C E B O . org

Posted 12:02 AM by The Moderator

Voice 4 Change proposes to send a petition to all Member Countries of the United Nations in order to ask for a meeting of the UN General Assembly within the next 24 hours to STOP THE WAR in Iraq. It is possible thanks to UN Resolution 377 which dates from 1950 and has been enacted ten times.

Go to voice4changeto sign the petition. See CCR-NY.org for more information.

Posted 3:26 PM by The Moderator

[This letter has been hand delivered to the UN offices of the Missions currently on the UN Security Council.It is also being sent to the National Offices of the CEBO members. ]

*A suggestion for modification of UN Security Council Resolution 1441*
To: U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, and Ambassador Members of the U.N. Security Council

From: UN Council for Ethics Based Organizations and the New York Office of the American Humanist Association
Re: A suggestion for a compromise measure addressing the present dilemma regarding Iraq and the US

Date: Friday, March 14, 2003

Acknowledging that the United States is urging the UN Security Council to take immediate action giving approval for the US to implement its military plan to punish Iraq for its non-compliance with its disarmament obligations, and

Knowing also that the US has already amassed troops near Iraqi borders for this purpose and is poised to begin bombing with or without allies and without the approval of the UN Security Council, and

Recognizing that the majority of Nations, as well as several members of the Security Council, do not favor giving this approval, instead insisting that the United Nations stand firm and carry out its own more urgent mandate in behalf of the Peoples of Earth to prevent the scourge of war, and to respect human rights, by continuing to negotiate the issue without resorting to violence, and

Admitting that Iraq’s reluctant and irregular compliance with Security Council resolutions over the years, regarding the dismantling of their weapons of mass destruction, has caused anxiety to neighboring Nations, and that the threat of impending military action by the US has already pressured Iraq to be more cooperative and forthcoming with the inspectors, so that just the threat of war, which we all abhor, may have actually produced a beneficial result, and

Realizing that the United Nations is at the crossroads in its history, despite its tremendous accomplishments, where its reputation may be eroded, and it is threatened with being seen as irrelevant and impotent in its role as a proponent of peace and a preventer of war, in the face of present disrespect from the single remaining most powerful nation on earth, and

Wishing to create a win-win situation out of the present dilemma, the United Nations, and especially, its highest officers: the Secretary General, or the head of the Security Council or the head of the General Assembly, might move to occupy the moral high ground by asserting the necessary leadership and authority granted to this body by the stated wishes of all the Peoples of
Earth in the UN Charter, perhaps by going so far as to lending their physical presence to the situation in the form of a UN Delegation to Iraq, especially to assure that no bombing will take place, and

Insisting that non-military solutions only be employed, or if any form of military action is considered that it should be under the direction and jurisdiction of the United Nations, and

Requiring firmly, even forbidding, that, in order to protect the lives of the blameless citizens of Iraq, and instead of standing by to watch senseless slaughter, allowing more irreparable harm to be inflicted on those who have already suffered years of deprivation through sanctions, the United States must immediately abandon all plans to bomb that country, and

Acknowledging this superb brinkmanship on the part of the United States, by having brought near compliance on the part of Iraq without: 1) further destabilizing the entire region; and 2) without unleashing an unending ripple effect of retaliation and revenge; and 3) without setting a dangerous precedent of using counter productive military showdowns as a problem solving measure among all the Nations of Earth in these perilous times, and

Fearing, as well, that the presence of chemical, biological or nuclear materials, or of depleted uranium, are all of great danger, and that bombing will not eradicate their presence but cause greater harm by releasing them into the atmosphere, the water or the soil, and that they should instead be treated with exacting care for disposal, and

Accusing Saddam Hussein of crimes against his own people is more adequately dealt with by creating an ad hoc tribunal for old alleged crimes or by bringing charges against him in the new International Criminal Court for those which have occurred after July 2002, and if the accusations of torture of dissidents and life-threatening coercion of those persons having knowledge of secrets
is taking place, this practice will stop with a regime change, and

Considering that a massive occupying ground force under the auspices or approval of the United Nations might be the most effective way to complete Iraq’s compliance with its obligations, and to intercept the shell game of moving contraband materials from place to place, which is an almost impossible task for even a large inspection team, the United States, while primed for war, might adapt its stated mission of initiating a regime change and destroying weapons of mass destruction, to include such a ground force
for hands-on prevention of the manufacture, stockpiling and dissemination of these weapons, and

