The Seamless Garment Network (SGN) adds its name to the voices of many others calling for a nonviolent resolution to the current standoff between the United States and Iraq. SGN is a coalition of individuals and organizations promoting the consistent life ethic. We believe all life is precious and any threat to life must be opposed. We choose nonviolence both as a tool to resolve conflict and as a way of life. Given these beliefs, SGN does not support the Bush administration's proposals for the use of military force against Iraq, nor the subsequent proposals by the US House and Senate.         While recognizing the instability in the Middle East and the dangers posed by Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, a unilateral attack by US forces would still not be justified. The Iraqi people have suffered tremendously in the last 11 years as a result of the 1991 Gulf War and subsequent economic sanctions - estimates are that more than 1 million Iraqis have died. To inflict further suffering on the people of Iraq would be a tragic mistake and morally indefensible. The majority of the world's leaders oppose another US invasion of Iraq. It is time for the United States to listen to the rest of the world, rather than act unilaterally. The US cannot continue to act in opposition to the wishes of the rest of the world without consequence. International conflicts should be addressed by diplomatic means, using agencies such as the United Nations to help find nonviolent, just resolutions. Any action taken by the UN or other agency must be multilateral, verifiable, and given the time necessary to enforce. War is not a just option. Wars in the 20th century have resulted in the deaths of approximately 175 million people - about 1.75 million dead per year for 100 years. The vast majority of those deaths were civilians - not soldiers. Iraq is no exception. Iraqi deaths during the Gulf War were about 90 percent civilian and at least half of those civilians were children (according to UNICEF reports). Modern warfare, with horrible weapons of mass destruction, will only make matters worse in the years ahead. War has become obsolete. Now it must be abolished. Let us look instead to non-violent and peaceful means of resolution to this conflict. These could include a return to arms inspections and elimination of all weapons of mass destruction by all parties - including the United States. As the world's lone Superpower, the US must take the lead in the war-abolition effort. We remain the only nation to have used nuclear weapons of mass destruction on another nation (Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, 1945) and the people of Iraq continue to suffer from the US use of depleted uranium during the Gulf War. The US has a stated policy that reserves the government's right to use nuclear weapons first - even against a non-nuclear foe. This policy must be abandoned. Rather than set an example of hope for peace in the 21st century, the US is continuing the same flawed policies of the past. Let us use whatever diplomatic means necessary to claim the moral high ground in the effort to resolve this dangerous conflict with Iraq. Let us seek to resolve this conflict, and all conflicts, by turning to our neighbors and allies peacefully. Let us work to build a world that rejects war, and instead seek paths of peace and a world of justice. SGN is a coalition of individuals and organizations working to promote the consistent life ethic. We are committed to the protection of life, which is threatened in today's world by war, abortion, poverty, racism, the arms race, the death penalty and euthanasia. We believe that these issues area linked under a consistent ethic of life. We challenge those working on all or some of these issues to maintain a cooperative spirit of peace, reconciliation and respect in protecting the unprotected. Back to Our Library...                     |  home  |  action  |  research  |  our library  |  members  |  our video  |  products  |  join  |  contact us  |  our links