Minute
by Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting
Approved
October 2, 2002
Ohio
Valley Quakers Urge Peaceful Methods - Not War With Iraq
We
of the Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of
Friends are opposed to a war against Iraq. All wars sow the
seeds of future wars, but this war seems particularly likely
to sow terrorism and more war. Now is the time to seek alternatives
to war.
Quakers
have long sought such alternatives. We believe that policies
that remove the causes of war are the best way to prevent war
and, importantly in the current context, the best way to guarantee
our own security. In 1651, one of the first Quakers, George
Fox said, "I live in the virtue of that life and power that
took away the occasion of all wars." We believe that the U.S.
would be better served by policies that remove the occasion
for war.
One
way to remove the occasion for war is to adopt policies that
help heal. The people of Iraq, who are not our enemy, are in
need. The 1990 Gulf War devastated their nation's infrastructure.
Twelve years of sanctions have made things worse. Instead of
waging war, our nation ought to be about the business of repairing
the damage done by war. After World War II, we realized that
the people of Europe needed help. The U.S. responded generously
by implementing the Marshall Plan. In the coming months, instead
of inflicting additional death and suffering on Iraq, what would
happen if the U.S. implemented a "Marshall Plan" for Iraq? What
would happen if, instead of waging a new war, we repaired the
damage of the last war? What would happen if all Iraqis had
clean water, adequate health facilities, and a good educational
system? War will produce another generation of Middle Easterners
who are filled with hate. A "Marshall Plan" for Iraq would help
Iraqis and others around the world see our nation in a new way.
We believe compassion and generosity mark the path towards true
international security.
Instead
of seeking ways to remove the occasion for war, our nation's
leaders are talking of escalating a war (the sanctions and no-fly-zone
bombings already constitute a low-intensity but still deadly
war). They ignore the fact that international pressure has succeeded
in keeping Iraq at peace with its neighbors for the past 12
years. Iraq's leaders have acted malevolently in the past, but
Iraq's recent behavior has been peaceful. If we go to war, we
will attack a nation that has not attacked us. We will violate
our nation's traditional reluctance to go to war unless we or
our allies are first attacked. This war will be unprovoked.
Our
concern for removing the occasion for war has led Quakers to
pay special attention to human rights. We join others in deploring
the policies of Iraq's government toward its own people and
its repeated violations of international law, particularly during
its war with Iran when it used poison gas against Iranian troops.
(We note with shame that the U.S. sent military aid to Iraq
during that war.) We urge the governments of the world to use
all possible nonviolent methods to moderate Iraq's policies
and to support the Iraqi people in the use of nonviolent means
to achieve a representative government that respects human rights.
War
may bring about a change in Iraq's government, but many authorities
predict that the most likely result will be an Iraqi government
no better, and possibly worse, than that of Saddam Hussein.
The only certain outcomes of the direct use of our military
might against Iraq is that we will spend billions of dollars,
American soldiers will die, and many more innocent Iraqis will
suffer and die.
By
pursuing policies that remove the occasion for war, our nation
will live up to its highest ideals. We believe that many other
Americans join Quakers in wanting our country to be known, not
for its military might, but instead, for its generosity and
compassion. Quakers believe there is another way to be a world
leader. The U.S. has the wealth and generosity to help heal
the world. Ohio Valley Quakers urge our leaders to turn away
from war, and, in the words of William Penn "see what love can
do."
OTHER
QUAKER STATEMENTS & LETTERS
Reviewed:
09/06/2005
More
on Iraq
|
