Iraq -- What Can I Do?
An Action Alert from Global Exchange
DEAR FRIENDS:

With the US poised on the brink of war, thousands of people are asking us: What can I do to halt this rush to war? We feel it is important to urge everyone we know to help stop the White House’s plans to invade Iraq. We thank you for your commitment to peace and justice, and we hope you will join us in this important work.

In this alert you will find:

1 -- Upcoming Anti-War Activities
2 -- Ten Things You Can Do To Stop a War with Iraq
3 -- Top Ten Reasons Why the US Should Not Invade Iraq

George Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld want to drag our nation into a disastrous military venture against a country that has not attacked us. They want to wage a war that could lead to the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis and many US troops, a war that would alienate people all over the world and make us more vulnerable to attacks here at home, a war that makes a mockery of international law, a war that would cost about $100 billion at a time when our schools and hospitals are starved for funds.

Given the already calamitous situation in the Middle East, this war could plunge the region into total chaos and spread instability worldwide. We have a small window of opportunity to stop this war before it starts. We must act quickly to seize the moment!

For more ways to get involved, contact Global Exchange at 1-800-497-1994 or peace@globalexchange.org.

To receive future peace and Iraq related bulletins from Global Exchange, send an email to
nomoreinnocentvictims-on@globalexchange.org.

For more background materials visit www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/iraq. For other organizing ideas and to find out what is happening in your community, visit www.unitedforpeace.org.

Thank you so much for contribution to this important work.

Global Exchange

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1 -- Upcoming Anti-War Activities

September 30: No War on Iraq Lobby Day at Local Congressional Offices

October 5-7: Creative Protests to Stop the War

Please help by organizing meetings or rallies at the local offices of U.S. Senators and Representatives on Monday, September 30. Congress is expected to vote within the next month on whether or not to authorize a war against Iraq. We must convince our Representatives and Senators that their constituents oppose a pre-emptive war against Iraq.

For the day of September 30, we suggest that groups set up a meeting with their local Senator or Representative (or their aides) demanding that he/she sign on to a statement opposing war with Iraq. For Congress members who have been staunchly pro-war, we suggest a large, spirited anti-war rally outside the Congress member’s office. On the same day, national peace groups have called for a "No war on Iraq" lobbying day in Washington, DC.

Let’s follow the September 30 lobby day with anti-war protest activities from October 5-7, such as:

• Organize a "No War on Iraq" march or protest at the U.S. federal building in your city or another central location.

• Hang a "No War on Iraq" banner in a prominent public place. You can hang banners from freeway overpasses and out the windows of buildings in downtown areas.

• Join with people throughout the country who plan to participate in acts of nonviolent civil disobedience to express their opposition to a war against Iraq. For more information, contact the Iraq Peace Pledge at www.peacepledge.org.

• Organize teach-ins, sit-ins or walk-outs at high schools and college campuses to protest sending young Americans to fight and die for the benefit of US oil companies.

Be part of a national movement by building opposition locally. The website UnitedForPeace.org will provide ideas for events, educational materials, sample flyers and press releases, and tips for organizing. We will also keep a central listing of all the events, so please list your event on the site.

Working together in big cities and small towns across the country, we can build a strong, vibrant, creative, non-violent peace movement. Together we can build a nation that responds to terrorism through the rule of law instead of through more violence. Together we can build a nation that is a respectful and constructive member of the family of nations.

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2 -- Ten Things You Can Do To Stop The War On Iraq

(you can download a pre-formatted pdf flier at www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/iraq/tenthings.html)

1. Call or Fax your US Senators and Representatives and express your opposition to an invasion of Iraq. You can find out the names of your Members of Congress and their contact information at www.senate.gov and www.house.gov or call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. Ask your representatives to sign the "Peace Pledge" available at www.unitedforpeace.org.

2. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper saying why you oppose the war on Iraq. Your letter should be from one to three paragraphs long. Possible points to make include: the Administration has not presented an adequate justification for going to war; Iraq does not pose a clear and present danger to the US; and an invasion of Iraq would violate international law. You can find out where to send your letters by looking on the letters to the editor page of your local newspaper.

