Life and Death Under Trump’s Oil Blockade

By Corina Nolet
With appreciation to Elena Gutierrez and Marco Castillo for their partnership and shared experience during the delegation.
Written following participation in the Nuestra América Convoy to Cuba
March 26, 2026

Pharmacy shelves lie bare. Streets darken. Refrigerators sweating as the power fails once again. Doctors counting doses. Families counting meals. This is what the U.S. blockade looks like in Cuba. It is the daily struggle to keep life going.

We leave Cuba changed. Not because we did not expect hardship, but because of its scale, and because of the quiet endurance of a people, of a community, of a nation required to live within these conditions year after year.

What we witnessed cannot be captured in headlines or statistics.
It is etched into daily life across the island: into the long lines for transportation that never arrive, into homes that go dark without warning, into cancer patients waiting for treatment that has been delayed, and into the question many carry: Is this the worst, or is the worst yet to come?

U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have made clear their intention to pursue regime change in Cuba. 

For over three months, no fuel has been allowed to reach the island.
Not a drop

The United States oil blockade is driving Cuba toward a humanitarian crisis. The most vulnerable — newborns, the elderly, and the sick — are at the greatest risk. What is debated in distant, cold political language is lived here as daily deprivation.

It is difficult to convey what that means unless you see it firsthand. The stillness of streets once filled with buses, the darkened neighborhoods when electricity falters, the palpable fatigue in the faces of people who have adapted again and again to scarcity that is neither natural nor inevitable.

And yet, even in the midst of profound exhaustion, life continues. Communities organize. Teachers return to their classrooms. Doctors keep working, caring for the sick. Neighbors share what little they have. The resilience of the Cuban people is steady, daily, and collective. Even in the face of the most egregious acts of violence, Cubans remain committed to life, dignity, and self-determination.

This visit to Cuba has made silence impossible. 

Global Exchange traveled to Cuba as part of the Nuestra América Convoy, a coordinated international effort that brought together hundreds of people from across the United States, Latin America, Europe, and beyond in a collective act of solidarity. Communities organized, gathered supplies, and joined hands to deliver urgently needed humanitarian aid during a period of severe shortages. As part of this effort, Global Exchange carried more than $23,000 worth of life-saving cancer medicines and approximately 1,700 pounds of humanitarian aid, contributing to the convoy’s delivery of more than 20 tons of supplies to communities across the island.

When Fuel Disappears, Everything Slows. Then Stops. 

At first glance, cutting off oil to Cuba may look like a pen pressed to paper in a quiet office, a decision made under bright lights, far from the darkened streets it will leave behind. On the ground, it reshapes daily life in the most fundamental ways.

Cuba stretches nearly 800 miles across the Caribbean, just 90 miles from the shores of the United States. The country can refine oil, but it does not have its own supply of crude. Like most nations, its basic infrastructure depends on fuel for transportation, electricity, water systems, agriculture, and healthcare.

Cuba’s last shipment of oil arrived on January 9. Since then, the country has been forced to operate with dwindling reserves.

When fuel disappears, 

Cars and trucks remain idle.
Ambulances remain parked because there is no fuel.
Food cannot be transported from farms to markets.
Electrical grids falter, and when electricity fails, so, too, do water systems.
Hospitals are canceling surgeries and sending patients home because doctors and nurses can’t commute to work.

The effects ripple outward through every layer of society. 

Daily life begins to falter. Slowly at first, then a rapid collapse.
This is the cruel intention of the United States’ fuel blockade.
Its impact is measured in human lives.
Its target is the Cuban people.

In recent weeks, the consequences have become horrific. Entire sections of Havana have gone permanently dark. On some nights, the power fails across the entire nation. We were there during one of the blackouts. On Saturday, Cuba’s power grid collapsed, leaving the country without electricity for the third time in March. The streets fell silent. Businesses closed their doors. Cell phones stopped working, and the internet disappeared. Entire neighborhoods went dark. At our casa, a table sat covered with flashlights that could not be used because there were no batteries. In refrigerators across the country, the little food families had managed to store began to spoil as the power failed. One friend told me she has been getting sick repeatedly, forced to rely on food that has gone bad after yet another outage.

