Iraq: Urge Congress to Adopt a New Political Strategy
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The United States needs a political strategy to help end the violence in Iraq, support a representative government, and withdraw all U.S. military troops from Iraq. People in the U.S. delivered this message loud and clear in the last elections. But the president last night in his State of the Union address failed to articulate a political strategy. Instead, he insisted again that more troops and more guns will end the violence. Rather than offering substantial funds to rebuild Iraq, the president is preparing a $100 billion proposal for the war and occupation that includes a mere $1 billion for reconstruction. This strategy hasn’t worked in the past four years, and it is unlikely to work in the next six months. Read FCNL’s response to the president’s comments on Iraq in his State of the Union Address.
We at FCNL believe Congress should do what the president has refused to do: de-escalate, negotiate, withdraw. Congress needs to quickly articulate a new U.S. political strategy that includes supporting negotiations to bring the majority of the nationalists fighting the current government into the political process, participate in a regional peace process that includes Iran and Syria, and signal to the people of Iraq that the U.S. does not intend to permanently occupy their country by setting a timeline for the withdrawal of all U.S. military troops and bases.
Senator Joe Biden (DE) has joined with colleagues from both major political parties to sponsor a resolution (S. Con. Res. 2) that would put Congress on record as opposing the president’s escalation of the war. Your letters last week helped persuade senators to clarify one dangerous part of this legislation. FCNL now views the Biden resolution as an important step forward.
But that’s not enough. Congress needs to match this rejection with an embrace of a new political strategy that can help to end the violence. To start, Congress should endorse the conclusions of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group report and set a date certain for the withdrawal of U.S. troops. The next step is for members of Congress to use their legislative power to end U.S. involvement in the war by cutting or conditioning funding.
Take Action
The Senate is expected to vote next week on a non-binding resolution rejecting the escalation of the war in Iraq. Write your senators today. Urge them to support the Biden resolution (S. Con. Res. 2) that rejects the escalation of the war as an important first step. But Congress should also articulate a political strategy that includes support for peace talks among Iraqis, support for a regional peace process that includes Iran and Syria, and a timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops while also limiting the president’s power to wage war against Iran and Syria.
On Monday, January 29 help turn protest into policy by joining FCNL and thousands of others in a National Call-In Day on Iraq. Call your members of Congress and tell them it is time to seek a policy to end the war and occupation in Iraq.
Background - Your Letters Made a Difference
Last week we asked you to join FCNL in urging the senate to amend the bipartisan legislation introduced by Senator Biden to clarify an important provision that could have been interpreted as an authorization for the use of force against Iran. Your letters last week have already had an important impact on the Senate resolution. At Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearings on Wednesday Ranking Senator Richard Lugar stated that a provision of the resolution that we at FCNL urged you to question in your letters last week should not be read by the administration to justify future cross border raids into Syria or Iran, which he said was clearly not the Senate authors’ intent. That legislation has now been approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and is expected to come before the full Senate next week.
Contacting Legislators
Contact your members of Congress through FCNL's web site.
Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121
Sen. ________
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Rep. ________
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
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