It’s Time to End the War in Iraq

It’s Time to End the War in Iraq

Finding a solution to the crisis in Iraq requires us to move beyond the soundbites of “stay the course” and “cut and run.” The United States and the international community have a responsibility to work with a sovereign Iraqi government to help that country become secure, stable, and independent. But the continued American occupation is only fueling the insurgency and destabilizing Iraqi society. Ongoing offensive military action in Iraq is causing mounting Iraqi casualties each day, alienating potential allies and spurring stronger resentment of the U.S. To rebuild the Iraqi people’s confidence in their nation’s security forces and its
fledgling democracy – and to save the lives of U.S. soldiers and Iraqi civilians – we must end the military occupation now.

A War Based On Lies
In the lead up to the pre-emptive invasion of Iraq, the Bush Administration repeatedly misled the world that this war was about Weapons of Mass Destruction. Over and over again, President Bush deceived the public into thinking there was a link between 9-11 and Iraq and that an attack on Iraq would make us safer from terrorism. While these inaccuracies have been repeatedly exposed, foreign policy experts such as the U.S. National Intelligence Council have argued that the war in Iraq has created a new “training ground (for terrorists) and an opportunity for terrorists to enhance their technical skills.” Bush’s lies have cost us
our safety and thousands of lives. The now-infamous “Downing Street Memo” and recent indictments of White House staff further reveal what we in the peace movement have known all along – that Bush “fixed the facts” to pursue an unnecessary war. He manipulated intelligence and lied to both Congress and the American people about his intent to avoid war. The Administration’s entire case for the war has now been debunked and American troops and
taxpayers are footing the bill for a war that was never needed and that is counterproductive to the security interests of our nation.

The Mounting Costs
The war in Iraq has claimed the lives of more than 2,100 American soldiers, with over
25,000 wounded and a casualty rate that climbs each day. The death toll for Iraqi
civilians has been estimated from 30,000 to 100,000 and growing. Iraqis are afraid to
leave their homes, for fear of attack by U.S. soldiers or suicide bombers. Their lives
are further threatened by the destruction that’s been wreaked on their country,
rendering their drinking water unsafe, their electricity faulty and leaving their
schools and hospitals in shambles and their economy utterly destroyed.
On top of the devastating cost in human lives and the humanitarian crisis now
facing Iraq, the ongoing occupation continues to drain our communities as well.
While companies like Halliburton and Bechtel have raked in billions of dollars in nobid
Iraq contracts, the price tag of the war is soaring well over $250 billion,
burdening U.S. taxpayers and robbing us of resources and social services we
need desperately here at home. With more than 200,000 national guard troops
having been deployed to fight the “War on Terror,” our communities have also lost
many of our first responders, weakening our ability to respond to crises, natural
disasters and real threats to the security of our local communities.

A Dangerous Foreign Policy
The United States’ pre-emptive war of aggression on Iraq has damaged our relationships around the world, destroyed American credibility and deeply undermined the United Nations. Throughout the Middle East, the occupation of Iraq has only further fueled resentment of and violence against the U.S. We must seek a new path in our dealings with Iraq, one that relies on international cooperation to meet the needs of the Iraqi people, and that encourages a stable, sovereign democratic government. To do so we must organize American citizens and inspire Congress to provide better principles for America’s foreign policy. We can help to better the living conditions of the Iraqi people, but we must do so through an end to the occupation,
and a real commitment to international cooperation, global legal systems, and Iraqi sovereignty.