Hospitals are designed to be the last institutions to lose power, but even they are vulnerable during nationwide blackouts. Healthcare workers we met described racing to the bedsides of infants and patients on ventilators, manually pumping life-support equipment while waiting for generators to engage. These are moments measured not in policy debates, but in seconds.  Seconds that determine whether a baby in the NICU survives.

This is inhumane. This is genocidal. 

Photos by Lexine Alpert
Photo by Lexine Alpert
Photo by Lexine Alpert
Photo by Lexine Alpert

A Health System Under Siege

Across hospitals and clinics, doctors are working with critically limited supplies of essential medicines, forced into decisions under inhumane conditions that no healthcare professional should ever face.

Doctors we met with spoke about the impossible choices they are forced to make when life-saving medicines are scarce. They must weigh whether to administer a scarce treatment that may extend one life briefly, or to reserve it for another patient with a greater chance of survival.

In the face of these shortages, healthcare workers improvise.

It is difficult to fully convey the severity of the U.S. blockade on Cuba, and the extraordinary measures it forces healthcare workers to take simply to provide basic care.
They adapt, repair, reuse, and invent.

In one hospital we visited, a child was using a makeshift device fashioned from a discarded plastic bottle to collect urine, an improvised solution created because proper medical supplies were unavailable.

The nurse who showed us the device did not present it as an innovation or a success. She held it carefully in her hands and explained that this was what they had available. She spoke about the responsibility of caring for children when supplies run out, about the fear of making mistakes when equipment is scarce, and about the exhaustion of working every day under conditions that no healthcare system should be forced to endure.

That exhaustion does not end when her shift is over. She often returns home to a dark apartment, unable to cook because the electricity has failed again. Sometimes the power returns  in the middle of the night for a few hours before shutting off again before sunrise. When that happens, she gets up to cook whatever food she can, preparing meals for her children to take to school and something to carry with her to work, and then lies back down to rest before the next day begins.

At the oncology hospital we visited, it was a matter of life and death.

Today, 96,000 Cubans are waiting for surgery as shortages of fuel and electricity slow hospital operations across the country. About 11,000 of those patients are children. Doctors explained that an estimated 16,000 cancer patients in Cuba require radiotherapy and are experiencing disruptions in treatment — not because the country lacks trained doctors, hospitals, or medical expertise, but because the resources needed to sustain care are increasingly difficult to obtain.

Healthcare professionals remain ready to treat their patients. Facilities remain staffed. The will to provide care is intact. But when medicines, fuel, replacement parts, and medical equipment are restricted, even the most capable health system cannot do what it was built to do — save lives.

Communities Sustaining Life

We visited a school serving children with hearing impairments, part of Cuba’s universal education system, where students with disabilities learn alongside their peers and receive specialized support. Teachers spoke about their work with deep commitment and with growing concern about the difficulty of obtaining something as basic as batteries for hearing devices. Inside the classroom, students receive the support they need to learn and communicate. But outside the classroom, shortages create new barriers. When batteries are unavailable, families struggle to maintain the tools children depend on to connect with the world around them. A small detail with enormous consequences.

We visited organic farms and community gardens where farmers are working collectively to grow food under increasingly difficult conditions. These projects reflect a long tradition of resilient communities adapting, sharing knowledge, and sustaining local food systems when imports become unreliable. What we saw was not just agriculture, but cooperation: neighbors working side by side to ensure that families have something to eat, even when resources are scarce.

We met with members of the Henry Reeve Brigade, a contingent of Cuban doctors and nurses who have traveled the world responding to disasters, epidemics, and humanitarian crises. Since its creation in 2005, Cuban medical teams have deployed from Haiti to West Africa to communities across the Americas, providing care when it was needed most.

What we witnessed tells a very different story from the one often told about Cuba. This is a country that has sent doctors — not bombs — across borders for decades. Cuban medical teams have responded to disasters in Haiti, treated patients during the Ebola crisis in West Africa, supported overwhelmed hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic, and worked alongside Indigenous communities across the Americas to expand access to healthcare. Their work reflects a model of international solidarity rooted in care, prevention, and service.

