We the undersigned members of the academic community and concerned citizens of the State of Iowa are opposed to an invasion of Iraq by the United States. The decision to start a war is perhaps the most significant decision the leaders of a democracy can make. It requires ordering fellow citizens to kill and be killed in the name of the entire nation, in our names and in yours. For this decision to be just and legitimate, the reasons offered for war must be principled and arrived at through public debate. To date, none of the justifications offered by President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, National Security Advisor Rice, their subordinates, or an array of commentators in the media has sufficient force to justify a U.S. invasion of Iraq. Our reasons for opposing a U.S. invasion of Iraq include

Invasion to replace the Hussein regime is not in the best interests of the region or the world. An invasion of Iraq and destruction of the Hussein regime will almost certainly lead to prolonged instability in Iraq; increased popular appeal of radical Islamic movements in the region and increased anti-American sentiments world wide; destabilization of the entire Middle East; prolonged and possibly heightened conflict between Israel and the Palestinians; and increased terrorism in the U.S. and abroad. In the end, invading Iraq will probably make both the region and the world less secure, not more secure. Key U.S. allies do not support an invasion of Iraq. Many governments allied with the U.S. are urging restraint, demanding more evidence of an Iraqi threat, or oppose a U.S. invasion of Iraq. These include Bahrain, Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Pakistan, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. Governmental and popular support in Great Britain, the most stalwart U.S. ally, is weak at best and decreasing. Any military action against Iraq should have the moral force of international consensus behind it.

The Iraqi threat is not credible. The opposition to an invasion among senior U.S. government and military leaders as well as most U.S. allies in the Middle East suggests that the Iraqi threat is not credible. The Bush Administration has presented no evidence of Iraqi development of weapons of mass destruction since the U.N. withdrew weapons inspectors in 1998. If they have such evidence, they should have presented it by now in the face of mounting international and domestic opposition to an invasion of Iraq.

An invasion of Iraq would be illegal under the Charter of the United Nations, to which the U.S. is a signatory. According to the Charter, only the Security Council has legal authority to start wars, with the single exception of national self-defense in response to aggression. If the U.S. is indeed a land of laws, then our government should adhere to the basic principles of the Charter, which are intended to govern the relationships between nations for the collective security of all people.

No legal basis exists for "finishing the Gulf War." U.N. Security Council Resolutions 660 and 678, both adopted in 1990, provided a legal and moral justification for the Gulf War in 1991. They called for reversal of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and no more. The Security Council has not since passed any resolutions that would provide a legal justification for a U.S. invasion of Iraq.

For these reasons, we oppose a U.S. invasion of Iraq and urge others to do so also. The Hussein regime is reprehensible, but the war being planned will not decrease and will probably increase the suffering of the Iraqi people for many years to come. The likelihood of a high cost in lives of both combatants and non-combatants is simply too great given the weak justifications that have been offered for an invasion and the limited considerations for post-war Iraq. If pursued, war should be the last resort, undertaken collectively by a U.N. sponsored international coalition only after renewal of weapons inspections and diplomacy have utterly failed to bring Iraq into compliance with all Security Council Resolutions.

We hope our message sparks informed discussion on and off our campuses that reaches to Washington D.C. Furthermore, we intend this statement to provide support for those of diverse political or religious viewpoints who also oppose an imminent U.S. invasion of Iraq on moral, ethical, and humanitarian grounds.

