Nuclear Age Peace Foundation

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  • Arrogance of Power: Today, I Weep for my Country…

    I believe in this beautiful country. I have studied its roots and gloried in the wisdom of its magnificent Constitution. I have marveled at the wisdom of its founders and framers. Generation after generation of Americans has understood the lofty ideals that underlie our great Republic. I have been inspired by the story of their sacrifice and their strength.

    But, today I weep for my country. I have watched the events of recent months with a heavy, heavy heart. No more is the image of America one of strong, yet benevolent peacekeeper. The image of America has changed. Around the globe, our friends mistrust us, our word is disputed, our intentions are questioned.

    Instead of reasoning with those with whom we disagree, we demand obedience or threaten recrimination. Instead of isolating Saddam Hussein, we seem to have isolated ourselves. We proclaim a new doctrine of preemption which is understood by few and feared by many. We say that the United States has the right to turn its firepower on any corner of the globe which might be suspect in the war on terrorism. We assert that right without the sanction of any international body. As a result, the world has become a much more dangerous place.

    We flaunt our superpower status with arrogance. We treat UN Security Council members like ingrates who offend our princely dignity by lifting their heads from the carpet. Valuable alliances are split.

    After war has ended, the United States will have to rebuild much more than the country of Iraq. We will have to rebuild America’s image around the globe.

    The case this Administration tries to make to justify its fixation with war is tainted by charges of falsified documents and circumstantial evidence. We cannot convince the world of the necessity of this war for one simple reason. This is a war of choice.

    There is no credible information to connect Saddam Hussein to 9/11. The twin towers fell because a world-wide terrorist group, Al Qaeda, with cells in over 60 nations, struck at our wealth and our influence by turning our own planes into missiles, one of which would likely have slammed into the dome of this beautiful Capitol except for the brave sacrifice of the passengers on board.

    The brutality seen on September 11th and in other terrorist attacks we have witnessed around the globe are the violent and desperate efforts by extremists to stop the daily encroachment of western values upon their cultures. That is what we fight. It is a force not confined to borders. It is a shadowy entity with many faces, many names, and many addresses.

    But, this Administration has directed all of the anger, fear, and grief which emerged from the ashes of the twin towers and the twisted metal of the Pentagon towards a tangible villain, one we can see and hate and attack. And villain he is. But, he is the wrong villain. And this is the wrong war. If we attack Saddam Hussein, we will probably drive him from power. But, the zeal of our friends to assist our global war on terrorism may have already taken flight.

    The general unease surrounding this war is not just due to “orange alert.” There is a pervasive sense of rush and risk and too many questions unanswered. How long will we be in Iraq? What will be the cost? What is the ultimate mission? How great is the danger at home?

    A pall has fallen over the Senate Chamber. We avoid our solemn duty to debate the one topic on the minds of all Americans, even while scores of thousands of our sons and daughters faithfully do their duty in Iraq.

    What is happening to this country? When did we become a nation which ignores and berates our friends? When did we decide to risk undermining international order by adopting a radical and doctrinaire approach to using our awesome military might? How can we abandon diplomatic efforts when the turmoil in the world cries out for diplomacy?

    Why can this President not seem to see that America’s true power lies not in its will to intimidate, but in its ability to inspire?

    War appears inevitable. But, I continue to hope that the cloud will lift. Perhaps Saddam will yet turn tail and run. Perhaps reason will somehow still prevail. I along with millions of Americans will pray for the safety of our troops, for the innocent civilians in Iraq, and for the security of our homeland. May God continue to bless the United States of America in the troubled days ahead, and may we somehow recapture the vision which for the present eludes us.

  • Another US Diplomat Resigns in Protest

    The following is the text of Mary Wright’s letter of resignation to Secretary of State Colin Powell. Wright is the third state department official to resign in protest of the US war on Iraq and other aspects of the Bush Administration’s foreign policy.

    U.S. Embassy
    Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
    March 19, 2003

    Secretary of State Colin Powell
    US Department of State
    Washington, DC 20521

    Dear Secretary Powell:
    When I last saw you in Kabul in January, 2002 you arrived to officially open the US Embassy that I had helped reestablish in December, 2001 as the first political officer. At that time I could not have imagined that I would be writing a year later to resign from the Foreign Service because of US policies. All my adult life I have been in service to the United States. I have been a diplomat for fifteen years and the Deputy Chief of Mission in our Embassies in Sierra Leone, Micronesia, Afghanistan (briefly) and Mongolia. I have also had assignments in Somalia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Grenada and Nicaragua. I received the State Department’s Award for Heroism as Charge d’Affaires during the evacuation of Sierra Leone in 1997. I was 26 years in the US Army/Army Reserves and participated in civil reconstruction projects after military operations in Grenada, Panama and Somalia. I attained the rank of Colonel during my military service.

    This is the only time in my many years serving America that I have felt I cannot represent the policies of an Administration of the United States. I disagree with the Administration’s policies on Iraq, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, North Korea and curtailment of civil liberties in the U.S. itself. I believe the Administration’s policies are making the world a more dangerous, not a safer, place. I feel obligated morally and professionally to set out my very deep and firm concerns on these policies and to resign from government service as I cannot defend or implement them.

    I hope you will bear with my explanation of why I must resign. After thirty years of service to my country, my decision to resign is a huge step and I want to be clear in my reasons why I must do so.

    * I disagree with the Administration’s policies on Iraq.

    I wrote this letter five weeks ago and held it hoping that the Administration would not go to war against Iraq at this time without United Nations Security Council agreement. I strongly believe that going to war now will make the world more dangerous, not safer.