In recent months, several countries have been forced to scale back or end Cuban medical missions under pressure from the Trump administration. In Honduras, communities lost the Cuban healthcare workers who had been providing free medical care for nearly two years. Guatemala, Paraguay, the Bahamas, Guyana, and Jamaica have also terminated long-standing medical partnerships, including programs serving Indigenous and rural communities. These closures mean fewer doctors in clinics, longer travel distances for patients, and reduced access to basic healthcare for millions of people who depend on these services.

Silence Is Not an Option

The suffering caused by the U.S. blockade against Cuba is not hidden. It is visible to anyone willing to look closely, in hospital wards, in pharmacies with empty shelves, and in the daily calculations families make about survival.

As I told The Nation, the policies imposed on Cuba are not just economic measures; they are conditions that shape whether hospitals can function, whether patients receive treatment, and whether families can meet their most basic needs.

It is measurable in lives interrupted, treatments delayed, and systems stretched to their limits.

And it is why silence is not an option.

Until the Blockade Ends

In response to the requests of our Cuban partners and the communities we met, we are taking the following steps:

  • Organizing additional solidarity delegations to Cuba in April, June, and September, with more to follow. Each delegation carrying humanitarian aid.
    Again and again, Cubans told us the same thing: Come if you can. Come see for yourselves. Come stand with us. Return home with the truth to share.
  • Send monthly shipments of aid to Cuba.  These shipments will reach hospitals, community projects, and families facing ongoing shortages.
    • Building a local hub of solidarity in San Francisco.
       We are beginning the collection of donated items at our office, connecting neighbors here with families there.
    • Raising funds nationwide to purchase and deliver urgently needed supplies.
      For those who are not in the Bay Area, online contributions will help sustain this ongoing humanitarian effort. You can donate here. 
  • Bring our call directly to Washington, D.C. Congress must demand an end to the blockade. In the weeks ahead, we will share ways for supporters to stand with us in this effort.

And this work will continue.

End all the blockades.
Break the sieges that starve nations and fracture communities.
Feed the people.
From Cuba to Palestine to Haiti, we all deserve dignity, sovereignty, and the chance to live.

There is enough for everyone.

Written by Ted Lewis.

Epic Fury, Domestic Decay: The War on Iran as a Tool to Eviscerate Democracy

The blackened skylines of Tehran and the smoldering ruins of Beirut are more than just the markers of a new Middle Eastern war; they are the smoke signals of a dying American democracy. As “Operation Epic Fury” accelerates, we are witnessing a terrifying historical first: a major regional conflict launched without a coherent rationale, sustained by the personal survival instincts of its architects, and used as a blunt instrument to dismantle the rule of law at home.

The Strategic Vacuum

The most contemporary “stupidity” of this conflict is its utter lack of an endgame. We are told this is about “security,” yet every missile fired into Lebanon and Iran ensures a century of instability. To upend the global order on a midnight whim—without a defined metric for victory or a structural plan for the “morning after”—is not statecraft. It is a nihilistic tantrum with a multi-billion-dollar price tag, a war whose only clear objective is the continuation of the war itself.

A Partnership of Criminality

The fundamental immorality of this campaign is laid bare by the motives of its drivers. By tethering American military might to Benjamin Netanyahu, the United States has become a silent partner in a campaign of personal preservation. Netanyahu, desperately clinging to power to evade his own corruption trials, views regional bloodletting as a convenient shield against a prison cell.

When a leader uses the lives of soldiers to stay in office, it ceases to be “defense” and becomes a high crime. The United States is no longer merely supporting an ally; we are subsidizing the venal desperation of a premier who treats global stability as an acceptable sacrifice for his own immunity.

The Foreseeable Ruin

There is no “fog of war” here—only the blinding light of ignored warnings. The “oil shock” currently destabilizing the global economy was a mathematical certainty. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz was the inevitable first move on the Iranian chessboard, yet the administration acted as if it were a surprise.

