| The
following letter was written for an online petition (courtesy of
MoveOn.org, I think) to the UN Security Council on the eve of the
Iraqi war. I also sent copies to each of the countries' delegations
via email. That vote, of course, was doomed to fail, so Bush withdrew
the war resolution, and invaded Iraq anyway.
March
6, 2003
Dear
Members of the United Nations Security Council:
Like
many informed Americans, I am sympathetic to the dilemma facing
you at this moment. Before you will be the follow-up vote to United
Nations Resolution 1441, which will in effect authorize war against
Iraq.
It
is no doubt difficult to go against the will of the Bush Administration,
facing ridicule, retribution, and revenge (by economic means) for
taking a stand. But this is your moment in history, and you must
find the courage to stand your ground and resist the rush towards
this unnecessary war.
There
is no justification for war. There is no immediate or emerging threat
to either the US or the Middle East. An American invasion of Iraq
would be a direct violation of the United Nations charter; will
greatly destabilize the region; senselessly kill thousands of innocent
civilians; drive more and more of the Muslim world into the hands
of Osama Bin Laden; and an unchallenged invasion of Iraq will significantly
embolden the militant hawks of the Bush Administration, and enshrine
their doctrine of unilateral, preventive war. If they succeed in
Iraq, they will further reject internationalism and strike again;
perhaps in Iran, perhaps in North Korea. We will be reaping the
consequences of these actions for a generation.
The
Bush Administration has never adequately made the case for going
to war. Instead, the tactic has been to continually scare the American
public with speculation and conjecture. Saddam may one day have
a nuclear device. Saddam could possibly have biochemical weapons.
Saddam supports Al Qaeda and similar terrorist groups. Saddam may
have been responsible for the September 11 attacks. Saddam may have
unmanned drones (toy planes, according to the Fox News Channel)
that could attack the United States. Saddam is secretly rebuilding
its stockpiles of Al-Simoud missiles. Saddam is developing vaccine-resistant
strains of chemical weapons. Saddam is distributing American and
British uniforms to his army, who plan to impersonate US and UK
soldiers.
In
all of these cases, no clear evidence has been presented for the
world to see. Nothing to verify these charges, and no credible leads
that would help the UN weapons inspectors. Only fear mongering,
spying on Security Council members, and threats of payback against
countries that vote No are presented by the US. This is not a valid
way to make the case for war, and this is not the way for Mr. Bush
to treat America's allies.
The
vast majority of the peoples of the world oppose going to war. Ten
million people, in over 600 cities across the globe, marched for
peace in February. Here, in America, hundreds of thousands participate
in protests, marches, teach-ins. The US Senate was flooded with
one million phone calls, emails, and faxes. A majority of Americans
want to allow UN weapons inspectors to continue their work. Their
efforts during the 1990s were very successful, and they will continue
to succeed now. Iraq can be successfully contained without shedding
one drop of blood.
Please
keep this in mind over these next crucial days. You and your fellow
delegates will be under considerable pressure to tow the US line.
But history, and the will of the people, is on your side. I am confident
that you will do the right thing. Stand firm and support the weapons
inspectors, and say No to this war.
Thank
you for your time. |