    There is no doubt that Saddam Hussein is a despicable dictator and has done incredible damage to the Iraqi people and others of the region. I totally support the international community’s demand that Saddam’s regime destroy weapons of mass destruction.

    However, I believe we should not use US military force without UNSC agreement to ensure compliance. In our press for military action now, we have created deep chasms in the international community and in important international organizations. Our policies have alienated many of our allies and created ill will in much of the world.

    Countries of the world supported America’s action in Afghanistan as a response to the September 11 Al Qaida attacks on America. Since then, America has lost the incredible sympathy of most of the world because of our policy toward Iraq. Much of the world considers our statements about Iraq as arrogant, untruthful and masking a hidden agenda. Leaders of moderate Moslem/Arab countries warn us about predicable outrage and anger of the youth of their countries if America enters an Arab country with the purpose of attacking Moslems/Arabs, not defending them. Attacking the Saddam regime in Iraq now is very different than expelling the same regime from Kuwait, as we did ten years ago.

    I strongly believe the probable response of many Arabs of the region and Moslems of the world if the US enters Iraq without UNSC agreement will result in actions extraordinarily dangerous to America and Americans. Military action now without UNSC agreement is much more dangerous for America and the world than allowing the UN weapons inspections to proceed and subsequently taking UNSC authorized action if warranted.

    I firmly believe the probability of Saddam using weapons of mass destruction is low, as he knows that using those weapons will trigger an immediate, strong and justified international response. There will be no question of action against Saddam in that case. I strongly disagree with the use of a “preemptive attack” against Iraq and believe that this preemptive attack policy will be used against us and provide justification for individuals and groups to “preemptively attack” America and American citizens.

    The international military build-up is providing pressure on the regime that is resulting in a slow, but steady disclosure of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). We should give the weapons inspectors time to do their job. We should not give extremist Moslems/ Arabs a further cause to hate America, or give moderate Moslems a reason to join the extremists. Additionally, we must reevaluate keeping our military forces in the Middle East, particularly in Saudi Arabia. Their presence on the Islamic “holy soil” of Saudi Arabia will be an anti-American rally cry for Moslems as long as the US military remains and a strong reason, in their opinion, for actions against the US government and American citizens.

    Although I strongly believe the time in not yet right for military action in Iraq, as a soldier who has been in several military operations, I hope General Franks, US and coalition forces can accomplish the missions they will be ordered do without loss of civilian or military life and without destruction of the Iraqi peoples’ homes and livelihood. I strongly urge the Department of State to attempt again to stop the policy that is leading us to military action in Iraq without UNSC agreement. Timing is everything and this is not yet the time for military action.

    * I disagree with the Administration’s lack of effort in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

    Likewise, I cannot support the lack of effort by the Administration to use its influence to resurrect the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. As Palestinian suicide bombers kill Israelis and Israeli military operations kill Palestinians and destroy Palestinian towns and cities, the Administration has done little to end the violence. We must exert our considerable financial influence on the Israelis to stop destroying cities and on the Palestinians to curb its youth suicide bombers. I hope the Administration’s long-needed “Roadmap for Peace” will have the human resources and political capital needed to finally make some progress toward peace.

    * I disagree with the Administration’s lack of policy on North Korea

    Additionally, I cannot support the Administration’s position on North Korea. With weapons, bombs and missiles, the risks that North Korea poses are too great to ignore. I strongly believe the Administration’s lack of substantive discussion, dialogue and engagement over the last two years has jeopardized security on the peninsula and the region. The situation with North Korea is dangerous for us to continue to neglect.

    * I disagree with the Administration’s policies on Unnecessary Curtailment of Rights in America.

    Further, I cannot support the Administration’s unnecessary curtailment of civil rights following September 11. The investigation of those suspected of ties with terrorist organizations is critical but the legal system of America for 200 years has been based on standards that provide protections for persons during the investigation period. Solitary confinement without access to legal counsel cuts the heart out of the legal foundation on which our country stands. Additionally, I believe the Administration’s secrecy in the judicial process has created an atmosphere of fear to speak out against the gutting of the protections on which America was built and the protections we encourage other countries to provide to their citizens.

    Resignation

    I have served my country for almost thirty years in the some of the most isolated and dangerous parts of the world. I want to continue to serve America. However, I do not believe in the policies of this Administration and cannot defend or implement them. It is with heavy heart that I must end my service to America and therefore resign due to the Administration’s policies.

    Mr. Secretary, to end on a personal note, under your leadership, we have made great progress in improving the organization and administration of the Foreign Service and the Department of State. I want to thank you for your extraordinary efforts to that end. I hate to leave the Foreign Service, and I wish you and our colleagues well.

    Very Respectfully,
    Mary A. Wright, FO-01
    Deputy Chief of Mission
    US Embassy
    Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

  • Letters from Iraqi High School Students

    The following letters were sent to the Foundation by Ramzi Kysia, an Arab American peace activist and writer who has worked in Iraq for six months. The letters came from al-Adamia Secondary School for Girls, which is located in Baghdad and which has 700 students, ages 15-20 years old, and 48 teachers and staff. Al-Aadamieh is one of the best public schools in Baghdad, with consistently high test scores. Forty-three students from this class wrote letters on March 3, 2003.

    Ms. Salwa al-Sharbati, the principal of al-Aadamieh since 1978, stated, “When you have deep culture, deep history, it’s like a motive to push you to do anything – you’ll be ready for anything… The embargo itself is a challenge to us. Really, you have a lack in everything: chalk, desks, books, computers… We have another problem, that the students catch new diseases, especially cancers. This is affecting girls even more. They catch cancer of the breast and other disease.” Five out of 700 girls at this high school have cancer.

