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War hawks in both parties
are calling the President too cautious and demanding that he increase military
action in Iraq and bomb Syria immediately. President Obama is bombing Iraq and
sending more troops, but has indicated that he has not decided on his Syria
policy against the Islamic State (sometimes
also called ISIL or ISIS).
U.S. drones and planes are
acting as if they are the Air Force for Shi'ia militia forces in Iraq's civil
war, and the risk continues to grow of yet another full-fledged regional war in
the Middle East. We need to keep the countervaling pressure on to find peaceful
alternatives to the relentless slide to war. There is no military solution to
ISIS.
What is ISIS?
Confused about ISIS
and its origin and proliferation? Then you should hear this panel discussion on
Iraq and Syria.
Panelists:
Phyllis Bennis, Institute for Policy Studies Stephen Miles, Win Without War Yasir Shallal, Iraqi American activist |
The House of
Representatives passed H. Con. Res. 105, stating clearly that there
is no legal authority for U.S. military involvement in Iraq without express
Congressional approval. President Obama made it clear a year ago that he
believed he needed to go to Congress before taking military action against
Syria. We must forcefully mobilize the voice of the American people to
tell our leaders– NO NEW WAR IN IRAQ! ---. NO US WAR IN SYRIA!
Pro-war politicians from
both parties are demanding military action in Iraq and Syria to do anything it
takes to stop ISIS. Sadly, they forget that it was precisely ill- conceived
military actions that gave birth to ISIS in its previous incarnation as
Al-Quaeda in Iraq, fighting the foreign invaders and occupiers, and that later
nourished it with our ill-considered actions stoking the civil war in Syria and
contributing to sectarian strife throughout the region and in Iraq in
particular.
ISIS has horrified much of
the world by publicly executing two captured American journalists and
threatening minorities and Sunnis who disagree with them. Unfortunately, the U.S. is falling back into
the old habit of military intervention, which will only give ISIS what it wants
-- a war with the West. By wading into this sectarian conflict, the U.S. will
once again risk driving Sunni Arabs into the arms and recruitment offices of
ISIS.
We should respond through
the U.N. to the huge, growing humanitarian crisis. We should work with all
governments in the region, including Iran, Russia, Syria, and Turkey, to isolate
and prevent funding for ISIS. But U.S. military intervention under any pretext
will only worsen the suffering and increase the conflagration.
For peace, Shelagh Foreman Program Director |
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