Perhaps the most cynical casualty of this “Fury,” however, is the Iranian people themselves. For years, they were fed the hollow oxygen of Western encouragement, urged by successive administrations to “rise up” and reclaim their future from a theological cage. Yet, as the missiles fall, that encouragement has revealed itself as a cruel bait-and-switch.

By pivoting from supporting internal democratic aspirations to unleashing brutal destruction, we have effectively abandoned the Iranian street. They are now trapped in a lethal pincer movement of history: haunted by an emboldened, vengeful regime at home and a “liberation” from abroad that offers only the smoldering peace of a graveyard. We aren’t breaking their chains; we are collapsing the ceiling on their heads.

Similarly, the expansion into Lebanon was entirely telegraphed. The two bloody attacks on Lebanon this month—specifically the systematic bombing of the al-Qard al-Hassan branches—were designed to bankrupt the civilian poor and trigger a mass exodus of nearly a million people. To claim this is “surgical” is a lie; it is the intentional demolition of a sovereign nation’s social fabric.

The War at Home: No Kings, No War

In the past, the American people were the final check on the madness of unpopular wars. From Vietnam to Iraq, the moral clarity of the public eventually broke the momentum of the state. But today, the challenge of ending the war is inextricably linked to the survival of our own democracy.

Under the current administration, the traditional avenues for dissent are being systematically paved over. With Donald Trump’s ongoing attempts to eviscerate the rule of law and dismantle democratic institutions, the war abroad serves as the perfect fog to hide the decay at home. When the executive branch views the Constitution as an “interference” with “Epic Fury,” the fight for peace becomes a fight for the Republic itself.

This is why the “No Kings” marches on March 28 are no longer just a protest against domestic overreach—they are a desperate plea for global sanity. To march on the 28th is to declare that we will not be ruled by a commander-in-chief who treats the world as a personal chessboard and the law as a mere suggestion.

The Bitter Truth: We cannot stop the fires in the Middle East while the arsonists are dismantling the fire department at home. On March 28, the message must be singular and deafening: Yes to democracy, No to war. Ending this conflict requires us to remember that we are a nation of laws, not a kingdom of whims. To save the world from this fury, we must first end the regime that unleashed it.

The lights are going out in Cuba, and instead of relief, Washington is talking about takeover.

Earlier today, President Donald Trump suggested that the United States might pursue a “friendly takeover” of Cuba, claiming the country has “no money, no oil, no food.” This language, layered atop intensified sanctions and fuel restrictions, signals a dangerous escalation.

At the same time, tightened restrictions on fuel and energy imports have severely strained Cuba’s electricity grid. Blackouts are spreading. Hospitals are operating under extreme pressure. Transportation and food distribution systems are destabilized. These measures have real, immediate human consequences.

Cuba needs an end to the U.S. Blockade. Cuba does not need a U.S. takeover.

We refuse to stand by while economic warfare deepens and a nation’s sovereignty is undermined.

That is why we are organizing a solidarity delegation to Havana from March 18–23 to deliver aid and join the Nuestra América Convoy on March 21.

There are still a few spaces available to travel with us. Learn more here.

Traveling with Global Exchange means delivering humanitarian aid directly to the Cuban people, engaging with health workers, educators, and community leaders, and witnessing firsthand the impacts of sanctions and fuel shortages. It means standing for sovereignty, dignity, and self-determination at a critical moment. 

Our friends in Cuba are asking us to come and bear witness at a moment when isolation is being weaponized against them. Join the Global Exchange delegation.

If you cannot travel, your solidarity is still urgently needed.

Global Exchange is mobilizing a humanitarian aid campaign to send essential supplies and funds with the convoy. When power grids collapse, intensive care units are at risk. When fuel disappears, food distribution breaks down, and entire neighborhoods are plunged into darkness. These policies are designed to create pressure through deprivation. Your contribution helps us counter that pressure with solidarity, material support, and presence.

Donate to support humanitarian aid with Global Exchange.

For nearly 40 years, Global Exchange has brought people to Cuba to break the isolation imposed by the U.S. blockade and to build direct, people-to-people ties across borders. That commitment remains firm.