     

    Dear American Student,

    My name is Naba’a Riad. I’m 18 years old. I say to you, How are you and want to you best wishes. At first all I want or all I wish is to be a doctor in the future and all the morning I hope this wish came true. I have a friend in my school who everyone carried their wishes. We want to live in peace. So how these wishes came true if you threaten us. Please let us live in peace and to be your friend.

    With my best wishes,
    Naba’a Riad

    [drawing of a heart and flower] let this flower grow up.

     

    Dear American Students,

    My name is Thuraya El-Kaissi. I am in fifth class. I hope that we will see each other and talk about our dreams and hopes and our future … I am really hope that, inshallah.

    We love American people but the government they hate us and want to done this war on us.

    I hope that you will send me your photos and letters to me and my friends in our school … all my friends want your addresses and photos … and any things about you all. What do you want from us? Ok!? See you soon, and keep in touch.

    Your Friend,
    Thuraya El-Kaissi

    Note: I am 17 years old. How old you are?!
    Note: I love the band:- N’Sync and (Anthony Hopkins)

     

    Dear American Student,

    I am Zainab from Baghdad. I’m 18 years old. I’m very happy to sent you this brief letter, and I hope to everybody good life and they become what they want. And I like to tell you what my desire is to be (doctor).

    Goodbye,
    Zainab Kies
    The Bird of Peace [drawing of a bird with a flower in its beak]

     

    Dear American Student,

    I am Sara … I live in Baghdad and I want to live in peace here … and I am 17 years old.

    So I don’t know what I say. I am very sad and I am very confused. I like you to understand me what I want to say, and you have to forgive me because my English language is not good … but I hope you understand my pain … Just my tear could describe my pain … I love you very very much because you want to help Iraqi children … I want to be your friend … I’m so sorry again for my English language is bad … I’m so sorry.

    Yours,
    Sara Amer

    [drawing of a flower] This flower is for you

     

    For my dear friends in the world,

    I am very happy for your letters sent to my school, and your opinion about the Iraqi people, and I hope to live in peace and I hope to live in calm life in my country, and I’m thank you with my love for you.

    My name is Baidaa Suad, 18 years old, and goodbye with my love.

     

    Dear America Students,

    I send this message to any one of you to know us (Iraqi pupil) as it should be! I really glad to make a friendship with the U.S.A. student.

    My name is Sarab and I’m 17 years old and I have no mother because she died in cancer last year… So I think this friendship will help me to get out from this sadness that I’m gonna through… I hope I met someone of you face to face and to still friends forever… What I hope is our problems solve… In fact I really love American people from all my heart. I swear it’s true… I wish I can visit America and see you and you have to promise me that we will be friends forever and ever.

    I like dogs and I have one. It’s german shepherd dog, his name is Bone… Tell me what you like, like I do…

    I love Backstreet Boys, specially (A.J.)

    I feel we’ll contact with each other so in the second time tell me what you like to know you better.

    Yours,
    Sarab

    Friendship forever [inside a heart]. Keep in touch and don’t forget me…
    your friend, Sarab Taha El-Anne

     

    Dear Friends in U.S.,

    My name is Hiba Monther. I would like to tell you that I want to be like any people in the world. Well, I live with my family and from my house watch T.V. and read many books about the nature. Write to me and tell me about your feeling about this world. And I want to tell you that every night when I saw the moon and I feel that I am one of the stars in the sky.

    Best wishes to you and your family,
    Hiba Monther, 17 years old.

    Hello also from Hiba’s friend Rokoya (who doesn’t know English very well).

     

    Dear U.S.A. children,

    I am Safa Emad Jihad Al-Rawi from Baghdad and my age is eighteen years old. I want to tell you that I’m very happy to send you this letter and I want you to know that Iraqi children want to speak with you about their life and their school and they live in very normal live and we love American people with all of threatenings of war on Iraq. We love you always and want to live in peace with all the world because the Iraqi people love peace for them and for other countries in the world.

    Yours,
    Safa Al-Rawi

     

    Dear Friends,

    I am student in sixth stage, secondary school for girls. I want living with peace in the world. I will be a doctor in the future, and I very like of them before the end. I hope the Peace of Iraq and America.

    Zianab Munther, 18 years old.

     

    Dear American Student,

    My name is Rasha. I’m 18 years old. I want to say that I love the world and I love peace. I don’t want war. Why do you want to kill the smiles on our faces? We want to learn and live in peace. I want to be a dentist, so how could I make that if the war happened? We are a peaceful people. We love peace. We love American people, so why do you want to kill us? I pray for the God to avoid us the war, and I hope for whole the world the peace and love. I want to be friends and keep in touch with you. Let us spread love among us.

    With all the best,
    Rasha Ali Abdul-Raheem

     

    Dear Friends,

    My name is Haneen Hamid. I have 18 years old. I want to thank you. I want to be a doctor.

    Thank you,
    Haneen Hamid

     

    Dear American Student,

    My name is Summer. We love you people America. I am 18 years old. I don’t want war. We want peace. We want to learn. I love you. We want to succeed in our examinations. I want to be friends with you. So as love you because you love us.

    With my best wishes,
    Summer Mohammed

     

    Dear Friends,

    We are a group of 4 girls. We love the people of the world. We want to live in Peace.

    I, Reem, I want to be a doctor. I, Aseel, I want to be a doctor. I, Halla, I want to be a doctor. I, Hadel, I want to be a doctor. I wish that I can visit U.S.A.

    Good Luck,
    Reem, 18 years old.
    Aseel, 20 years old.
    Halla, 19 years old.
    Hadel, 20 years old.
    We are love the people U.S.A. We hope go to U.S.A to meet to people and explain my feeling to you. Our hobbies listening the music and swimming. We hope becoming engineers. We are 18 years old. Our names Mary and Daniah.