Academics (f = faculty/instructor; g = graduate student; s = staff; u = undergraduate) Cigdem T. Akkurt, Iowa State University, f Cindy Anderson, Iowa State University, g Brian Belknap, Iowa State University, f Susan Benner, Iowa State University, f Robert Bernard, Iowa State University, f J. Herman Blake, Iowa State University, f Elizabeth Bowen, Iowa State University, g Neal Bowers, Iowa State University, f Al Clarke, Iowa State University, f Dan Coffey, Iowa State University, s Scott Consigny, Iowa State University, f Barnett C. Cook, Iowa State University, f Joanna Courteau, Iowa State University, f Adam Davis, Iowa State University, g Jane Davis, Iowa State University, f Irene Faass, Iowa State University, g A. M. Fink, Iowa State University, f Dave Fisher, Iowa State University, g Jan L. Flora, Iowa State University, f Lisa Fontaine, Iowa State University, f Fritz Franzen, Iowa State University, f Catherine Fox, Iowa State University, g Terri Fredrick, Iowa State University, g Bernie Gerstein, Iowa State University, f David Gradwohl, Iowa State University, f Derrick P. Grimmer, Iowa State University, s Nancy Guthrie, Iowa State University, s William Gutowski, Iowa State University, f Jeff Hall, Iowa State University, s Bellinda Hegelheimer, Iowa State University, g Volker Hegelheimer, Iowa State University, f James Heiman, Iowa State University, g Brian Hentz, Iowa State University, g Carl Herndl, Iowa State University, f Oksana Hlyva, Iowa State University, g Robert Hollinger, Iowa State University, f Neal Iverson, Iowa State University, f Joan Y. Jach, Iowa State University, g Jane R. Jacobson, Iowa State University, s Carl Jacobson, Iowa State University, f Keith Kutz, Iowa State University, s Patricia Leigh, Iowa State University, f Nancy Osborn Johnson, Iowa State University, s Beth Jorgensen, Iowa State University, s Matthias Kaelberer, Iowa State University, f Wei Yong Kang, Iowa State University, g April Katz, Iowa State University, f Roger A. Klinkenborg, Iowa State University, f Meaghan Kozar, Iowa State University, g Meaghan P McLoughlin, Iowa State University, g Heike Kross, Iowa State University, s Bill Kunerth, Iowa State University, f Jerry Lamsa, Iowa State University, f Adela C. Licona, Iowa State University, g Ingrid M. Lilligren, Iowa State University, f Fred Lorenz, Iowa State University, f Chris Lubienski, Iowa State University, f Sarah Lubienski, Iowa State University, f Blue Maas, Iowa State University, s Deb Marquart, Iowa State University, f Chris Martin, Iowa State University, f Michelle Mattson, Iowa State University, f John Mayfield, Iowa State University, f Theresa McCormick, Iowa State University, f Sherry McGough, Iowa State University, f Gerry McKiernan, Iowa State University, f Allen Michie, Iowa State University, f Julie Minkler, Iowa State University, f Margaret S. Mook, Iowa State University, f Yurij Mozharivskij, Iowa State University, s Jo Myers-Walker, Iowa State University, f Robert Nielsen, Iowa State University, g James Noland, Iowa State University, f Deborah Oliver, Iowa State University, s Iraj Omidvar, Iowa State University, g Patricia Osmond de Martino, Iowa State University, f Deborah Pappenheimer, Iowa State University, f Teresa A Paschke, Iowa State University, f Susan Posch, Iowa State University, s Constance Post, Iowa State University, f Diane Price Herndl, Iowa State University, f Elizabeth Rectanus, Iowa State University, s Mark Rectanus, Iowa State University, f