Stop the War on Iran – End the Repression
As individuals, scholars, and organizations who are members of international civil society and professional associations, we strongly condemnthe U.S. war with Iran under any pretense. It is morally indefensible to instrumentalize popular democratic struggles for cynical geopolitical ends. Beyond the humanitarian catastrophe and economic devastation it would cause, the Trump administration’s latest threat to wage war on Iran violates both international law and U.S. law, which requires congressional authorization for the use of force. Recent experiences in Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan demonstrate that U.S. military interventions produce immense human suffering, undermine prospects for democracy, and further destabilize the Middle East, regardless of whether they are waged in the name of regime change or “humanitarian intervention.”
Opposition to war does not justify despotism. The Islamic Republic of Iran has cynically used the pretense of national security to undermine democratic mobilization. We unequivocally condemn its most recent unprecedented wave of repression and violence against Iranian citizens. We call on Iran’s government to end its repression, to permit the free expression of dissent, and to release all those detained during recent protests. Iranians have every right to demand freedom, equal rights, and social justice. War will make it more difficult for them to build and sustain networks, neighborhood and workplace organizations, and political coalitions needed to pursue a viable path toward sustainable democracy. U.S. intervention—military or otherwise—would not “liberate” the Iranian people. To the contrary, intervention undermines popular democratic movements by deepening instability and accelerating militarization.