     

    Dear U.S.A. student,

    We are friends, and we like them. We have two arms are peace and success. We know our feeling toward our country and we thank our feeling. Thank you and goodbye.

    Huda Shakoor, 18 years old.

     

    Hi!

    I send them my best wishes and I hope them the success and all the happiness to them and to them families.

    Your close friends,
    Wasnaa & Hanan

    Call me please! We are 18 years old.

     

    Dear U.S.A. children,

    Hi. I’m from Baghdad. My name is Saba. I want to tell you I am very happy to speak with you. You can understand me. I hope to learn and I hope to live in peace.

    Yours,
    Saba Ihsan, I am 18 years old.

     

    Dear pupil of America,

    .. We are Sara and Meas .. We are two pupils in Iraq .. We hope to live in peace .. and we want to learn only .. We love the people in America but we are against Bush.

    Best wishes,
    Sara and Meas

    We are 17 years old. Thank you for your solidarity.

     

    Dear American People:

    Thank you very much to meeting’s. I love you the best people. My name is Kother. 18 years old. I am pupil. I want to live in peace. Do you think the Iraqi people not good? I refused all the war in the world. I love you peace.

    Best Wishes,
    K.I.H.

     

    Dear U.S.A. Student,

    We are friends, and I love for love. This we are one that called for peace and no for war. Thanks for your feeling.

    Raghed Salah Al-Deen, 18 years old.

     

    Dear U.S.A. student,

    I like your situation with us because together we have one aim – that we want peace and refuse the war in my country. I like to express my feeling towards America people – we love them but we hate America government, and in the end I thank you.

    Yours,
    Marwa Ali, 18 years old

     

    A letter for America’s students,

    I’m Saja Waad. I love to say hello to all one who is my age. I’m 17 years old, and I’m Muslim and I’m love peace. I have friends in Palestine and Jordan and I love to have another in other country because I love communication with other people in all of the world. I hope you can understand me what I want to say. This idea very beautiful that we be friends. I really wish I have internet to talk with some friends in the world. My wish is to be a doctor in the future. Can you tell me your wish when you send a letter to me? I will be very proud if this idea will be successful.

    With all my love,
    Saja Waad Ali Al-Rubeay, 17 years.

    Olive branch is a symbol of peace [drawing of an olive branch] we love peace

     

    To Friends in U.S.A.,

    I love people but I hate to the government (U.S.A.), and we love to be friend in school U.S.A. I hope to meet the people and I hope you can come to Iraq and visit us.

    Thank you,
    Hadeel Esam, 18 years old.

     

    Dear American Student,

    My name is Duha. I’m 18 years old. I love people America. I don’t want war. We want peace. I hope to live in peace. I’m very love pupil America and I want to see somebody and I want to say for somebody pupil America. I want to be in touch with you always. I hope to love for me so as you love me for love you.

    Duha Ali

     

    Dear Friend in U.S.A.,

    My name is Surowr. I love you for people America. I wish to visit America and I help to people America and I wish Doctor to help the children for people.

    Thank you,
    Surowr Muhammad, 20 years old.

     

    Dear American people,

    I would like to tell you that I love the American students. I want to tell you everything about the education in Iraq. We are proud of ourselves and we don’t want war against our country. If you visit Iraq you saw that the Iraqi people are kindness and generosity. We hope to do this really to know your comment about us, how we are brave.

    Finally, just we want that we live in peace and succeed in our examinations without war, and Iraq will be victorious.

    note: I’m 18 years old.

    Yours,
    Marwa Hashim

     

    Al-A’adhmia Secondary School for Girls
    Baghdad, Iraq
    March 3, 2003

    Dear American Student,

    I am 17 years old. I want to tell you that everybody in Iraq love everybody in the world. Only my wish is to continue my studies.

    Yours,
    Meelad

     

    Dear Friends,

    We love you and want to see you and we hope all the world live in peace and love each other like the flowers in one garden in heaven. Please urge your government to let us live in peace.

    Best wishes,

    Somiea, Anfal, & Yasamin
    we are 18 years old

     

    Dear American Student,

    I am 17 years old. I have beautiful family and we all want to live in peace, and I want to continue my study in the future. I wish to be an engineer.

    Your Friend,
    Even

     

    Dear America’s children,

    My name is Muna Khalid. I love America’s people and children. I want to live in safety and the other people in Iraq. Iraqi people love America’s people because the Iraqi people love peace.

    We love the world.

     

    Dear American Students,

    All the Iraqi people love American people … but we hate the war.

    My name is Noor – 18 years old.

    Thank you. Best wishes.
    Noor

     
    Dear America’s Students! –

    My name is Rasha. I have (19) years old. I hope to live in safety. I hope to a good study. I want to thank you about your feeling. You are good people.

    Best wishes,
    Rasha

     

    Dear America’s students,

    My name is Israa Adel. I am from Iraq. I have 19 years old. In the beginning I want to thank you about your feeling. So in the first I want to talk about my wishes. I want to be a doctor and I hope that my God help me.

    I love all the world.

    Israa Adel

    “The name of God”

     

    For All American people,

    I’m Marwa. I’m 18 years old. I’m in sixth lesson. I have my dreams .. I hope to finish my studies. I want to be a doctor. I hope to learn more than that .. I have a large number of friends and I hope to find more. Do you like to be my friend? I love all who love the peace. I love all who love the Iraqi people .. If you want to be my friend then tell me when we meet ..

