User:John L. Clark/Syria

The following is a letter that I wrote to the US Senators from Ohio about the civil war in Syria:

I strongly oppose military action in Syria, and I ask you to please vote against any such action and speak out against additional violence as a terrible mistake. I am deeply saddened by the intense violence that is continually being perpetrated by all sides in the Syrian civil war, and I ultimately long for bold but peaceful, loving, and healing responses to this tragedy.

The United States has an extensive history of wrongful aggression in the Middle East, and it would be a good first step to recognize and repent for these mistakes. Many would see this as an act of weakness, but it is precisely in striving for strength, for domination, that institutions as different as the Syrian and United States governments arrive at a consensus of repression and violence, only disagreeing on their targets.

And so seeking forgiveness would be, and always is, a powerful act, full of meaning, exactly because it recognizes the possibility of, and even the need for, a radically different world than the one we have chosen thus far. It would foster understanding and trust, and provide space for connecting to the basic needs that fundamentally unite us all.

This approach requires faith and courage, but know that I support you in your leadership as you work for peace.