In the year before the Iraq war, the Bush Administration manufactured justification for a criminal and ineffective war—what will go down in history as the WMD con. But, no one expected the Bush Administration's doctrine for pre-emptive war to be employed again so soon.
False Justifications for Escalation
Similar to justifications made in 2001, Iran's nuclear program is portrayed as the principal reason for Iran's growing threat to the international community.
Despite the fact that there is now a peace majority in the US, the Bush Administration steadfastly continues on a path towards escalation with Iran--making the same arguments, using the same methods, and abusing the same international institutions as was done six years ago. By misinforming the American public, and presenting the military option as the overriding option, the Bush Administration is misleading much of the public, even portions of the peace majority, into accepting its slippery slope framework.
With a series of sanctions already implemented, the international response to Iran's nuclear program is oddly reminiscent of 2002 Iraq. The pressure on the Iranian government mounts despite the fact that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has not found concrete evidence of a nuclear weapons program -- suspicious signs that the program may not be for peaceful purposes, but not concrete evidence. And, even if there were a nuclear weapons program, the IAEA has confirmed that there is a three to ten year timetable before Iran could build a nuclear weapon.
The more pressing accusation that the Bush Administration is using to sway the American public towards recognizing the necessity of an attack is Iran's "destabilizing" influence within Iraq. On a daily basis, administration and military spokespersons, from Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to General David Petraeus, reiterate claims that Iran is housing, training and providing weapons to insurgents in Iraq -- all responsible for killing U.S. servicemen. However, a number of Middle East analysts and independent journalists have reported that Iran and the U.S. are not fighting a proxy war in Iraq. In fact, they are allied with the same political parties, and vying for influence within the US-instated Iraqi government.
The Impact of a War with Iran
Voices of reason and dissent must ask crucial questions about whether the administration would even achieve its own stated gains through an attack. Is this even an effective military strategy?
If the US navy were to strike at Iranian nuclear sites, the act may set back by a few years, but would in no way destroy or annihilate, a nuclear program. The more likely outcome is that Iran would push the program underground, escalate its progress and withdraw completely from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty -- not to mention the possibility of retaliation.
In addition, if the U.S. navy were to strike at Iranian military sites for the sake of bringing stability to Iraq, the act would be more likely to turn the Iranian-backed Shi'ite political parties against U.S. occupying forces and bring greater credibility to the insurgency.
Voices of reason and dissent must demand political solutions to conflicts that cannot be solved through military means -- and will only be exacerbated by military actions. Although political solutions are often the most difficult to accomplish and have been given little clout by the current administration, the alternative has been proven to be far more destructive to civilians on both sides, counterproductive to achieving the goals of security and peace, and holds the potential to engulf a wider sphere of political players, parties and countries into a conflict or war.
Peace Majority Please Stand Up
Since the Bush administration has done everything within its power to take the substance out of diplomacy as a solution to international conflict, it is up to the peace majority to reject the military option and bring viability and substance back into the diplomatic process. If the administration is impervious to the public, then it's up to the Democratic congress, voted-in by the peace majority, to exercise its power and hold the administration accountable. If the Democratic congress is unwilling to take a stand before the Iraq war is extended to Iran, then it's up to the peace majority to demonstrate the extent of its influence from the ground up -- from each town, city, county and congressional district.
While its crucial to maintain pressure on the national and congressional front, we as a movement have not yet tapped into the full potential of the local front. In addition to local demonstrations, vigils, and public awareness events, Global Exchange and CODEPINK are galvanizing community activists to pass peace resolutions in their cities, taking a stand at the local level against a war or attack on Iran.
Cities for Peace
As we head into the 2008 presidential elections, it has becomes clear that many of those running for President have no intention of bringing substance to the diplomatic process. However, as the primary and presidential elections begin in New Hampshire and work their way to California, there is ample opportunity to capitalize on grassroots people power to bring anti-war issues to the forefront of candidate debates and platforms.
Through our Diplomacy not War campaign we are passing peace resolutions in cities across the country to increase public awareness of US-Iran relations, dispell false justifications for war, and build a critical movement at the grassroots level that is empowering communities to hold their Congressional representatives accountable to their demand for a peaceful resolution with Iran.
Now is the key moment to mobilize citizens to demand that their representatives reject a flawed foreign policy founded on fear tactics and ideological rhetoric, and, instead, to insist on international relations based on the principles of non-proliferation and diplomacy. We must call on our elected leaders to put into check the reckless trajectory that the Bush administration has taken with Iraq before it is replicated in Iran.
Take Action: Interested in passing a peace resolution in your city? Contact Sanaz Meshkinpour at sanaz@globalexchange.org. Or, host an Iran speaker in your community; contact Kate Raven at kate@globalexchange.org or at 415-575-5550.