    Your friend,
    Marwa

    [drawing of a heart and flower]
    “We live in one world”
    Love destroy the war

     

    Dear pupils in U.S.,

    I am Lubna Saad. I am seventeen years old. I am student in Al-Aadamya Secondary School for girls. I live near the school and I love watching TV, and specially the movies. I hope I will be a lawyer in the future and to travel to America and I want to told you something – when I get out my house in the night I saw the moon and I believe that all the people in the world would see it even in different times. So I wish that we all live in peace and visit each other. Thank you.

    Lubna Saad

  • Beastie Boys: In A World Gone Mad

    In a world gone mad it’s hard to think right
    So much violence hate and spite
    Murder going on all day and night
    Due time we fight the non-violent fight

    Mirrors, smokescreens and lies
    It’s not the politicians but their actions I despise
    You and Saddam should kick it like back in the day
    With the cocaine and Courvoisier
    But you build more bombs as you get more bold
    As your mid-life crisis war unfolds
    All you want to do is take control
    Now put that axis of evil bullshit on hold
    Citizen rule number 2080
    Politicians are shady
    So people watch your back ’cause I think they smoke crack
    I don’t doubt it look at how they act

    In a world gone mad it’s hard to think right
    So much violence hate and spite
    Murder going on all day and night
    Due time we fight the non-violent fight

    First the ‘War On Terror’ now war on Iraq
    We’re reaching a point where we can’t turn back
    Let’s lose the guns and let’s lose the bombs
    And stop the corporate contributions that they’re built upon
    Well I’ll be sleeping on your speeches ‘til I start to snore
    ‘Cause I won’t carry guns for an oil war
    As-Salamu alaikum, wa alaikum assalam
    Peace to the Middle East peace to Islam
    Now don’t get us wrong ‘cause we love America
    But that’s no reason to get hysterica
    They’re layin’ on the syrup thick
    We ain’t waffles we ain’t havin’ it

    In a world gone mad it’s hard to think right
    So much violence hate and spite
    Murder going on all day and night
    Due time we fight the non-violent fight

    Now how many people must get killed?
    For oil families pockets to get filled?
    How many oil families get killed?
    Not a damn one so what’s the deal?

    It’s time to lead the way and de-escalate
    Lose the weapons of mass destruction and the hate
    Say ooh ah what’s the White House doin’?
    Oh no! Say, what in tarnation have they got brewing??!!!!???!!
    Well I’m not pro Bush and I’m not pro Saddam
    We need these fools to remain calm
    George Bush you’re looking like Zoolander
    Trying to play tough for the camera
    What am I on crazy pills? We’ve got to stop it
    Get your hand out my grandma’s pocket
    We need health care more than going to war
    You think it’s democracy they’re fighting for?

    In a world gone mad it’s hard to think right
    So much violence hate and spite
    Murder going on all day and night
    Due time we fight the non-violent fight

  • Second US Diplomat Resigns in Protest

    Second US Diplomat Resigns in Protest

    A second American diplomat, John H. Brown, has resigned in protest, stating, “I cannot in good conscience support President Bush’s war plans against Iraq.” Brown, a longtime US Foreign Service Officer, who has served in London, Prague, Krakow, Kiev, Belgrade and Moscow, tendered his letter of resignation to Secretary of State Colin Powell on March 10. He joined veteran diplomat John Brady Kiesling, who has also resigned from the State Department in protest of Bush’s plans for war.

    In his letter of resignation, Brown cited a number of failures by the Bush administration, including:

    “To explain clearly why our brave men and women in uniform should be ready to sacrifice their lives in a war on Iraq at the time:

    “To lay out the full ramifications of this war, including the extent of innocent civilian casualties;

    “To specify the economic costs of the war for ordinary Americans;

    “To clarify how the war would help rid the world of terror; [and]

    “To take international public opinion against the war into serious consideration.”

    Brown pointed out, “Throughout the globe the United States is becoming associated with the unjustified use of force. The president’s disregard for views in other nations, borne out by his neglect of public diplomacy, is giving birth to an anti-American century.”

    We should be very thankful that there are individuals like Brown and Kiesling, willing to place their conscience ahead of their careers when an administration’s policy becomes fundamentally opposed to deep-seated American values of fairness, decency and support for international law. We should also continue to hope that Secretary of State Colin Powell may be moved to act upon his own conscience in reading the letters of these courageous men. Powell should be encouraged to join them in resigning his position instead of continuing to serve as a front man for the clearly untenable and dangerous US war plans against Iraq.

    In concluding his letter of resignation, Brown wrote, “I joined the Foreign Service because I love our country. Respectfully, Mr. Secretary, I am now bringing this calling to a close, with a heavy heart but for the same reason that I embraced it.”

    Thank you, Mr. Brown, for loving your country enough to act for its future by taking this bold step. For all who love our country, this is a time for bold action, before Mr. Bush and the ideologues surrounding him drag our country into an untenable, immoral and illegal war that will disgrace our country and be a burden to it for all time.
    * David Krieger is president of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. He is the editor of Hope in a Dark Time, Reflections on Humanity’s Future (Capra Press, 2003).

  • Just War — Or A Just War?

    Originally published in the New York Times

    Profound changes have been taking place in American foreign policy, reversing consistent bipartisan commitments that for more than two centuries have earned our nation greatness. These commitments have been predicated on basic religious principles, respect for international law, and alliances that resulted in wise decisions and mutual restraint. Our apparent determination to launch a war against Iraq, without international support, is a violation of these premises.

    As a Christian and as a president who was severely provoked by international crises, I became thoroughly familiar with the principles of a just war, and it is clear that a substantially unilateral attack on Iraq does not meet these standards. This is an almost universal conviction of religious leaders, with the most notable exception of a few spokesmen of the Southern Baptist Convention who are greatly influenced by their commitment to Israel based on eschatological, or final days, theology.

