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Pyschologists Address Post-War Iraq

By Jeralyn, Section War In Iraq
Posted on Fri Apr 11, 2003 at 09:22:11 PM EST
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Psychologists for Social Responsibility, opposed the war in Iraq before it began. Now that it is about to conclude, they make these observations:
Now that the Bush administration has implemented this so-called preemptive strike on Iraq, PsySR has reviewed the situation and still considers the war unjust and provocative. While military action appears to have liberated the Iraqis from Saddam's rule, it was done at a tremendous cost without exploring nonviolent strategies for accomplishing the same ends with less damaging means. It is falsely assumed that this was the only way. While military action in Iraq may be successful in the short run, it has the potential to reduce the security of the United States, erode our basic freedoms and civil rights, and ultimately hasten the decline of US influence for good in the world.
In considering what should be done in Post-War Iraq, they recommend the following:

Full UN control of the post-war rebuilding process in Iraq should be pursued to thwart claims that the US has imperialist intentions in the Middle East....

Future conflict areas should be approached with sincere and creative diplomacy, and techniques of tension reduction and conflict transformation....

The Bill of Rights must be restored and protected, or else the US is in danger of becoming that which it is fighting against....

Members of Congress should never again shirk from their constitutional duties in the declaration of war. The responsibility of declaring war rests with the US Congress and members should be held accountable for their actions....

Serious attention needs to be paid to reducing the conditions in other countries that spawn terrorist thinking and commitment to terrorist acts. We need to invest in humanitarian aid, increase efforts toward resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and stop supporting governments that violate the rights of their citizens.
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