3. Email a friend and ask them to join you in opposing the war. Send this list of things you can do to stop the war to a friend along with a copy of Global Exchange's Top Ten Reasons Why the US Should Not Invade Iraq, available online at www.globalexchange.org.

4. Join the national mobilization to stop the war on Iraq by organizing an anti-war event (a rally, march, vigil, teach-in, or other action) in your community October 5-7. Make sure to list your event on the website www.unitedforpeace.org. We expect there will be more than 200 "No War on Iraq" protests during those three days.

5. Distribute flyers about why people should stop this war before it starts. Good, heavily trafficked locations include bus stops, subway stations, grocery stores, college campuses, libraries, and churches, among other sites. For a sample flyer, go to www.unitedforpeace.org or call us at 415-255-7296.

6. Organize a weekly vigil against the war at the US federal building in your city, at the office of a Congressperson who supports the war, or at another public place.

7. Call a press conference where local community leaders, religious leaders, veterans, politicians, and others can speak out against the war. Once you have some community leaders who are willing to speak out against the war, determine the time and location of the press conference, send a press release to local media outlets, and then follow up with a phone call to tell editors and reporters what you're doing.

8. Educate yourself about Iraq and the US accusations against Saddam Hussein so you can discuss the issue with friends, family, and even strangers. We won't be able to stop this war if we can't convince people who don't agree with us to come over to our position. Websites that have good information include www.zmag.org, www.thenation.com, www.commondreams.org, www.alternet.org, www.pacificnews.org and www.endthewar.org.

9. Place a "No War on Iraq" banner in a prominent public place. Even if the banner is taken down within a few hours, people will see it while it's up, and they will realize that the opposition to this war is growing. You can hang banners from freeway overpasses and out the windows of buildings in downtown areas. It's easy to make a banner: just use paint or markers on a white sheet.

10. Connect with the local peace group in your community. They will undoubtedly have other ideas for how you can work to stop the war. Some other peace groups that have chapters in many cities and towns include Peace Action and the American Friends Service Committee. (In Contra Costa, you might want to contact the Mt. Diablo Peace Center and/or Tri-Valley CARES.) You can also look at the events section on the United for Peace website, and see what groups are sponsoring events in your community. Or join Global Exchange's moderated email listserve by sending a message to nomoreinnocentvictims-on@globalexchange.org.

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3 -- Top Ten Reasons Why the US Should Not Invade Iraq

(You can download the Reasons from Global Exchange as a preformatted pdf flyer.)

The White House is planning to launch a war against Iraq. Yet there has been no real debate about whether an invasion is justified, no convincing explanation of why a war is needed. The international community is virtually unanimous in its opposition to an attack on Iraq, leaving the United States without allies. A full-scale war against Iraq would isolate the US from the rest of the world, undermine the effort against terrorism, and senselessly kill tens of thousands of civilians. The Bush Administration is determined to initiate an illegal and ill-considered invasion. We the people must be just as determined to stop a war that threatens to tear the world apart.

1 -- There Is No Justification for Going to War.

What was Iraq’s act of aggression against us that justifies war? There has been no attack on the US, no Iraqi threat of war, no Iraqi connection to September 11.

War should be a last recourse of self-defense, a step to be taken only when all other alternatives have been exhausted. What the Bush Administration is planning is an act of aggression, not an act of self-defense. The international coalition that fought the first Gulf War was cemented by the principle that one country cannot invade another without provocation. Now the White House is poised to dismiss the coalition to launch an unprovoked invasion of Iraq. This would violate the US’s historic policy against using force preemptively. We should not go to war against a distant country that has not attacked us.

2 -- Iraq Does Not Pose a Clear and Present Danger.

The White House says we should invade Iraq to prevent Saddam Hussein from using weapons of mass destruction. But during the 1990s United Nations weapons inspectors dismantled all of Iraq’s major chemical, biological and nuclear weapons facilities and destroyed nearly all of Iraq’s weapons and long-range missiles. In terms of conventional arms, Iraq’s military is now at one-third of its pre-Gulf War strength. According to Ex-Marine and former UN Weapons Inspector Scott Ritter, Iraq presents “absolutely nothing” of a military threat. And given Hussein’s natural desire for self-preservation, it is highly unlikely he would launch any attack that would result in his destruction. Since deterrence is working, why should the US start a bloody war that would undoubtedly lead to massive human suffering?

