We who advocate a non-military approach to conflict resolution view war as the center of a vicious and never-ending cycle of violence. To achieve justice and peace through non-violent means, the Orange County Peace Coalition suggests that the U.S. government adopt the following measures:

Respect the right of self-determination for all people and nations.

In accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as adopted by The United Nations General Assembly, the will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of any government. Too often, however, the United States has supported autocratic, undemocratic, and non-egalitarian regimes—including that of Saddam Hussein. The United States and other foreign leaders must take steps to respect the right of self-governance for all people.

Stop providing financial and arms support to foreign militaries.

The United States provided military support in the form of funding, training, and/or munitions to both Afghan rebels and the Iraqis in the 1980s. Today, many people in the international community question U.S. commitment to peace in the Middle East since the United States continues to provide military support to the Israeli army at the expense of the Palestinians. To truly move toward a peaceful resolution of all international conflict, the United States must stop providing financial and arms support to foreign militaries and commit itself to diplomacy.

Lift Economic Sanctions Against Civilian Populations.

The ongoing economic sanctions against Iraq starve innocent Iraqi civilians in an effort to pressure the political leadership. In addition to the immorality of targeting civilians for political gain, eleven years of economic sanctions have not weakened the Iraqi leadership. Indeed, economic sanctions make the citizenry more dependent upon the political establishment and breed further anti-American sentiment both within Iraq and throughout the international community.

Withdraw support for undemocratic financial institutions.

Representatives of the World Trade Organization (WTO) are not democratically elected. Decisions of the WTO that impact the lives of millions occur in private and behind closed doors. Yet, the United States and other western democracies depend on the WTO, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and other international financial institutions to lobby on behalf of free trade and the financial interests of multinational corporations. Too often, however, "free" trade comes at a high cost for citizens of developing nations who witness the privatization and depletion of vital national resources by foreign investors.

The Orange County Peace Coalition calls upon the United States and other Western Democracies to replace "free" trade with fair trade. To accomplish this will require the democratization of the WTO and other global financial organizations. We believe that individuals and nations should have a say in decisions proportionate to the degree to which they are affected by them. Such changes to the "globalization" movement will not only support the principles of democracy, they will work to diminish anti-American and anti-Western sentiment abroad.

Support the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

The establishment of the International Criminal Court represents one of the most significant opportunities the world has to prevent conflict through deterrence. Ratified by 120 countries, the United States was one of only 7 nations against the treaty. Today, to the ire of the rest of the world, the U.S. demands immunity for its actions worldwide.

Creation of the International Criminal Court represents a historic victory for human rights, international justice, and non-violent conflict resolution. The reluctance of the United States to be held to the same international standards it creates for other countries undermines the credibility of the Court in the international arena. The United States must align itself with other peace-loving nations and reaffirm its commitment to the International Criminal Court and to a universal standard of justice.

Renew our commitment to the United Nations and the international community.

In recent months, the United States has withdrawn or failed to support, sign onto, or attend an array of international conferences, treaties and/or resolutions including the Durban Conference on Racism; the International Plan for Cleaner Energy; the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child; an international ban on land mines; an international agreement banning germ warfare; the International Criminal Court; and the U.N. Human Rights Commission.

To reduce the threat of terrorism stemming from anti-American sentiment and to restore the reputation of the United States within the international community, we call upon the U.S. to renew its commitment to the United Nations and the international community by working with foreign leaders to enforce an international code of human rights, global environmental standards, and democratic principles.