The effort to stabilize Iraq is out of control. It's time to face the facts squarely, and recognize that America, acting alone, is no longer capable of reaching the hearts and minds of Iraqis.

We've got to transfer management authority over Iraq to the United Nations, to enable a real transition to peaceful Iraqi self-rule. Join us in calling for this change, at:

   http://www.moveon.org/unauthority/

60 Americans and reportedly hundreds of Iraqis have been killed in just the past week; 677 Americans have died in Iraq since the war began. A religious leader hostile to the United States now controls two cities, and has sparked uprisings in two others. Dozens of foreigners have been taken hostage.

The growing opposition to American rule among the Iraqi population "probably runs in the tens of thousands", consisting of people who "have jobs in vegetable shops, offices, garages, and schools."¹ These are the very people who should comprise the civil society we're hoping to build as the basis for peaceful Iraqi self-rule. Instead, they're arming themselves and awaiting the call to attack Americans.

Our troops in Iraq are stretched thin -- many reservists have been serving there for more than a year, with no end in sight. U.S. commanders are asking for more troops, and Senate leaders like John McCain share the concern that our current troop levels are inadequate. There's talk of a draft, perhaps to be announced just after our November elections.

But instead of simply redoubling our commitment to the present course, we should support our soldiers by taking the bull's-eye off their backs.

At its core, the challenge our troops face in Iraq is about legitimacy: Iraqis see us increasingly as an occupying power, not a liberating one. To send a credible message of stewardship and transition to self-rule, we need a truly international coalition, including key Arab nations like Egypt and Saudi Arabia. As Thomas Friedman put it, "If it is America alone against the Iraqi street, we lose. If it is the world against the Iraqi street, we have a chance."²

Of course, transferring control to the U.N. would also enable many other nations to share the logistical and financial burdens of helping Iraq transition to peaceful self-rule.

This isn't a partisan issue. "In both parties, members are concerned," according to Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) "There's not abject panic, but there's deep concern, and there should be."³

The time to make this change is now, before the situation escalates further out of control. Join us in this call, at:

   http://www.moveon.org/unauthority/

Thank you, for all you do.

Sincerely,
--Carrie, Joan, Noah, Peter, and Wes
  The MoveOn.org Team
  Tuesday, April 13th, 2004

Footnotes:

1. See this sobering New York Times article for details:
"Anti-U.S. Outrage Unites a Growing Iraqi Resistance"

2. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/11/opinion/11FRIE.html

3. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A355-2004Apr9.html