By Catherine Gordon

ISSUE: President George W. Bush has asked Congress to adopt a resolution to authorize "The President . . . to use all means that he determines is appropriate, including force . . . against Iraq." Numerous religious organizations are opposing war against Iraq and instead are supporting international inspections through the United Nations to deal with the problem of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has called on the President to use restraint in regards to Iraq and has repeatedly called for international cooperation through the United Nations in order to control weapons of mass destruction.

Rep. Barbara Lee of California and 26 cosponsors have introduced an alternative in the form of House Concurrent Resolution 473. Its operative language:

"Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That the
United States should work through the United Nations to seek to resolve the
matter of ensuring that Iraq is not developing weapons of mass destruction,
through mechanisms such as the resumption of weapons inspections,
negotiation, enquiry, mediation, regional arrangements, and other peaceful
means."

ACTION: We urge you to call or fax your representative in Washington or at a
district field office and ask him or her to support the Lee Resolution and
become a cosponsor. Contact information is available at www.house.gov
You can point out that it is preferable to resolve the dispute with Iraq through peaceful means with the support of the international community. This is a wiser course than preemptive, unilateral military action by the United States with inevitable loss of the lives of American service men and women and the lives of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians.

Below are some talking points on the issue, which would be useful in a visit or phone call:

Emphasize values. We expect our government to:

• pursue peace, not war.
  
• work with the community of nations, not engage in rattling sabers or threats to overthrow governments.
  
• respect international law while holding in high regard all human life.

Emphasize the moral dimensions and consequences of war.

• To consider war without considering the suffering of the Iraqi people is unacceptable.
  
• U.S. military action as a means of dealing with proliferation problems sets a very dangerous precedent for other nations in the world.
  
• If the objective of war is to oust Saddam Hussein, American respect for the integrity of other nations will be doubted by many allies and world leaders.
  
• War against Iraq could easily destabilize the entire Middle East and provoke a larger confrontation that threatens the security of all nations in the region. Many Middle Eastern nations have already warned us of this unintended consequence of war against Iraq.
  
• The energies and riches of the U.S. should be dedicated to a global war against poverty and to counter the root causes of terrorism. The billions that an Iraq war would cost can ensure more long-term security for the U.S. if it were spent on a "Marshall Plan" for the Middle East.

Emphasize the humanitarian situation and plight of the Iraqi people currently and as a likely consequence of war.

• Due to economic sanctions and Saddam Hussein's policies, a May 29, 2002 UNICEF report finds:
  1. One in eight Iraqi children die before their fifth birthday.
  2. One in three Iraqi children suffer from chronic malnutrition.
  3. One-third of all children do not attend school.
• Ask what post-war Iraq would look like and how the U.S. intends to address the humanitarian situation after a war is conducted with many civilian casualties and destruction of societal infrastructure.
  
• Do not engage in debates on the complexities of the sanctions issues.

Caution that anti-American sentiment, which brings a threat of terrorism against U.S. citizens, would be heightened by war against Iraq.

• The Congress and Administration must work harder to calm, not provoke, the anti-American hatred that feeds terrorism.
  
• War against Iraq will have the likely result of increasing anti-American sentiment in the Middle East and thereby make American citizens even more vulnerable to terrorist attack.

Emphasize the United Nations as the internationally-accepted authority and only practical means for controlling and eliminating Iraq's weapons.

• The President's commitment to work with the U.N. Security Council is welcome. But insisting that the U.N. precisely implement U.S. policy is not what international cooperation is about. Urge the Administration and Congress not to undercut UN processes by go-it-alone rhetoric or actions.
  
• Do not in any way defend Saddam Hussein or deny the threat posed by Iraq's weapons.

Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking should be the highest Middle East priority for the U.S. government.

• A war against Iraq would set back, if not destroy, Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking.
  
• The cooperation of European allies, Arab states and others for Israel-Arab peace must be maintained, and Congress should support international efforts toward Israeli-Palestinian peace.
  
  Urge a "no" vote on congressional authorization of military force while emphasizing that whatever Congress does, it remains incumbent on the U.S. to work through the U.N. and not to act unilaterally.