TO DO: War in Syria
Source: AFSC
http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50601/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=11934
We CAN stop the next war. There are alternatives.
At the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), we believe it is critical to listen to perspectives of our partners in Syria and our staff in the region.
What we hear from them is that the devastating war will not be won by one side or another.
Syrians from different political backgrounds are clear in stating that a peaceful future for Syrians—and the region at large—will only come through diplomatic efforts that include all parties.
That’s why AFSC is urgently calling on all governments and parties to the conflict to end the violence in Syria, and why we oppose U.S. military action.
The U.S. should take the following steps:
What we hear from them is that the devastating war will not be won by one side or another.
Syrians from different political backgrounds are clear in stating that a peaceful future for Syrians—and the region at large—will only come through diplomatic efforts that include all parties.
That’s why AFSC is urgently calling on all governments and parties to the conflict to end the violence in Syria, and why we oppose U.S. military action.
The U.S. should take the following steps:
- Immediately call for a comprehensive arms embargo on all parties to the conflict. As military leaders and the Obama administration have long recognized, the only viable and sustainable solution to the crisis in Syria is a political one.
- Provide full support to the efforts of Lakhdar Brahimi, the joint United Nations/Arab League envoy, and press for the rapid convening of a Geneva II conference. For those conferences to be meaningful, they must include Iran in the search for a political settlement.
- Seek a transition in Syria that builds on existing institutions—rather than replacing them—and that does not alienate people who have served the government or the army.
Neither the interests of the U.S. nor the interests of the peoples of the Middle East are served by the collapse of the Syrian state and the resulting political vacuum.
Syrians must lift up the voices of their full population—including ethnic and religious minorities, Iraqi and Palestinian refugees, and those who have served the regime—to ensure that none is privileged over the other, and that no component of Syrian society is targeted for retaliation.
Governments should respond to the U.N. call for humanitarian relief funding for displaced Syrians. As we write, the U.N. reports that donor countries have only provided a small fraction of what is needed. All should act before the refugee flows further destabilize the region.
Syrians must lift up the voices of their full population—including ethnic and religious minorities, Iraqi and Palestinian refugees, and those who have served the regime—to ensure that none is privileged over the other, and that no component of Syrian society is targeted for retaliation.
Governments should respond to the U.N. call for humanitarian relief funding for displaced Syrians. As we write, the U.N. reports that donor countries have only provided a small fraction of what is needed. All should act before the refugee flows further destabilize the region.
Take action now.
| We can stop the war in Syria Events are moving fast. Congress needs to hear from you right now. |
More than 5,500 Wage Peace supporters have emailed Congress in the last two days to voice opposition to military intervention in Syria.
Along with our national allies, we are shifting the emphasis of the Syria debate from military intervention to a renewed search for diplomatic solutions.
Please join us: Tell Congress that airstrikes will only delay and undermine the necessary steps to end the conflict.
Please join us: Tell Congress that airstrikes will only delay and undermine the necessary steps to end the conflict.
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