The War Prevention Initiative is cautiously optimistic about the announcement of a ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, brokered by Pakistan. Repeatedly, diplomacy and peacebuilding prove to be the most effective and strategic approach to resolving violent conflict. More work must be done to reverse escalating militarism and walk the world away from the already disastrous war.
The announcement of a ceasefire does not forgive President Trump’s monstrous threats of genocide and war crimes against Iran. Millions of lives across Iran and the Middle East continue to live under extreme, direct threat thanks to the inhumanity of the Trump Administration. Threatening to wipe out an entire civilization is an anathema to a safer and more peaceful world. Using mass civilian death as a supposed negotiating tactic is madness.
The Trump Administration, acting like an unaccountable regime, has behaved recklessly and dangerously in its management of national security and foreign affairs. U.S. and Israeli government attacks on Iran are illegal acts of aggression that have already disproportionately harmed civilians and infrastructure. Its threatened escalation with Iran makes the world less safe, more volatile, and risks pushing the world into a longer, deadlier, and more deeply entrenched war. A war that very few in the U.S. or around the world want.
It is intolerable that the U.S. even has the credible ability to realize these threats in the first place. A $1.5 trillion military budget requested by the Trump Administration would only increase the likelihood that such threats become real. Resuming nuclear testing, developing, and deploying nuclear weapons only boosts the need for more countries to acquire nuclear arms, leading to increased insecurity and volatility. This is unchecked militarism that creates a vicious cycle.
We already know viable alternatives to wars and militarism. The Obama Administration successfully negotiated the so-called Iran Nuclear Deal to effectively limit the spread of nuclear weapons through diplomacy built on transparency and verification. Trump destroyed this deal in 2018. Arms-control specialists and former negotiators agree in their assessments that the nuclear constraints Trump now seeks are not new, but fundamentally based on Obama’s Iran Nuclear Deal.
Peace and conflict resolution are more effective in solving global problems without resorting to military force. We can support peace and conflict resolution by meaningfully reducing military spending (such as the 10% for All campaign), increasing investments in diplomacy and humanitarian aid, and faithfully engaging with existing frameworks and institutions for global cooperation.
From a pure shared humanity perspective, we stand with the people of Iran as Donald Trump issues open threats of genocide. This is indefensible. We urge U.S. military officials and elected leaders to meet their legal obligations under domestic and international law by rejecting Trump’s genocidal course and ending this madness.
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The War Prevention Initiative is an operating program of the Jubitz Family Foundation. Our vision is a world beyond war where humanity is united, and a global system of peace with justice prevails for current and future generations.
Resources:
American Friends Service Committee https://afsc.org/newsroom/war-iran-endangers-us-all | https://afsc.org/news/what-you-need-know-about-us-war-iran
Center for Civilians in Conflict: CIVIC Calls for Urgent Protection of Civilians Amid Rising Casualties Across the Middle East
Institute for Policy Studies: Trump’s Budget Has Endless Funds for War, but Not Much to Help Americans
Win Without War: Trump’s Budget Doubles Down on War, Communities Pay the Price
Center for International Policy: Congress and Other US Officials Must Act to Counter Trump’s Genocidal Threats against the Iranian People
Women’s International League of Peace and Freedom: WILPF Condemns the US Government’s Threat of Genocide Against Iran
Arms Control Association: A Madman Without a Strategy: Trump’s Latest Threats Are Unacceptable
International Civil Society Action Network – The U.S. and Israel’s War on Iran and its Regional Ramifications
Tom Dannenbaum, Rebecca Hamilton, Adil Ahmad Haque, Oona A. Hathaway and Gabor Rona – Over 100 International Law Experts Warn: U.S. Strikes on Iran Violate UN Charter and May Be War Crimes
