Christian Peacemaker Teams statement on U.S./Iranian tensions in Iraq
January 9, 2020
Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) calls for an immediate end to all U.S. and Iranian military escalations and a deepened commitment to diplomacy in the region. The world has watched as the governments of the United States and The Islamic Republic of Iran teeter on the brink of war as their armed forces launched drone strikes and ballistic missiles at various targets within the borders of Iraq.
Diplomacy must be the highest priority for a pathway forward and lasting peace.
Civilians are always the ones who carry the true cost of war. Over the years CPT has partnered with people who have been impacted directly by these conflicts.
We have documented and amplified our partners’ experiences through the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the rise of the Islamic State, and the ongoing Turkish cross border bombings in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Through our programs in Iraqi Kurdistan and on Lesvos, Greece, we have witnessed that millions of people have fled due to violence. Civilians always pay the highest price including displacement, loss of livelihoods, destruction of agricultural lands, injury, trauma, and death.
For too long the lands within Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan have been used by various governments to stage various conflicts without consideration of those living there. This continued destabilization has fueled violence and prevented diverse peoples and communities from moving into a space of healing.
Iraqi people demand that their land not be used by other countries to stage conflicts, and that the people of Iraq are not targeted and bombed.
In support of this demand, CPT calls for continued de-escalation between the governments of the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran as well as increased diplomacy. We cannot thrive as a world of communities if we constantly sit on the brink of additional wars.
Please join in this effort to support peace by contacting your government representatives and urging them to engage in fostering nonviolent and diplomatic pathways in the region and around the globe.