Remembering that at the formation of the United Nations, and at the suggestion of the United States, there was to be a Military Staff Committee consisting of all the Security Council member States’ military heads who would meet regularly to discuss problems of this sort, but this safeguard practice has not been carried out, and should be resumed, and

Maintaining a standing United Nations Intervention Force, in lieu of a Peacekeeping Force, when there is a situation where there is no peace to maintain, as was needed in Rwanda, and is sorely needed at this time, was a strong recommendation of the Brahimi Report, as a way of strengthening the effectiveness of the United Nations, and

Recalling that ten times during the history of the Security Council, when an impasse was reached and threatened vetoes stymied an action, UN resolution 377 has been invoked to move the debate to the General Assembly where a better outcome was anticipated, and

At this pivotal point in the history of Humankind and the survival of a civilized forum for solving world problems, it is essential for the United Nations, an organization on which the hopes and dreams of all of us depend, to take bold, heroic and decisive action, asserting moral and ethical leadership in behalf of peace.

Thank you,

Beth Lamont, Mary Beaty
NGO Representatives, American Humanist Association
Margaretha Jones,
NGO Representative, International Humanist and Ethical Union
Martha Gallahue,
NGO Representative, National Service Conference,
American Ethical Union

Posted 9:44 AM by The Moderator

Draft Resolution on War in Iraq

The National Leaders' Council of the American Ethical Union, the professional association of Ethical Culture leaders in the United States, strongly opposes an American war against Iraq. In its stead, we advocate international containment of the Iraqi regime.

1. Philosophical Commitments

Though not a pacifist organization, Ethical Culture considers violence and war the last resort to resolve disputes between nations. Ethical Culture's highest value is vested in reverencing the dignity of human beings, and in preserving human life, on which that dignity, with rare exceptions, depends. Ethical Culture is also committed to creating a world community founded on mutually fulfilling relations on all levels, including relations among nations. We consider war, resulting in the wholesale killing of both combatants and defenseless civilians, and reflecting the most severe dissolution of the human bond, as the most egregious violation of the values we hold most dear.

We consider the planning for war, requiring the employment of human ingenuity in the service of destruction, a perversion of the dignity of the human spirit. It demeans both its victims and its perpetrators while subordinating the value of human life to instrumental and strategic ends.

Yet we recognize that the interests of self-preservation, and the protection of human rights, reluctantly make the use of force, on occasion, necessary. We express a general kinship to the international consensus tradition which recognizes that war can only be justified in the service of national self-defense, and pre-emptive war, only when an assault on one's own territory is imminent.

We conclude that a war against Iraq fails to meet the criteria of a justifiable war.

2. The Dangers We Confront

We affirm that Iraq, led by Saddam Hussein, presents significant dangers that require an international response. We recognize that his regime has been, and continues to be, a gross abuser of human rights, and that he has perpetrated the wanton offense of employing chemical weapons against his own people and against the people of Iran. We also find it likely that he continues to stockpile chemical and biological weapons, while employing resistance, deception and mendacity in the face of international inspection efforts, both in the 1990s and currently.

We proclaim our opposition to a war against Iraq with a sober understanding of the dangers posed by international terrorism, and the potential consequences posed by an Iraqi regime unchecked by a response from the international community. We believe, however, that the American administration has not made a compelling case with regard to Saddam Hussein's nuclear capacity nor with regard to significant linkage to the al-Qaeda terrorist network. We affirm that the Iraqi regime does not present an immediate and direct threat to the safety of our country.

3. The International Community and American Unilateralism

While the United States has sought endorsement by the United Nations Security Council for an assault on Iraq, we remain apprehensive that the policy of unilaterialism pursued by the Bush administration will trump the will of the international community. We are concerned and fearful that a pre-emptive war against Iraq is not only a violation of the United Nations charter, to which the United States is a signatory, but will prove detrimental to America's security interests in the long range.

We are alarmed at the aggressively unilateral designs of the American administration, of which a war against Iraq is a defining moment. A new doctrine of American unilateralism, dedicated to the creation of American military and economic domination on a global scale, is ominously resulting in the alienation of our traditional allies. This policy of the United States potentially undermines the good will and cooperation necessary for the successful pursuit of international terrorists. We are also concerned that a war on Iraq will divert efforts from the necessary pursuit and destruction of terrorist networks, while potentially augmenting the ranks of international terrorism. Moreover, the waging of pre-emptive war, in violation of the United Nations charter, will set a dangerous precedent that will encourage other state actors to initiate pre-emptive wars for interests of their own. American action against Iraq, especially undertaken without international sanction, will bring more violence to an already dangerous international scene.