3 -- When It Comes to Invading Iraq, the US Has Zero Allies

All the countries of the Middle East—including Kuwait—are opposed to a war with Iraq. Our allies in Europe think an invasion is foolhardy. Only Great Britain’s Tony Blair has offered tepid support for a US attack on Iraq, and his approval is tempered by widespread opposition from the British public and his own Labour Party. An invasion of Iraq would isolate the US from the rest of the world and shatter the principles of international cooperation and mutual defense that are key to US and global security.

4 -- An Attack on Iraq Would Make Us Less Safe

An isolated US is an unsafe country. Attacking Iraq without provocation will ignite anti-American sentiment around the world, disrupting efforts to weaken terrorist networks. Any attack would also further destabilize a Middle East already inflamed by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While the benefits of invading Iraq are murky, the costs are all-too-clear.

5 -- An Invasion of Iraq Would Violate International Law

An attack on Iraq would constitute an attack on the Charter of the United Nations, which says that armed force may only be used in self-defense, or with the approval of the UN Security Council. That is what happened during the first Gulf War. Attacking Iraq without Security Council authorization would make the US an international outlaw.

6 -- Invading Iraq Would Be Difficult, Costly — and Without a Clear Victory

An invasion of Iraq will not be nearly as easy as kicking the Taliban out of Kabul. Although Hussein’s army has been weakened, Iraq’s forces remain large enough to put up a formidable defense. And it is likely that Iraqi forces will be far more determined to defend Baghdad than they were to defend Kuwait City, dragging US forces into a bloody fight in heavily populated areas. It is estimated that any full-scale invasion will cost as much as $100 billion. During the first Gulf War, allies like Japan covered 80 percent of the cost. It’s doubtful that will happen again, leaving the US taxpayers—already facing renewed budget deficits—to pick up the costs. And even if the US does overthrow Hussein, what next? As the experience in Afghanistan shows, throwing out a government is easier than putting a new one together. An invasion without allies would leave the US to enforce a peace in a chaotic country fractured by ethnic conflicts.

7 -- A War Would Kill Thousands of People

An assault on Baghdad would result in far more American casualties than the war in Afghanistan. And the toll on Iraqis would be far higher. Preliminary Pentagon estimates say that an invasion of Iraq could lead to the deaths of 10,000 innocent civilians—or approximately ten times the number of people killed during the US bombing of Afghanistan.

8 -- A Presidential War Would Violate the US Constitution

In order to protect against reckless and ill-considered wars, the framers of the US Constitution gave war-making powers to the Congress, not the President. Only Congress—the branch of government closest to the people—can declare war and appropriate tax funds to pay for a war. Any military move against Iraq should be put to a vote of Congress.

9 -- Other Options Besides War Are Available

The best way to stop Iraq from resuming its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction is to restart the UN inspections, which were largely successful. The UN is currently trying to resume inspections, but the Bush Administration is dismissing the effort out of hand. This is foolish. The US should work with the UN to get the inspection program back on track.

10 -- Opposition to the War Is Growing

Americans know deep down that this impending war makes no sense. According to recent polls, one-third of Americans are against a war with Iraq, and a strong majority thinks no attack should occur unless first approved by Congress.

Our task is to turn the public’s latent misgivings into blatant opposition. If the citizens say loud and clear that we don’t want a war against Iraq, it will be more difficult for the president to go through with his scheme. We have to educate our fellow citizens about why war with Iraq is wrong, and then hold our elected representatives accountable to the will of the people.

Please call your Congressional Representatives today and tell them you don’t want the US to invade Iraq. The Capitol Switchboard is 202-224-3121. For information about what you can do to stop the White House’s planned war against Iraq, contact Global Exchange at 1-800-497-1994 or peace@globalexchange.org, or visit their website at www.globalexchange.org.

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