Dan Rice, Iowa State University, s Anne Richards, Iowa State University, g Mary R. Sawyer, Iowa State University, f Karl Seifert, Iowa State University, f William Simpkins, Iowa State University, f Amy Slagell, Iowa State University, f Tony Smith, Iowa State University, f Rachel Sokolov, Iowa State University, g Robin Stone, Iowa State University, f Shankar Subramaniam, Iowa State University, f Donna Surge, Iowa State University, f Carlie C. Tartakov, Iowa State University, f Gary Michael Tartakov, Iowa State University, f Roberta Vann, Iowa State University, f Carl F. Vondra, Iowa State University, f Barb Walton, Iowa State University, f Elizabeth Wardle, Iowa State University, g Gretchen Weber, Iowa State University, f Tom Weber, Iowa State University, f Bernie White, Iowa State University, f Laura A Winkiel, Iowa State University, f Mary Winter, Iowa State University, f Danielle Wirth, Iowa State University, f David Ellison, Grinnell College, f Robert Grey, Grinnell College, f Ralph James Savarese, Grinnell College, f Erik Simpson, Grinnell College, f Kenneth Christiansen, Grinnell College, f Seiko Yoshinaga, Grinnell College, f Katherine McClelland, Grinnell College, f Kent McClelland, Grinnell College, f Ed Gilday, Grinnell College, f Chris Gaunt, Grinnell College, f Sylvia Thorson-Smith, Grinnell College, f Lesley Wright, Grinnell College, f Donald Doe, Grinnell College, f Heather Lobban-Viravong, Grinnell College, f Shuchi Kapila, Grinnell College, f Robert and Nancy Cadmus, Grinnell College, f Johanna Meehan, Grinnell College, f John and Joan Mohan, Grinnell College, f Mark Montgomery, Grinnell College, f Irene Powell, Grinnell College, f Marci Sorter, Grinnell College, f Alan and Jill Schrift, Grinnell College, f George Drake, Grinnell College, f Steve and Sheree Andrews, Grinnell College, f Kenji Takahashi, Grinnell College, f Barbara Trish, Grinnell College, f Sara Cross, Grandview, u Sue Astley, Cornell College, f Dana Quartana, University of Iowa, g Lisa Vandervoort, University of Iowa, f Cathy Livingston, University of Iowa, g Maria Hope, University of Iowa, s Geoffrey Hope, University of Iowa, f Lisa Green-Douglasw, Cornell College, f Kathleen Lyons, University of Iowa, g Felipe Echeverria, University of Northern Iowa, f Al Hays, University of Northern Iowa, f Carol Cook-Roberts, University of Northern Iowa, f Ronald E. Roberts, Graceland, f Holly Greiner, University of Iowa, g Ken Basom, University of Northern Iowa, f Jenny Anger, Grinnell College, f George Barlow, Grinnell College, f Bonu Sengupta, Grinnell College, f Todd Patrick Armstrong, Grinnell College, f David Harrison, Grinnell College, f Val and Roger Vetter, Grinnell College, f Ed Phillips, Grinnell College, f Mary Burke, Grinnell College, f Jason Michael MacLeod, Iowa State University, g Daryl Northrop, Drake University , u Shelton Stromquist, University of Iowa, f Kathleen Roberts Skerrett, Grinnell College, f Tyler Roberts, Grinnell College, f Kelsey Alford-Jones, Grinnell College, u Chris Hill, Grinnell College, f Kay Wilson, Grinnell College, s Lora Friedrich, Simpson College, f Timothy Hare, Grinnell College, f Ernie Trujillo, Grinnell College, f Laura Gotkowitz, University of Iowa, f Robert Baum, Iowa State University, f Michael Marchman, University of Iowa, g Walter Pearon, Simpson College, f Jason Schatz, Iowa State University, u Petra Perry, Grinnell College, f Eliot Garfield, Simpson College, u Brian Depew, Simpson College, u