We are returning to Cuba in April, in June, and again in September with additional solidarity delegations — with more to follow. We are organizing monthly humanitarian shipments to ensure that material support continues beyond any single visit.

We will keep showing up, in solidarity.

The situation at the Chiapas-Guatemala border paints a deeply troubling picture of a region engulfed in violence and human rights violations due to the activities of organized crime groups vying for territorial control. The complexity and severity of this situation highlight several critical issues that require immediate attention and action from both national and international actors.

This summary presents key points raised in the recent report titled “Siege of Daily Life, Terror for the Control of Territory, and Serious Violations of Human Rights”, released by civil society organizations in the border region of Chiapas.

Human Rights Violations and International Humanitarian Law

Widespread human rights violations—including forced displacement, extortion, sexual exploitation, and the infiltration of various levels of government and public services—underscore the profound impact of this conflict on the civilian population. The report reveals a serious crisis that not only disrupts the daily lives of thousands but also challenges the fundamental principles of human rights and humanitarian protection.

The report asserts that this situation could be classified as a Non-International Armed Conflict (NIAC) under International Humanitarian Law (IHL), which is a significant development. This classification implies that certain rules of IHL should apply to the conflict, aimed at protecting those not participating in hostilities, including civilians and those who have ceased to be active combatants. The application of IHL could also hold parties accountable for war crimes and other serious violations.

The Role of the Mexican State

The Mexican State’s omission, acquiescence, and in some cases, collaboration with organized crime groups point to a troubling complicity that exacerbates the vulnerability of the population. The demands for urgent intervention by state security forces, like the Ejército Mexicano and the Guardia Nacional, contrast sharply with reports of inaction and complicity, revealing a profound mistrust between the civilian population and state institutions.

This mistrust and perceived betrayal by state institutions not only deepen the crisis but also complicate efforts to resolve the conflict and restore peace and security in the region.

Urgent Need for Intervention and Support

The ongoing violence and human rights abuses at the Chiapas-Guatemala border region call for immediate and coordinated intervention by the Mexican government, international organizations, and human rights bodies. Addressing the root causes of the conflict, providing support and protection to the affected populations, and restoring the rule of law are essential steps toward resolving the crisis.

Efforts must also be made to ensure accountability for human rights violations and to dismantle the criminal structures that have infiltrated government institutions. This includes strengthening the judiciary and law enforcement agencies to resist corruption and collusion with criminal groups.

International Attention and Solidarity

The international community must lend its support and attention to this crisis, helping mediate and provide resources for conflict resolution and humanitarian assistance. International NGOs, UN agencies, and other global bodies can play a crucial role in monitoring the situation, offering aid to displaced populations, and advocating for a resolution to the conflict.

Conclusion

The situation at the Chiapas-Guatemala border represents a critical challenge to human rights, state sovereignty, and regional stability. Addressing this crisis requires a concerted effort from the Mexican government, the international community, and civil society to protect the affected populations and restore peace and order in the region.

Alberto Solís Castro
Mexico Human Rights Senior Fellow at Global Exchange

Download the full report (in Spanish) at grupotrabajofronterachiapas.org.mx.

Israel’s sickening and relentless collective punishment of the 2.3 million people of Gaza must stop now. The nightmarish attacks and now the starvation of millions—women, men, and (50% of them) children—whose escape routes are blocked, whose food and even water supplies are obscenely insufficient, and whose hospitals lie in ruins, must be granted the relief that only a total ceasefire (and the immediate release of all prisoners and hostages) can provide.

Global Exchange joined millions around the world in urging restraint after the Hamas attacks on October 7. Israel cannot resolve the problems of its occupation through escalating military action and brutality. You, our members, signed thousands of appeals to President Biden and our U.S. Representatives, asking them to use wisdom and their immense power to stop Israeli vengeance, call for reflection and honesty about what is needed to stop the violence now, and to keep the road to reconciliation open.

They did not listen then, but we must continue to insist now: All life is sacred. Achieving peace means ending the Israeli occupation, reversing settlement policies, and establishing security for everyone. That all needs to happen. But right now—at this critical moment of profound humanitarian crisis—we call loudly, unequivocally, and repeatedly for a total CEASEFIRE NOW!

