It’s a historic victory for peace, democracy and the rule of law that President Obama has agreed to seek Congressional authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) in Syria. As a Just Foreign Policy supporter, you can take some credit for this: we helped get the ball rolling when we put out an alert last Monday morning calling for President Obama to seek authorization and for Congress to demand that he seek authorization, at a time when many were saying that trying to get Congress involved was futile.
But despite the President’s promise that he only intends to conduct “limited strikes” in Syria, the AUMF he sent to Congress Saturday is a blank check for war.
Here’s what you can do to pressure Congress to vote NO on the Syria AUMF:
- Call your representatives NOW. Many in Congress are undecided as to how to vote on the Syria AUMF. Taking two minutes out of your day could help prevent another US war. All the information you need to call your reps can be found here:
http://fcnl.org/issues/middle_east/take_action_syria/You can get an idea about where your reps currently stand using this Washington Post graphic. Just scroll over the dots to find your rep.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/09/02/where-the-votes-stand-on-syria/ - Sign and share our petition. You can sign at MoveOn using the following link or via the action box below.
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/congress-vote-no-on-the?source=c.url&r_by=1135580
The Syria AUMF President Obama sent to Congress doesn’t prohibit the use of U.S. ground troops. It isn’t limited in duration. It isn’t even geographically limited to Syria—this President or a future President could use it to strike Iran. [1] If this AUMF passes, it is likely to remain; the Iraq AUMF has never been repealed.
If you oppose a U.S. military strike on Syria, sign the petition. But if you only support limited strikes, you should also sign the petition, because the Syria AUMF isn’t a mandate for limited strikes—it’s a blank check for war.
Sign and share our petition here:
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/congress-vote-no-on-the?source=c.url&r_by=1135580
Thank you for all you do to help bring about a more just foreign policy,
Robert Naiman, Chelsea Mozen, Sarah Burns and Megan Iorio
Just Foreign Policy
Help fund our work—donate to Just Foreign Policy! Make a tax-deductible $10 donation today.
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References:
1. “The Administration’s Proposed Syria AUMF Is Very Broad,” Jack Goldsmith, Lawfare, September 1, 2013, http://www.lawfareblog.com/2013/09/the-administrations-proposed-syria-aumf-is-very-broad/