REV. TAKAYUKI ISHII
201 WEST 13^TH STREET
NEW YORK, NEW YOR 10011
AUGUST 28, 2002

The Honorable George W. Bush
The White House
Washington, DC.
202-456-2461

Dear Mr. President:

Grace and Peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ.

This letter comes to register my opinion concerning U.S. policy relative to Iraq.  According to the news media, your administration is “leaking” information about possible military intervention in Iraq for the sole purpose of determining the sentiment of U.S. citizens.  I am writing, therefore, to register my firmly held conviction.

I am alarmed by recent statements from the Administration about extending the “war on terrorism” with military action against Iraq for the expressed purpose of toppling the regime of Saddam Hussein.  With a full understanding that Mr. Hussein poses a threat to his neighbors and to his own people, I believe it is wrong as well as detrimental to U.S. interests to take such action.

I oppose on moral grounds the United States taking further military action against Iraq now.  A first-strike attack, especially absent any imminent threat, violates one of the fundamental principles of Augustine’s Just War Theory, a theory which has been instrumental in restraining civilized nations for centuries.

Suggestions that war against Iraq could be conducted so as to reduce U.S. military casualties by bombing Baghdad violates another principle, to wit, that warfare should, as much as is humanly possible, be fought solider against solider, with the exercise of serious restraint in actions which might wound or kill civilians.  Bombing Baghdad, with the known destruction that would have on civilian life, for the purpose of reducing American military casualties is a serious violation of this principle of just war.  Iraqi civilians have already suffered enough through more than two decades of war and severe economic sanctions.  Military action against the government of Saddam Hussein and its aftermath could result in a large number of civilians being killed or wounded, as well as increasing the suffering of multitudes of innocent people.

It is detrimental to U.S. interests to take unilateral military action when there continues to be strong multi-lateral support for new weapons inspectors and when governments in Europe and the Middle East resist supporting military action.  It remains important to cooperate with international efforts to control Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, for example, through a regional weapons-of-mass-destruction control initiative.

The preemptive use of military force by the United States to deal with proliferation problems, as serious as they may be, establishes a dangerous precedent for many nations who feel threatened by their neighbors.  Furthermore, unilaterally overthrowing enemy governments heightens concern in other countries about American respect for international law and for their integrity as nations.

U.S. military action at this time has great potential to further, destabilize the region.  It is likely that international support for the war on terrorism will erode if the United States attacks Iraq without a United Nations Security Council mandate.  Militants in Arab and Islamic majority countries would seize the opportunity to incite people against not only the United States, but also against governments which cooperate with the U.S.  An invasion of our intensified military action against Iraq will divert attention away from the need to seek ways to reduce international terrorism and will retard efforts to restore stability in Afghanistan.

Rather than attacking Iraq, I urge your administration to focus on an Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire and peace settlement.  I love the United States of America; I especially love the values we espouse.  I dream of seeing our nation once again pursuing peace, not war; working with the community of nations, not overthrowing governments by force; respecting international law and treaties while holding in high regard all human life.

Grace and Peace,

Takayuki Ishii

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