Please keep saying it. Writing it. Shouting it.

We’ve already shown the Biden Administration that they can’t afford to ignore us. Join us in ongoing actions. We have compiled a list of resources below:

Call Your Members of Congress

If you’re in the U.S., call your representatives. The U.S. is funding and supporting Israel in carrying out these atrocities. Each of us must pick up the phone and call our member of Congress.
bit.ly/callcongresspalestine

Go on a Drop-By Visit

Dropping by the offices of your Senators and Representatives for a face-to-face visit is the most powerful thing you can do right now.
house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

Hit the Streets and Join a Protest Near You

Amplify Palestinian and Other Voices for Peace on Social Media

Jewish Voice for Peace has compiled a list of people to follow:
bit.ly/followpalestinians

Write to Congress and President Biden

Visit our website for up-to-date petitions and letters:
globalexchange.org/palestine

Is Peace Still Possible? Yes, but we must change the course we are on.

Last October 7th, Hamas operatives surprised Israeli border defenders who, despite vastly superior military capacities, were caught off guard and unable to contain a ghastly and vindictive wave of mass murder, kidnappings, and other gruesome atrocities. These heinous acts produced a wave of revulsion that swept the world. And that wave was accompanied by the sickening realization that the “total war” plan immediately declared by discredited Israeli strongman – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was guaranteed to bring more – vastly and disproportionately more – suffering to the millions of children, elders, and non-combatants locked in, unable to escape the densely populated confines of the Gaza Strip.

Global Exchange joined millions around the world who have urged restraint. We organized appeals to President Biden and our U.S. Representatives, pleading with them to use wisdom with their immense power and influence to stay the hand of Israeli vengeance and to keep the road of reconciliation open.                 

But despite broad public support for an urgent ceasefire to spare the lives of innocent civilians and hostages, President Biden instead boosted U.S. naval air support in the region, embraced Netanyahu, and gave the Israeli government a green light to escalate their attack. Biden’s mild requests to “minimize civilian casualties” were not enough to avoid the perception of American complicity with the war crimes implicit in the siege: starvation, bombing of civilians, and invasion of Gaza…a territory just smaller than Las Vegas, Nevada, but far more densely packed, with three times its population. 

Another wave of revulsion and protest is now sweeping the world – provoked, this time, by the Israeli government’s disproportionate and sickening response and the U.S. failure to restrain its close ally.

I write on Day of the Dead, knowing this article will be published sometime later this month. I pray that by then, the killing will have stopped, that the deadly fire will have ceased, that mass starvation is averted, that hostages are safe at home, and that saner voices have prevailed. That is a lot to hope for, and I also fear that by the time you are reading this, conditions could be far worse – if the politics of vengeance, dehumanization, and unchecked retribution are allowed to prevail.

Around 2000 years ago when troops moved in to arrest Jesus of Nazareth in Jerusalem, his disciple Peter (the guy who later founded Christianity) drew his sword and sliced off the ear of one of their assailants. “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.” Over the millennia, we’ve boiled that down to: “Live by the sword, and you’ll die by it too.” The core truth of that saying could not be more relevant today. 

When violence appears to be the only option and the emotional logic of “protection” or “resistance” leads us to plan and carry out inhumane, soul-distorting actions we must pause, reconsider, and seek higher wisdom.  

We live in a time when fires are breaking out planet-wide – literally from the equator to the polar circles. Our survival requires concerted global action. We cannot afford to double down on ancient hatreds or the unresolved post-colonial disputes of the 1900s.  Yet that is exactly what is happening in the Middle East, in Ukraine, and elsewhere.

But peace isn’t easy. It is more than just the mere absence of deadly conflict. Even if things “calm down,” real peace and reconciliation must be based on justice and a fundamental recasting of the assumptions and interests underlying the conflict. 

But for right now, we need to build a coalition for peace among the majority of people across the political spectrum who believe that killing is wrong, that the killing of innocents is worse, and that justice is never served by more indiscriminate killing. 

