An Ethical Way to End the War in Iraq?

Thousands have died and their families torn apart on all sides in the course of this war in Iraq. The devastation and suffering are powerful reasons to take the debate about the future of US and coalition troops with a deadly seriousness. Should we 'stay the course,' as we are responsible for the situation in Iraq, or should we set a timeline for a pullout? As a democracy, it is we who decide. Should we stay or should we go?!

Below, we've given some of the reasons why we (personally) have concluded that we (the US and coalition forces) should go. But even more importantly, how to go.

Out of a belief in the sacredness of life which calls us to respect the lives of all people, regardless of who they are (even those people we may know as enemies);
Out of a belief that violence very naturally instigates a cycle of escalating counter violence;
Out of a belief that the path of violence should only ever be taken as an absolute last resort when there is a great and immediate threat, and then restrained as much (and as quickly) as possible;
Out of the belief that when a wrong has been done, the best option is to admit it and change accordingly;

Out of these beliefs we want to publicly support this proposal for an ethical way to end the war in Iraq.

In short, the proposal calls for:
-The withdrawal of US & UK Troops from Iraq.
-For the US government to admit wrongdoing in invading Iraq.
-For an international peace keeping force from both Muslim and non-Muslim nations to replace the US and UK troops in Iraq to prevent further violence.
-And for the US to commit to provide billions of dollars to rebuild Iraq in the style of the Marshall Plan (the plan for rebuilding Europe after WWII) - money otherwise used to fund the war.

The Proposal has been signed by leaders of several faiths, is written from a Judeo-Christian standpoint and highlights the fact that Jesus called his followers to LOVE their ENEMIES - an incredibly absurd idea which if actually followed would save us so much pain and save so many others from hell on earth.

But even for those who reject the ideal of love for enemies, the idea of ending the war is not so absurd. A better way to maintain security in this world is to stop attacking those we see as our enemies (and all those hundreds of thousands of other people who just happen to live in the same neighborhoods) which only escalates the violence. Instead, let's choose a higher way. One which will avoid the unnecessary death and destruction of war.

Please read the proposal - it's only one page and is covered in large print.

"...this entire society has mistakenly adhered to the view that safety and security can be achieved through domination or control of others...

...a better path to safety and security is to treat others with generosity, kindness and genuine concern for their well being."

...and for those of us (Americans especially) who read this and think this sounds impossible - remember that we have the power. As a democracy, we have the right and the responsibility to ask our leaders to change course.
Now, to the signing...


If you agree, please sign the proposal:
http://www.reachandteach.com/rtsurvey/public/survey.php?name=iraq_sign
(if you disagree please read below)


For More Information:
Read: The Cost of War - How the war affects Iraqis (two easy to read pages)
Watch: EYES WIDE OPEN - a 3 minute video


Below are links which give reason and evidence to our belief that, regardless of whether the war was wrong from the beginning, our soldiers' presence in Iraq is doing more harm than good for the people of Iraq by fuelling the cycle of hatred and violence which calls more and more into the insurgency and terror groups.


Check the Facts:
-A US Army Brief from 18 Apr. 07 shows that more than 1/3 of all US soldiers believe torture is OK. Further, only 1/3 said that all non-combatants should be treated with respect and almost 1 out of every 5 said all civilians should be treated as insurgents. In the anonymous survey 1 out of every 14 marines and almost 1 out of every 25 soldiers admitted to having physically abused civilians unnecessarily.
-The Washington Post article from Jan. 14 2005 about the CIA report (below) which named Iraq as a 'training ground' for 'Professionalized' Terrorists.
-The CIA report by the National Intelligence Council (CIA think tank) from Dec. 2004 (PDF file - see pages 93 & 94)

-Brookings' Iraq assessment - An independent, non-partisan assessment (and poll) "based primarily on U.S. government information" from Apr. 30 2007 shows that the overwhelming majority of Iraqis (78%) "oppose the presence of coalition forces" and support a time line for US troop withdrawal. (PDF file - see pages 47 & 57)
-A World Public Opinion poll from Jan. 31 2006 of Iraqis shows that at that time 70% of Iraqis favored a timeline for withdrawal of US troops. Two reasons cited most were "the feeling... that it is offensive for their country to be occupied." and secondly that "US forces attract more attacks and make the violence worse." (Pg. 5 of the report)

-Iraq Body Count - a website which reports total numbers of reported deaths in Iraq, based on Media reports.
"It is likely that many if not most civilian casualties will go unreported by the media. That is the sad nature of war."-IBC
-CNN - 'War blamed for 655,000 Iraqi deaths'
-A Johns Hopkins University website article outlining the findings of the study (link below) which found that an excess of 600,000 Iraqis have died as a result of the war in Iraq beyond the number that would have died under prewar conditions.
-655,000 Dead - Johns Hopkins - The Human Cost of the War in Iraq - Mortality Study 2002-2006 (PDF file)
-The 2004 Johns Hopkins Mortality study published Nov.04 which set the number of deaths related to the war at 100,000 mostly due to violence. "...air strikes from coalition forces accounted for most violent deaths."
-New York Times article on the John Hopkins 2004 mortality study

-Wikipedia - Johns Hopkins Mortality Study
-Wikipedia - Just War - when is war just?

BBC - Iraq Summit Mid-East journalists believe efforts to achieve stability will fail "without a frank admission by the US of its failures"