American Humanist Association seeks restraint in calls for military intervention
For Immediate Release
Contact: Maggie Ardiente, mardiente@americanhumanist.org, 202-238-9088 x116
(Washington, DC – Aug 28, 2013) — With the threat of yet another armed conflict in the Middle East rearing its head, the American Humanist Association strongly urges President Obama, American military leaders, and our allies to seek a peaceful, rather than violent, response to the heinous actions committed by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The recent revelations of Assad’s alleged use of chemical weapons on Syrian citizens are appalling and extreme, and it is imperative that world leaders broker a swift and decisive solution to protect Syria’s citizens. However, history has shown us again and again, most recently in the long-embroiled wars in Iraq and Afghanistan which claimed many thousands of lives, that escalating violence rarely, if ever, leads to a win for humanity.
“The best way to resolve this conflict in a way that ensures lasting good is through a peaceful solution,” said AHA Board President Rebecca Hale. “The Syrian people must be a priority for the world’s leaders, but provoking a new war now isn’t likely to solve the problem.”
The collateral fallout from a strike, no matter how targeted, could be devastating to the already beleaguered Syrian people, and could easily be seen as an act of aggression that could be used to bolster terrorists and international anti-American extremists.
“The gains of peace outweigh the gains of war. If we approach this situation with restraint, and we remove ourselves from the heated rhetoric and drum beating, a peaceful solution might be found,” Hale said.
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The American Humanist Association (americanhumanist.org) advocates for the rights and viewpoints of humanists. Founded in 1941 and headquartered in Washington D.C., its work is extended through more than 175 local chapters and affiliates across the United States.
Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism, affirms a responsibility to lead ethical lives of value to self and humanity.