It is easy to feel disempowered in the face of seemingly implacable hatreds and events that seem to be spinning out of control. But, knowing that we are by no means alone in our revulsion to brutality helps.  And it gives us a place to start conversations with our neighbors, friends, and our political representatives that go beyond the biased narratives of mainstream media and the shouting matches that dominate on social media. 

To bring you a fresh and in-depth perspective from the conflict zone, Global Exchange is working closely with our longtime partner, Ernesto Ledesma of Rompeviento.TV who has started reporting from the occupied West Bank. This reporting is costly and risky, but we do it in the spirit of reaching out and building “people-to-people ties” and human solidarity even in the most dangerous and stressful times.  

One observation Ernesto shared in his first days of reporting from the West Bank is that when he asked Palestinians – intellectuals, construction workers, doctors, aid workers and others across the West Bank the question, “Can anyone lead the way to stop this war?”. To my surprise, they all had the same answer: “Joe Biden”. 

As American President, Biden could be a force for peace. No one has more power to halt the Israeli onslaught in Gaza, to feed those who are starving, to treat those who are wounded, and to free those who are held hostage. He has the most power to compel the Israelis to halt the ongoing settlement and annexation of Palestinian lands that Israeli anti-peace extremists have cynically used for generations to sabotage Camp David, Oslo, and every other effort for peace. 

But Biden’s positions and actions to date confirm that he has chosen war; and worse, has not even publically insisted that Israel –  the largest recipient of American military aid in the region – adhere to the rules of war.  

The American people, and his Democratic base of voters, are historically supportive of Israel but polls show sharply rising concerns about escalation and overwhelming support for an immediate CEASEFIRE. 

President Biden must wake up to this new reality and show true leadership for peace. The course he has set for our country is morally, politically and strategically unsustainable. We must change it, now! 

 

Please join us in sending a note of solidarity and and a promise to work for peace and understanding to the people of Iran.  We will share these with our allies on the ground.

Dear Friends,

We reject Donald Trump’s unfounded and irresponsible decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear agreement. We will do everything we can to reverse this decision.

We believe the nuclear agreement was working, and we want to see more diplomacy and more steps toward building understanding and peace between our two countries.

We support our allies in the EU, Russia and China to keep the agreement in place and will push the UN to sanction the U.S. for pulling out.

We stand in solidarity with all those working for peace.

** add a comment below in the comments section to add a personal message **

[emailpetition id=”3″]

[signaturelist id=”3″]

 

Our founders wisely intended to check the President’s power to unilaterally engage in armed hostilities with foreign nations.

They understood that no one — not even the President of the United States — should be empowered to force our nation to war without the presentation of evidence, debate, and deliberation that our system of advise and consent requires. That is why Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 of the United States Constitution makes it clear: The Congress shall have Power… to declare War.”  

Trump’s Syria attacks underline why Congress must reassert control of its constitutional War Powers.

Nerve gas is horrible. The use of such weapons is repugnant. Anyone with even an iota of humanity is against it. The problem is that the United States lacks credibility when voicing a moral outrage that is coupled with weapons deliveries, troops on the ground, and waffle words on regime change. Trump’s decision to bombard Syrian targets was not based on evidence presented or congressional approval, much less honest public debate.

Let’s step back for a moment:

Our Middle East credibility problem started well before Trump and even before Bush II destroyed Iraq based on a lie.  Support for aggressions and bad actors based on political expediency has defined our presence in the region since WW II.  Our government’s bellicose actions in recent decades have been neither moral nor strategic. They have eroded the foundations of the post war international institutions designed to bring broad and legitimate pressure to bear on human rights violators like Assad and his abettors.

And we are doing little to restore our standing. The US has not investigated our own war crimes since Sept 11, 2001. High profile violations of international humanitarian law continue in the form of illegal drone attacks that kill large numbers of civilians, indefinite detention of detainees, and the outsourcing of intelligence gathering and even murder to unaccountable corporate contractors. In a region with long memory, our hypocrisy — in word and deed – has alienated many potential friends and drastically limits US strategic options even as it paves the road for domination by our traditional geo-political adversaries, like Russia.