Marcia Minear, Iowa State University, g Laura Hatfield, Iowa State University, u Laura Polstein, Grinnell College, u Mack C. Shelley, Iowa State University, f Holly Hart, University of Iowa, s Janet Anderson-Hsieh, Iowa State University, f Wynne Wright, University of Northern Iowa Dina Blanc, University of Iowa, s Evan Fales, University of Iowa, f Kent Sandstrom, University of Northern Iowa, f T.M. Scruggs, University of Iowa, f Josh Plank, University of Nortern Iowa, u Thomas Hockey, University of Northern Iowa, f Ann Stromquist, University of Iowa, s Brenda Daly, Iowa State University, f Downing Thomas, University of Iowa, f Tobias Winright, Simpson College, f Kaleen Ragan-Pepper, Mount Mercy, u Leonard Kallio, University of Iowa, s Allyne Smith, Mercy College, f Elizabeth Winright, Drake, g Melvin Wilk, Simpson College, f Mary Beth Wilk, DMACC, f Kata Alvidrez, Iowa State University, f Michael Shott, University of Northern Iowa, f Jennifer Sherer, University of Iowa, g Nancy Schwartz, University of Northern Iowa, f Roger Betwworth, Simpson College, f James Price, University of Northern Iowa, f Joe Gorton, University of Northern Iowa, f Nicholas Roy, University of Iowa, f Chris Waddle, Simpson College, f Linda Murray, University of Iowa, s Lori Nelson, Cornell College, f Kara Beauchamp, Cornell College, f Dee-Ann Rexroat, Cornell College, s Loree Rackstraw, University of Northern Iowa, f Janet Bentley, University of Iowa, f Maureen McCue, University of Iowa, f Thomas F. Capshew, University of Northern Iowa, f Mary Iber, Cornell College, f Cory Anne Harrigan, Simpson College, f Gary Kaufman, DMACC, s Cindy Strong, Cornell College, f Jesse Wozniak, University of Northern Iowa, u Katy Strzepek, St. Ambrose, f Nancy St. Clair, Simpson College, f Susan Murty, University of Iowa, f David Kelley, University of Northern Iowa Robert Yate, University of Iowa, f Deborah Dakin, Augustana, f Pat Minor-Nidey, University of Iowa, s Christopher Schwartz, University of Northern Iowa, u Linda Kerber, University of Iowa, f Sally Frank, Drake, f David Oliver, Iowa State University, f Jin Feng, Grinnell College, f William L. Patch, Jr., Grinnell College, f Daniel Kaiser, Grinnell College, f Gail Bonath, Grinnell College, f Miliann Kang, Grinnell College, f Mark Baechtel, Grinnell College, f Barbara & John Stone, Grinnell College, f Monessa & Joseph Cummins, Grinnell College, f Ivette Vargas, Grinnell College, f Eugene Herman, Grinnell College, f Douglas Caulkins, Grinnell College, f Chris Connelly, Grinnell College, f Kara Lycke, Grinnell College, f Cecilia Knight, Grinnell College, f Claire Hruby, Grinnell College, f Michael Cavanagh, Grinnell College, f Janet Alexander, Grinnell College, f Natalie Ceperley, Grinnell College, f Sigmund Barber, Grinnell College, f Wayne Moyer, Grinnell College, f John Rommereim, Grinnell College, f Liz Queathem, Grinnell College, f David N. McNeill, Grinnell College, f Jonathan Andelson , Grinnell College, f Jon Torgerson, Drake University, f Richard Cleaver, Grinnell College, s Scott Cook, Grinnell College, f F.D. Reeve, visiting scholar Andy Hazucha, visiting scholar Brian Turner, Grinnell College, s Matt Cleinman, Grinnell College, u Eli Zigas, Grinnell College, u Barbara Lucia Rodriguez, Grinnell College, u Nicholas Fogg, Grinnell College, u Hanna Roman, Grinnell College, u Jane E. Hereth, Grinnell College, u Ruth Anderson, Grinnell College, u Jenny Dale, Grinnell College, u Ellen Gallagher, Grinnell College, u Lindsay White , Grinnell College, u Christine Hancock, Grinnell College, u Josh Rosenbluh, Grinnell College, u Mark Gardiner, Grinnell College, u David Schwartz, Grinnell College, u Emer Griffin, Grinnell College, u Jill Peterson, Grinnell College, u Ann Mogush, Grinnell College, u Laura Mason-Marshall, Grinnell College, u Sabrina Ross, Grinnell College, u Reid Wyatt, Grinnell College, u Nathan Williams, Grinnell College, u Jeremy "Sequoia" Nagamatsu, Grinnell College, u Michel Gobat, University of Iowa, f Susan Eberly, University of Iowa, s Fernando Arribas-Garcia, Drake University, f Stuart Shulman, Drake University, f Charli Capenter, Drake University, f Robert Hariman, Drake University, f Douglas Anderson, University of Iowa, f Sujay Rao, Grinnell College, f Forrest Meggers, University of Iowa, u Ellen Daly, Iowa State University, u Julie Spears, University of Iowa, g Whitney Kelting, Grinnell College, f Sarah Weiss, Grinnell College, u Concerned Citizens Rev. Brian Eslinger, Ames Carolyn Levine, Muscatine Clara Oleson, West Branch Karly Whitaker, Iowa City Kevin Pokorny, Des Moines Chet Guinn, Des Moines Bob Brammer, Des Moines Marti Anderson, Des Moines Mary Grey, Grinnell Pastor John Chaplin, Des Moines Jean Basinger, Des Moines Bill Basinger, Des Moines Arthur Dexter, Des Moines Eloise Cranke, Des Moines Jennifer Britton, Iowa City Glenys Bittick Lynch Julie Rutz, Des Moines Jeanne Rutz, Des Moines Kathryn Colvig Joe Zito, Cedar Rapids Erica Zito, Cedar Rapids Lisa Lumbard Dick Petry Martha Gelhaus, Des Moines Evelyn Serrill, Des Moines Sherrly Viars, Des Moines Pat Huber David Campbell, Grinnell Tim Dean, Grinnell Beverly Reddick, Ames Gary Guthrie, Ames Mustafa Hammouda, Grinnell Carolyn Jacobson, Grinnell Gene Kraus Lucy Kraus Eric Kinman, Windsor Heights Kathy Winter John Krieg, Des Moines Patti McKee, Des Moines Sister Dorothy Marie Hennessey Sherry Hutchison Carmen Lampe Zeitler, Des Moines Kathleen McQuillen Betty Torgerson, Urbandale Lynne W. Brookes, Nevada Greg Wilcox, Des Moines Diane Krell, West Des Moines Lee Eberly Jean Sandstrom, Des Moines Andy Shaffer, Des Moines Daniel Pearson Rev. Michael D. Smith, Grinnell Janet Parrish, Cedar Falls Carol Marble