of Congress by calling the Congressional switchboard at (202) 224-3121. If you prefer to write a letter, check out our How To... section for tips.Tell your members of Congress to halt any US attack on Iraq. Here are some talking points:
- The US has no legal or moral right to overthrow governments.
- Unilateral military action, against Iraq or other countries, will likely make Americans less safe, not more, by engendering hostility that could lead to more terrorist attacks on Americans.
- International cooperation and upholding international treaties, would be a more democratic foreign policy.
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