    For a war to be just, it must meet several clearly defined criteria.

    The war can be waged only as a last resort, with all nonviolent options exhausted. In the case of Iraq, it is obvious that clear alternatives to war exist. These options — previously proposed by our own leaders and approved by the United Nations — were outlined again by the Security Council on Friday. But now, with our own national security not directly threatened and despite the overwhelming opposition of most people and governments in the world, the United States seems determined to carry out military and diplomatic action that is almost unprecedented in the history of civilized nations. The first stage of our widely publicized war plan is to launch 3,000 bombs and missiles on a relatively defenseless Iraqi population within the first few hours of an invasion, with the purpose of so damaging and demoralizing the people that they will change their obnoxious leader, who will most likely be hidden and safe during the bombardment.

    The war’s weapons must discriminate between combatants and noncombatants. Extensive aerial bombardment, even with precise accuracy, inevitably results in “collateral damage.” Gen. Tommy R. Franks, commander of American forces in the Persian Gulf, has expressed concern about many of the military targets being near hospitals, schools, mosques and private homes.

    Its violence must be proportional to the injury we have suffered. Despite Saddam Hussein’s other serious crimes, American efforts to tie Iraq to the 9/11 terrorist attacks have been unconvincing.

    The attackers must have legitimate authority sanctioned by the society they profess to represent. The unanimous vote of approval in the Security Council to eliminate Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction can still be honored, but our announced goals are now to achieve regime change and to establish a Pax Americana in the region, perhaps occupying the ethnically divided country for as long as a decade. For these objectives, we do not have international authority. Other members of the Security Council have so far resisted the enormous economic and political influence that is being exerted from Washington, and we are faced with the possibility of either a failure to get the necessary votes or else a veto from Russia, France and China. Although Turkey may still be enticed into helping us by enormous financial rewards and partial future control of the Kurds and oil in northern Iraq, its democratic Parliament has at least added its voice to the worldwide expressions of concern.

    The peace it establishes must be a clear improvement over what exists. Although there are visions of peace and democracy in Iraq, it is quite possible that the aftermath of a military invasion will destabilize the region and prompt terrorists to further jeopardize our security at home. Also, by defying overwhelming world opposition, the United States will undermine the United Nations as a viable institution for world peace.

    What about America’s world standing if we don’t go to war after such a great deployment of military forces in the region? The heartfelt sympathy and friendship offered to America after the 9/11 attacks, even from formerly antagonistic regimes, has been largely dissipated; increasingly unilateral and domineering policies have brought international trust in our country to its lowest level in memory. American stature will surely decline further if we launch a war in clear defiance of the United Nations. But to use the presence and threat of our military power to force Iraq’s compliance with all United Nations resolutions — with war as a final option — will enhance our status as a champion of peace and justice.
    *Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, is chairman of the Carter Center in Atlanta and winner of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize.

  • International Women’s Day: Women and War

    Two great principles govern all interaction on earth: the male principle of competition and the female principle of cooperation. The judicious balance between these opposing forces functions both as a means of perceiving the world as well as guidance for getting along in it.

    In our contemporary perspective, these polarities assume a hierarchical position, with corresponding values assigned to the superior and inferior roles. War and peace are often interchangeably substituted for what we identify as the male and female principles. Put another way, many people observing and trying to ameliorate global problems posit that the male principle, war, is wrong and the female one, peace, is right. Patriarchy seems to subjugate, quantify, label and differentiate, while matriarchy seeks to incorporate, include and envelop.

    So patriarchy is wrong, right?

    The hierarchical superpositioning of masculinity over femininity is inextricably connected to the nature of the problem itself. Fritjof Capra, in The Web of Life, describes the problem as a “crisis of perception” where problems are viewed as distinct, unlinked entities. In reality, the interconnected male and female principles play a tug of war with each other, balancing each other’s creative and destructive powers, a natural system of checks and balances. In Eastern philosophy, the yin and yang cannot exist independently. An ongoing intimate dance between yang, the male principle, and yin, the female principle, governs the seasons, the transformation from daylight into darkness and the relationships between human beings. The Egyptian ankh symbolizes the male and female union; its name in Arabic means simply, “life.”

    Thus, the nature of the problem lies not in stratifying the principles into a “better or worse” paradigm, but rather realizing that the problems of the world, at the individual, local, national and global levels, result from the imbalance between the principles of cooperation and competition. The Western dominant culture has distorted its values to place more worth in competition and aggression, and the mysterious feminine principle of integration and synthesis is summarily dismissed as witchery or weakness.

    Yet most importantly, inherent in this disproportionate attention to the male principle is the unchecked capacity for destruction and objectification.

    Perhaps this is why it is so troubling to see primarily males occupying the vast majority of seats at the United Nations and serving as heads of state for the majority of countries. Perhaps this is why it is disturbing that the purportedly balanced and accurate news programs boast a majority of males in the roles of interviewer and interviewee. Perhaps this is why the theater of war, comprised of a cast of mainly men, is the ultimate assault on femininity.

    Liberation, the act of rescuing the damsel in distress, the art of war to free people seen as incapable of carving out their own destiny, is a patriarchal fallacy. The idea of liberating Iraq by force represents the systematic domination of male over female, the forcible rape and ensuing grief and shame of disempowerment that women have historically encountered as victims of male-perpetrated violence.

    Human nature, incorporating the experience of both men and women, has a predisposition for conflict. People inherently perceive the world from different perspectives and have an inclination to disagree. War, however, is a different case entirely. Its entire existence rests on the premise of otherness and separation, of a definitive right and wrong, of intensive training and preparation for battle, of desensitization to that which makes us uniquely and more deeply human: conscience.