Various wavering rationales have been proffered by the administration in defense of a war against Iraq. Among them have been the need to depose Saddam Hussein, the dismantling of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, and the creation of a democratic regime in Iraq as a springboard to seeding democracy in the Middle East region. Despite these manifest rationales, we are concerned that the prevailing interest of the Bush administration is the establishment of military and economic hegemony over the region inclusive of Iraqi oil resources. We see a new "pax Americana" enforced by American military might in accordance with the doctrine that will not tolerate any loci of power other than our own. Again, we are fearful of American unilateralism, which will further inflame our enemies, while eliciting resentment among our allies.

4. Post-War Iraq

There has been little deliberation and less debate about a post-war Iraq. An American occupation of Iraq, either directly or through an Iraqi proxy government, will incur a monumental economic burden at a time when the American economy is experiencing deep stress.

We recognize that Iraq is an ethnically divided country held together through centralized, autocratic power. We are fearful that a post-Saddam Iraq will be characterized by intergroup violence and score settling among the Kurdish, Sunni and Shiites populations, which will render Iraq dangerous to govern, if not ungovernable. Refugee flight will likely be a source of further violence and instability in the region.

While we are opposed to the war, we recognize that America's "going it alone" especially in a post-war reconstruction phase is one of the strongest arguments against an assault on Iraq.

5. Conclusion

Ethical Culture's regard for human life and its commitment to mutually fulfilling relations among nations inspires us to oppose war and seek solutions to the current crisis through international cooperation.

We recognize that in an age of terrorism security cannot be achieved through a policy of unilaterism and the brute display of military force. Peace and stability will only be attained through the democratic states working cooperatively, through international arrangements and adherence to international norms. We call on the United States to take leadership in this initiative through moral example and diplomacy.

We join with numerous religious and secular organizations, and millions of Americans and individuals throughout the world, in opposition to a war against Iraq. In its stead, we call upon the American administration to support increased and intensified United Nations inspections to be continued indefinitely. Recognizing the dangers posed by the Iraqi regime, we maintain that the response to war needs be containment of the Iraqi regime, supported by the threat of force and validated by the international community.

National Leaders' Council Lanoka Harbor, NJ
March 13, 2003
-------------------------------------

RESOLUTION, AEU
[date unknown. mb]

WHEREAS The American Ethical Union has declared its support for The United Nations in fourteen prior Resolutions, eg., "Resolved that the American Ethical Union reaffirms its faith in the constructive efforts that are being made through the United Nations and its Specialized Agencies..."; and for the principles of peace, equity, multilateralism, disarmament in many other Resoltuions.

WHEREAS The American Ethical Union has stated in its Resolution of January, l967, "War is a violation of mankind's age-old dream of world peace. It is contrary to mankind's noblest ethical ideals and in conflict with the highest teachings of all the great religions and philosophies of the world. It represents a failure in mankind's current aspirations for peace as expressed in the United Nations determination "to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. Wars in our time have taken the lives of millions of human beings, spread terror and pain, destroyed families and crushed children's hopes for joy in life. Since the advent of the nuclear era the continuations of war threatens the survival of civilization and possibly even the survival of the human race."

WHEREAS all States Parties at the UN are in agreement to disarm Iraq and The United Nations in Chapter One, Article 4, lists specific multilateral actions to take in instances where one soveriegn state many be a danger to other countries; furthermore, The United Nations has created a disarmament plan for Iraq that relies upon a stringent weapons inspections (UNMOVIC); that the head of this program, Hans Blix has said requires several month to fully bring this country into compliance;

WHEREAS, the United Nations has given full support to the condemnation of terrorism; and mechanisms are in place to aggressively dismantle terrorism; Therefore, be it

RESOLVED that The Amrican Ethical Union calls upon the United States to respect and accede to the decisions ot The Security Council of The United Nations and that it not enter Iraq against the decisions of The Security Council.

RESOLVED that the United States abide by the Geneva Agreements with respect to treatment of prisoners whether they be of war, suspected terrorists or detainees; that these prisoners not be tortured or deprived of medical care;

RESOLVED that the United States cease "selling" a war by means of advertising, undue influence upon the media; but promote serious and open dialogue regarding US foreign policy.