But with Trump (and his new neo-con advisor John Bolton) a whole new level of stupid and dangerous is at the table.  That is why restoring constitutional war powers has become an urgent national priority.

Trump, as we know, is a dangerous conman. Two weeks ago he spoke in favor of a total US withdrawal from Syria. Then just days later he hired John Bolton. Then came the FBI raid the office of his personal lawyer. He tried to change the subject to the alleged gas attack in Syria, and then launched strikes in Syria with Great Britain and France — the last two countries from the once vast “Western Alliance” still willing to jump when an American president calls for airstrikes.

At home Trump is in the middle of what has clearly morphed into a constitutional crisis of epic proportion that is already testing the legal, moral, and political fabric of our nation. As we work to restore the rule of law, re-establish respect for evidence based decision-making, and mobilize our communities for the civic battle of our lives, we have to make sure that Trump cannot manipulate and endanger us with military adventurism and/or threats of nuclear fist strike.

Congressman Ted Lieu  the southern California Congressman agrees. He decries, “the lack of any coherent strategy in Syria.” He points out that a few days ago “the Trump Administration signaled that it was okay with allowing Assad to stay in power, even though Assad had already killed hundreds of thousands of people in Syria and previously used chemical weapons.”   He notes that a just few days later, “the Trump Administration attacked the Assad regime.”  Lieu, himself a colonel in the Air Force Reserves, has denounced Trump’s unauthorized use of military force. Lieu knows something about law and the armed forces having served in the United States Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps from 1995 to 1999.

Together with Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey, Lieu introduced the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act of 2017, and eminently sane piece of legislation he explains here.

Forty-five years ago, after the public had turned massively against the Vietnam War, Congress moved to restore its constitutional mandate by passing The War Powers Resolution of 1973  — to check the president’s ability to commit the United States to armed conflict without the express consent of the U.S. Congress. Since that time war powers have nevertheless been abused presidents both Republican and Democratic. A notoriously egregious example was President Bill Clinton’s attack on Al Queda camps in1998, timed to delay proceedings on his own impeachment. Wouldn’t it have been better if we debated that attack back when most Americans had still never heard of Al Queda?  

The wisdom of the framers in checking the unilateral war making power of the President is evident under any circumstance. Those representatives closest to the people who suffer the pain and desolation of war should be empowered to decide when the use of force is justified. But under our current circumstances—with a manifestly ignorant, self centered, and reckless president making spur of the moment decision based on gut feelings rather than evidence or logic it becomes critical that we cut him off.

Please tell your member of Congress to be on the right side of history.  When irate Americans passed the War Powers Resolution in 1973, Richard Nixon vetoed it – but was then overridden by Congress. 

And just this week Senators Bob Corker and Tim Kaine’s proposed new Authorization for the Use of Military Force, or AUMF, which will further enable the president’s war-making ability. Wherever he wants. On whomever he wants.

Take action and alert our senators immediately that we are opposed to this bill!

To stop Trump from using war as a tool of public manipulation, we must again band together to restore Congressional authority.  It will take millions of us to check this out-of-control administration.  Let Congress know we want restraints on Trump and future administrations.  War is too serious to be in the hands of a single person, especially an ignorant and malevolent man like Trump.

Trump’s threats to “de-certify” the hard won Iran Nuclear Deal is dangerous, based on malignant ignorance, and must be forcefully opposed.

Even Senator Bob Corker, the Republican Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on TV last Sunday that President Trump is treating his office like “a reality show,” with reckless threats toward other countries that could set the nation “on the path to World War III”.

A refusal to certify would hand the matter to Congress and open a 60-day period for debate. But we need to take action now.

That’s where you come in. Please call (202-224-3121) or write your Senators today.

Tell them that the Iran Deal is working to lessen the danger of proliferation and war and should be respected and strengthened, not demeaned and undermined. Walking away from the Iran deal is a foolish and dangerous policy that should be strongly rejected.

Thank you for taking action on this. Global Exchange has sponsored Reality Tours to Iran since the 1990s. We are committed to keeping the peace between our peoples and urge you to take action right now to help stop a disaster in the making.