The wars in which the United States is currently engaged–in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and Libya–are harming U.S. national and economic security, degrading the standing of the United States in the world community, fueling hatred abroad for Americans and undermining the rule of law. These unconstitutional wars have been justified on false premises, and most recently in the case of Libya there was not even the pretense of a congressional declaration of war, making it an impeachable offense. We urge you to end the current illegal wars and start a national dialogue about shifting U.S. foreign policy away from dominance through military might, and toward being a member of the community of nations. It is time to end all of these wars. It is time to initiate a fundamental shift in U.S. foreign policy away from domination of others through military strength and damaging sanctions. As a first step we urge a major withdrawal of soldiers from Afghanistan–as candidate Obama promised in 2008. This withdrawal should be at least as large as the 63,000 troop escalation the President put in place early in his presidency. This withdrawal should be defined as a clear first step to a complete withdrawal of all soldiers and private contractors from Afghanistan by the end of 2011. It is time to return to our Founders’ declared conception of the United States as a democratic Republic and not an Empire.
The people signing this letter come from all segments of the political spectrum. We are conservatives and progressives, liberals and libertarians, from the right, left and center. We are Democrats, Republicans and independents. We represent a healthy and still vital American tradition, indicated by the fact that the majority of Americans want the United States to bring the soldiers home from these counterproductive and avoidable wars.
The U.S. needs to normalize relationships with countries around the world, especially in the Middle East. We recognize that there are important natural resources in these areas. But we can achieve a sustainable economy in more effective ways than war and empire. The United States clearly has the wealth and knowledge to make this transition, and showing how it can be done would be an unparalleled service to our people and the world.
This is the time for a profound shift in foreign policy. A perfect storm has demonstrated the urgent need to reconsider militarism and promiscuous interventionism:
– The U.S. economy can no longer sustain a bloated military that spends as much on weapons and war as the rest of the world combined.
– The U.S. economy is in dangerous straits with mass debt fueled in large part by military spending that makes up 55% of federal discretionary spending.
– In war after war the US military has found that it cannot defeat people who seek to protect their countries and reject foreign domination, the very lesson of our own American Revolution.
– Documents published by Wikileaks have added fresh evidence discrediting the idea of the U.S. being the “good cop of the world.” Instead the world increasingly sees the U.S. government as one that dominates through threats, violence, bribery, spying and illegal actions, and is all too willing to use military force to achieve its ends. That is not the polity which the majority of Americans wish.
– The rule of law has been undermined by ignoring Article 1 Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, which specifically states that Congress has the authority to declare war, not the president. Tactics used in recent wars, including torture and widespread abuse of prisoners, further undermine the rule of law.
– Even with the raid on the Osama bin Laden refuge, the growth of stateless terrorism will not abate as long as the United States continues waging wars which commonly feature torture, midnight raids on families and the killing of innocent civilians.
– War brings suffering on a massive scale and unnecessary war brings pointless suffering. Reliable reports indicate more than one million war dead in Iraq and millions more becoming refugees. There are constant reports of civilian deaths in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Libya.
Mr. President and members of Congress, you have a historic opportunity to redirect U.S. foreign policy down the pathways of peace, liberty, justice, respect for community, obedience to the rule of law and fiscal responsibility. George Washington urged Americans to “cultivate peace and harmony with all” and to “avoid overgrown military establishments,” which are “hostile to republican liberty.” It is time for Americans to reject fear and militarism and embrace the highest, noblest aspirations of our heritage. It is time to come home, America.
Sincerely,*
Elliot Adams, President, Veterans for Peace
I. Dean Ahmad, President, Minaret of Freedom Institute; President. Islamic-American Zakat Foundation
Lisa Albrecht, Professor, Social Justice, University of Minnesota
Larisa Alexandrovna, Editor-at-Large, Raw Story
Maria Allwine, Fund Our Communities, Steering Committee, October2011.org
James Babb, Co-founder, We Won’t Fly
Jim Babka, President, DownsizeDC.org, Inc.
Michael Badnarik, Libertarian Party Presidential Nominee 2004
Margo Baldwin, President & Publisher, Chelsea Green Publishing
Jack Balkwill, Editor, LUV (Liberty Underground of Virginia) News
Doug Bandow, Former Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan
Paul Barrow, Director of Policy and Communications, United Progressives
Rosalyn Baxandall, Distinguished American Studies Prof., Chair SUNY Old Westbury
Jonathan Bean, Research Fellow, The Independent Institute
William O. Beeman, Professor and Chair, Department of Anthropology, University of Minnesota
David Beito, Professor of History at the University of Alabama
Medea Benjamin, CODEPINK, co-founder Phyllis Bennis, Director, New Internationalism Project, Institute for Policy Studies
Bruce L. Benson, Professor and Chair, Department of Economics, Florida State University, Vietnam War combat veteran
Walter E. Block, Professor of Economics, Loyola University
Leah Bolger, CDR, USN (Ret), National Vice-President, Veterans For Peace
Scott Bonn, Author and Assistant Professor of Sociology, Drew University
Samuel Bostaph, Professor Emeritus of Economics, University of Dallas
Elaine Brower, anti-war military mom, National Steering committee, World Can’t Wait
Paul Buchheit, PayUpNow.org and UsAgainstGreed.org
Paul Buhle, Emeritus Senior Lecturer, Brown University
Tim Carpenter, Director, Progressive Democrats of America
Kevin A. Carson, Research Associate, Center for a Stateless Society
Gary Chartier, Associate Prof. of Law and Business Ethics at La Sierra University
David Cobb, Green Party 2004 Presidential Nominee
Jeff Cohen, Author, media critic, journalism professor, co-founder, RootsAction.org
Catarina Correia, Coordinating Committee, National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance
Robert Dickson Crane, Richard Nixon’s principal foreign policy adviser, 1963-68, Deputy Director for Planning, National Security Council, 1969
Doug Craig, Libertarian National Committee, US Navy, Gulf War vet
Ellen Davidson, Steering Committee, October2011.org
Nicolas J. S. Davies, Author of Blood On Our Hands & Local Coordinator, PDA Miami
Joseph Dobrian, writer, Libertarian Party candidate for Mayor of New York City, 2009
Karen Dolan, Fellow, Cities for Peace, Institute for Policy Studies
Jim Douglass, Author, JFK and the Unspeakable
Jake Diliberto, Co-founder, Veterans For Rethinking Afghanistan
Gus diZerega, Founding Editor, Studies in Emergent Order, author
Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, professor emerita, California State University
Sibel Edmonds, Founder & Director, National Security Whistleblowers Coalition
Carolyn Rusti Eisenberg Professor US Foreign Policy, Hofstra University
Ivan Eland, Senior Fellow, The Independent Institute
Daniel Ellsberg, Pentagon Papers whistleblower
Lucas M. Engelhardt, Assistant Professor of Economics Kent State University
Jodie Evans, CODE PINK, co-founder
John Feffer, Co-director, Foreign Policy In Focus, Institute for Policy Studies
Joy First, Convener National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance
Margaret Flowers, MD, Single Payer Health Care Advocate
Glen Ford, Executive Editor, Black Agenda Report
Four Arrows, aka Don Trent Jacobs, Prof. of Education, Fielding Graduate University, co-founder Veterans for Peace Northern Arizona chapter and American Indian author
Russell Arben Fox, Associate Professor of Political Science, Friends University
Bart Frazier, Program Director, The Future of Freedom Foundation
Eric Garris, Antiwar.com