    Embodied in the female experience is this notion of conscience. It is the intuitive, secret voice that whispers the directions for following a higher path. It is the dreamlike symbolism revealed through humility and introspection. Turning inward requires reflection and self-knowledge, faith in the unseen. It is the root system which takes hold beneath the soil before peering upward into the light. First we must go deep before emerging into the world.

    Iraq, the religious and historical cradle of civilization, is a potent metaphor for femininity. It is the Fertile Crescent, the great mother womb which gave birth to inventions like the wheel, the art of writing and three of the world’s far-reaching religions, Islam, Judaism and Christianity which share a common Abrahamic lineage. It is the home of archaeological treasures buried deep in the vast desert sands. It is the home of unheard weeping, suffering borne disproportionately by grandmothers, mothers and children.

    The invasion of Iraq is a crime against all women, against all that is feminine and sacred.

    Around the world, countries amass arsenals of weapons like the testosterone buildup in prepubescent males. Bombs and missiles gather tension as they lie in wait of evacuation from planes which vanish from their targets quicker than absentee fathers evading child support. Barbara Hope, in her essay “Patriarchy: A State of War” recounts the U.S. Army basic training jingle, “This is my rifle (slaps rifle). This is my gun (slaps crotch). One is for killing, the other for fun.”

    The decision to go to war with Iraq is one which will impact all members of Iraqi society, of American society and of people across the globe. A democratic process of hearing concerns from all involved has been systematically avoided and effectually discounted. The experiences of women and children, of students and elders, of those who will be on the receiving end of bombing campaigns and labeled ‘collateral damage’ have been given zero space in a credible, public dialogue.

    An egregious disparity gapes between whose narrative matters and whose does not.

    The runaway train of male competitiveness has flattened in its tracks the female experience, leaving a perpetual state of war and chaos where brute force is the law of the land. The feminine principles of cooperation, dialogue and diplomacy have been disregarded as ineffectual and powerless.

    We have long outgrown the Roman motto, “If you want peace, prepare for war.” Men on either side of the battle lines may declare a victory, but the women on both sides declare losses.
    *Leah C. Wells serves as the Peace Education Coordinator for the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.

  • Five Ways to Stop War

    Five Ways to Stop War

    The way things stand war is too easy. It is too easy to send someone else’s children to fight and die. It is too easy to dehumanize the enemy, making people believe, for example, that all children of Iraq wear the face of Saddam Hussein. It is too easy for leaders to commit egregious crimes under international law, including the crime of aggression, and not pay the price as did the Axis leaders at Nuremberg.

    It’s time to change the rules so that those who wage war, particularly illegal war, will have appropriate consequences. It’s time to end the double standards, and to replace might makes right with the rule of law. It’s time to demand that our leaders find peaceful ways to resolve conflicts. Here are five simple ways in which war could be stopped in its tracks.

    1. Require the leaders who promote and support war to personally participate in the hostilities. This would provide a critical threshold of personal commitment to war by requiring some actual personal sacrifice of leaders.

    2. Show the faces and tell the stories of the children of the “enemy” until we can feel the pain of their deaths as though they were the deaths of our own children. It is much more difficult to slaughter an enemy who one recognizes as being part of the human family.

    3. Give full support to the establishment of an International Criminal Court so that national leaders can be tried for all egregious war crimes at the end of any hostilities. All leaders who commit egregious crimes must be held to account under international law as they were at Nuremberg, and they must be aware of this from the outset.

    4. Impeach any elected leaders who promote or support illegal, preventive war, what was described at the Nuremberg Trials as an “aggressive” war. It is the responsibility of citizens in a democracy to exercise control over their leaders who threaten to commit crimes under international law, and impeachment provides an important tool to achieve this control.

    5. Rise up as a people and demand that one’s government follow its Constitution, cut off funding for war and find a way to peace. US citizens must demand that Congress not give away or allow the president to usurp its sole authority under the Constitution to make the decision to go to war. Citizens should also demand that Congress exercise its power of the purse to prevent war, including not giving financial support to a president attempting to bribe other countries to participate in an illegal war.
    *David Krieger is the president of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. He is the editor of Hope in a Dark Time, Reflections on Humanity’s Future (Capra Press, 2003).
    Readers’ Comments

    What a wonderful set of rules that could begin our move from pre-cultural to cultural existence. (I explain this in my book.) I especially think the second and last rule are so important. If we had anyone in office with any integrity and character they would have taken away the money long ago, given the state of our (non-exsitent) health and welfare policies. I don’t know why it’s so hard to see that sending butter not bombs and medicine not missiles could turn our foreign policy around. Combine that with allowing countries to be what they want to be in religion, politics, etc., and it wouldn’t be too long that we would be respected and trusted and terrorists would have no place to hide because friends don’t injure friends. What I can’t understand is why no one hasn’t unearthed the president’s “military gap,” his investment shadows and his academic skills so that the world could see really what we have in the White House. Maybe he would turn out to be very impressive and maybe not, I just wish the American people were given the choice to decide for themselves. Where’s Mike Moore when you need him? Keep up your wonderful words and work,
    — Roger

    Another way to stop war is to join an organized boycott of particular U.S. companies. For more information seehttp://www.motherearth.org/USboycott/

    General Electric (Hotpoint and other appliances), Oil Exxon Mobil/Esso, ChevronTexacom, Symbols of US Imperialism Altria (Philip Morris, Kraft) Pepsico (Pepsi, Starbucks), Coca-Cola, McDonalds
    –Pol D’Huyvetter
    For Mother Earth
    International Campaign for Disarmament, Ecology and Human Rights
    Establish 500 Sister Cities exchanges with the potential adversary. Exchange representatives from business, sports, education, health care, agriculture, city administration, religions, etc. Guests would stay at no cost with congregations of the various “peace churches.” Obvious purpose of these visits, but also seriously converse of the problems between us. Who would prevent this?
    –Ray
    David: I especially like your first point – Require the leaders who promote war to personally participate in the hostilities. Alexander the Great was not lolling in some safe bunker with central heat and air – he was in the forefront of the battle. I would also require bush the “leader” to personally meet with Saddam Hussein before hostilities start. Before Gulf WarI I wrote to George Sr. that he and Saddam should meet in the desert, draw a line in the sand, and do hand-to-hand combat until only one was left alive. This would certainly cut down on the casualties!

