Resolution to ASG: Condemn the Occupation!

WHEREAS more than 3,000 U.S. troops and as many as 650,000 Iraqis have died during the conflict, and thousands more Americans and Iraqis have sustained gross bodily injury and/or psychological harm¹;

WHEREAS a continued military presence in Iraq has acted as a destabilizing force, spurring sectarian violence;

WHEREAS polls have demonstrated that the Iraqi people oppose the occupation, and attacks on U.S. and coalition forces have escalated of late²

WHEREAS virtually all other coalition countries have already withdrawn their troops or have pledged to do so;

WHEREAS the U.S. occupation has created what is currently the world's worst refugee crisis, with more than 2 million Iraqis displaced³;

WHEREAS a ballooning military budget has overtaken domestic priorities, resulting in cuts to public necessities, such as education and health care;

WHEREAS polls continue to show majority opposition to the war inside our own country⁴, and neither Congress nor the White House have taken decisive action to reflect the popular will;

WHEREAS the war was ill-conceived and unethical to start and was in violation of international law;

BE IT RESOLVED THAT on behalf of the Northwestern University student body, we call on the United States government to discontinue military operations in Iraq by bringing the troops home immediately. Additionally, we call on the United States government to provide full benefits and health care, including mental health care, to returning veterans and to divert a portion of war funding into reparations for the Iraqi people.

1.               Burnham, Dr. Gilbert, with Dr. Riyadh Lafta, Dr. Shannon Doocy and Dr. Les Roberts.  "Mortality after the 2003 invasion of Iraq: a cross-sectional cluster sample survey" Vol. 368, Issue 9545, 21 October 2006, Pages 1421-1428

2.               "82 per cent are 'strongly opposed' to the presence of coalition troops." Rayment, Sean. 'Iraqis support attacks on British troops." Telegraph. 22 Oct, 2005.

3.               Raghaven, Sudarsan, "War in Iraq propelling a massive migration." Washington Post 4 February, 2007.

4.               "Do you think the U.S. should keep military troops in Iraq until the situation has stabilized, or do you think the U.S. should bring its troops home as soon as possible?" 52% Bring Home; 43% Keep Troops; 5% Unsure. Pew Research Center, March 21-25, 2007

                  "How would you rate the job Congress has done so far in dealing with Iraq: excellent, good, only fair, or poor?" 3% Excellent; 19% Good; 38% Only Fair; 35% Poor; 5% Unsure. Pew Research Center, March 21-25, 2007.

                  "Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling the situation in Iraq?" 28% Approve; 69% Disapprove; 3% Unsure. USA Today/Gallup Poll, March 23-25, 2007.