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SAMPLE LETTER:
Dear Elected Official:
I am writing today to express my strong opposition to a US attack against Iraq. A full-scale war against Iraq would isolate the US from the rest of the world, undermine the effort against terrorism, and senselessly kill tens of thousands of civilians. This must not happen.
President Bush has failed to answer the most important question: What act of aggression has Iraq committed against us that justifies an invasion? There has been no Iraqi attack against the US, no threat of war, no Iraqi connection to September 11. Simply, there is no justification for going to war.
The White House says we should invade Iraq to prevent Saddam Hussein from using weapons of mass destruction. But there is no evidence that Iraq is still developing nuclear, chemical or biological weapons. During the 1990s, United Nations weapons inspectors dismantled all of Iraq's major weapons factories and destroyed nearly all of Iraq's weapons and long-range missiles. In terms of conventional arms, Iraq's military is now at one-third of its pre-Gulf War strength. According to Ex-Marine and former UN Weapons Inspector Scott Ritter, Iraq presents "absolutely nothing" of a military threat. Since deterrence is working, why should the US start a bloody war that would undoubtedly lead to massive human suffering?
America's allies certainly don't think we should. All the countries of the Middle East - including the Kuwaitis, who say an invasion could "turn into a war of civilizations" - are opposed to a war with Iraq. Our allies in Europe think an invasion is foolhardy.
By isolating ourselves from our allies, the White House is undermining the struggle to isolate terrorist organizations. An unprovoked attack against Iraq would inflame anti-American sentiment throughout the world, and, in the words of former National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft, "seriously jeopardize, if not destroy, the global counter terrorist campaign we have undertaken." An invasion would shatter the principles of international cooperation and mutual defense that are key to US and global security.
War should be a last recourse of self-defense, a step to be taken only when all other alternatives have been exhausted. What the Bush Administration is planning is an act of aggression, not an act of self-defense. The international coalition that fought the first Gulf War was cemented by the principle that one country cannot invade another without provocation. Now the White House is poised to dismiss the coalition to launch an unprovoked invasion of Iraq.
We should not invade a distant country that has not attacked us. We must not launch a war that threatens to tear the world apart.
Thank you for your attention on this urgent matter. I look forward to receiving a response soon.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Your Address
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