    Another point. It is far too easy to just ship several thousand troops to a staging area to start a war. I realize in the military it is necessary to maintain discipline, meaning “do as you are told”, but when our country has not been directly threatened, personnel should have an opportunity to opt out of participating wihout fear of reprisal. What if they gave a war and nobody showed up? I know that’s not an easy thing to accomplish, but it certainly would be worth a try.
    –Bernice
    Grandmothers for Peace
    Sacramento

  • Human Rights Defenders Visit the Foundation

    In areas of conflict and oppression working for peace and human rights can be dangerous and even life threatening. To help ameliorate such situations, foreign activists can, under certain circumstances, provide an international presence that pressures oppressive governments not to crack down on local human rights workers. Two such international activists, Claudio Valls and Andrew Miller, recently visited the Foundation and spoke about their experience providing protective accompaniment in Colombia with Peace Brigades International (PBI).

    Andrew, co-director of Peace Brigades International/USA, began the talk by giving an overview of PBI as an organization. PBI’s mission is to work to open a space in which conflicts can be addressed in a nonviolent way in regions where there is oppression and conflict. The organization currently has four active projects in Mexico, Guatemala, Indonesia and Colombia. PBI works only upon the request of local organizations working for human rights, social change and the development of civil society, and which use nonviolent means. PBI’s establishes its presence by placing volunteers in the area of conflict, who physically accompany local activists and network with the local officials and embassies. Andrew explained that the work of the volunteers on the ground is reinforced by an emergency response network maintained by PBI country groups around the world. These country groups network with their federal officials who can put pressure on the oppressive government not to harm the activists accompanied by PBI. The organizational structure of PBI is unique in that it works by consensual process and uses non-hierarchical structures.

    Claudio, a Santa Barbara resident who previously worked at the Foundation, is currently volunteering with PBI on a one year stint in Colombia. Claudio gave the talk’s participants a feeling for what it is like for PBI volunteers in the field. “Sometimes we go into an area where the authorities have told us that we would have government protection, and it turns out the area is not even controlled by the military but by guerrillas,” he explained. This is dangerous because the guerilla and paramilitary groups that are active in Colombia are not susceptible to same kind of international pressure that the Colombian government is. PBI volunteers, such as Claudio, undergo a training and selection process that evaluates there language ability, their ability to work in a group and their ability to hold up in high pressure situations. According to Claudio there are certain “red flags” that volunteers look for that signal the need to alert their emergency response network. Such signs could include direct threats against the activists PBI is accompanying or public statements by the government criticizing the work of the activists.

    Though it is difficult to gauge success in their work, Claudio and Andrew feel that PBI accompaniment has saved many lives. When PBI is fully successful it diffuses the threat to the local activists and allows them to continue their work. At other times, the accompaniment buys activists enough time to get out of the area where they have been threatened.

    That PBI activists are able to use nonviolent means to protect local activists trying to work for a more just society is a formidable accomplishment. That those working with PBI struggle to take the international support given to repressive regimes and turn it into effective and restraining influence is a sign that they have a profound sense of responsibility to their international community.

    For more information about PBI see their website athttp://www.peacebrigades.org

  • Santa Barbara Pacifist to Document Life in Iraq: She’ll share information she’s gathering with friends, students she teaches in Santa Paula

    She’s going to be gone for only four days, but it’s where Leah Wells went that makes Devon Chaffee so nervous.

    “I’m extremely concerned,” said Chaffee, who works with Wells in Santa Barbara. “My cell phone never leaves my hip.”

    Wells is in Iraq. She left Monday and isn’t scheduled to be back in United States until Friday.

    The 26-year-old Wells, who works for the Santa Barbara-based Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, said she felt compelled to go there despite Iraq being in President Bush’s cross hairs.

    She said she has no illusions that her trip will change Bush’s mind, even though she is being joined by 1,000 students from around the world protesting any use of force against Iraq.

    “I think the goal isn’t to be successful. It’s to be faithful to what we believe in,” Wells said Monday while on a stopover in Chicago. “We have to act as compassionate human beings toward those who have been through 12 years of hardship.”

    The State Department isn’t condoning trips to Iraq. Its Web site informs travelers that there is no U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. In fact, the Polish Embassy, which was being used for Americans in distress, also is closed.

    “It’s not a real good idea to be going there,” a State Department official said. “We’re asking people not to go to that particular region.”

    That doesn’t matter to Wells. What does matter is the story of the people who live in Iraq. She said her job is to document the lives of average Iraqis using her digital video camera and interviews.

    Wells will bring this information back to the United States to share both with her Santa Barbara friends and some students she teaches in Santa Paula.

    “Raw vegetables are hard to come by for the average citizen there,” she said. “The water is contaminated. They need help, not bombs.”

    As for Saddam Hussein, she knows his government is repressive, and she does not support it. But, the pacifist said, war isn’t the answer.

    Instead, she likes to quote an ancient proverb that says when two elephants fight, it’s the grass that gets hurt.

    “Nobody is talking about the grass,” she said. “That’s why we have to.”