Our message to the President is: now would be a good time to end the mind-set that gets us into wars, as you said you wanted to do. Is this really what you want to be remembered for?
Our message to the United Nations is: the U.S. government is in blatant violation of the U.N. Charter. You must hold the United States accountable.
Our message to all parties is: war has no justification and no benefit, now or ever. It is immoral, makes us less safe, threatens our environment, erodes liberties, impoverishes us, and takes $2 trillion a year away from where it could do a world of good.
World Beyond War has a bureau of speakers who can address these topics. Find them here: http://worldbeyondwar.org/speakers
[1] The atrocities committed by ISIS are rightfully condemned. The threat ISIS poses is considered exaggerated.
[2] According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
[3] According to the Global Terrorism Index by the Institute for Economics and Peace, the number of terrorist incidents has increased virtually every year since 9/11.
[4] The Kellogg--Briand Pact is a 1928 international agreement in which signatory states promised not to use war to resolve "disputes or conflicts of whatever nature or of whatever origin they may be, which may arise among them." For an in-depth exploration see David Swanson's When the World Outlawed War (2011).
[5] Political apologies are considered part of a complex peacebuilding process in conjunction with other conflict transformation techniques. See a summary of Apologia Politica: States and their apologies by proxy.
[6] UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, for example, urged the Security Council to impose an arms embargo into Syria.
[7] The framework is explained in detail by conflict transformation scholars Ramsbotham, Woodhouse and Miall in Contemporary Conflict Resolution (2011)
[8] Outlined thoroughly by Hardy Merriman and Jack DuVall, experts from the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict.
[9] See for example: Syrian Civil Defense
[10] As discussed by peace and conflict studies experts John Paul Lederach in Addressing terrorism: a theory of change approach (2011) and David Cortright in Gandhi and Beyond. Nonviolence for a new political age (2009)
[11] The Nonviolent Peaceforce has a proven successful track record of unarmed civilian peacekeeping to prevent, reduce and stop violence
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