Breaking News Update (April 14): Trump has launched an illegal attack on Syria.
This action will not protect lives on the ground. Real action to help Syrian people would mean increasing humanitarian aid, advancing diplomacy and opening our arms to refugees. Instead, Trump has chosen to worsen the violence and volatility of this terrible war.
Speak out – contact your Congressional representative to denounce this unconstitutional attack. They need to hear from all of us – that we won't stand for these destructive and illegal actions.
Our work to support Syrian women and families continues. Thank you for joining with us as we demand rights and work for peace.
April 10: Trump has set a countdown: in a matter of days or even hours, he may once again launch airstrikes against Syria.
This new threat of US military attacks comes just days after reported chemical attacks in a suburb of Damascus. These kinds of attacks are an atrocity and a war crime, adding to the brutality that has gripped Syria for the past seven years. The answer to this terrible violence, however, is not more violence.
We’ve been here before. Almost exactly one year ago, in response to earlier reports of chemical attacks, the US added to the violence in Syria by launching 59 missiles, even though such retaliation does little to restrict the Assad regime’s ability to attack its people. In fact, those past airstrikes did not prevent the horrors we’ve seen since then.
Now, just as we’ve done before, MADRE denounces this renewed threat of US military attacks. Instead of protecting civilians, such assaults only deepen the violence faced by millions of Syrians. Once again, if Trump were truly concerned about safeguarding Syrian lives, he would eliminate all policies that block refugees from entering the safety of the US. He would expand — not cut — funding for humanitarian aid. He would call for an investigation of these reported chemical attacks and accountability through mechanisms of international law.
That’s clearly not the reality we live in. Instead, Trump has been assembling his “war cabinet,” filled with warmongers like John Bolton who began this week as National Security Adviser and Mike Pompeo who faces his Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday. In short, Trump has surrounded himself with voices who will push him to go to war.
Every day that this already seven-year war grinds on means more suffering for Syrian people. We need to act urgently, as people of goodwill, to sustain communities and build peace.
But we are in the grip of a failure of political leadership so severe that the only "action" the US can conceive of is military action. That will not ease suffering or bring peace. The choice between bombing or doing nothing is a false choice. Instead, we must reach out to the women and families of Syria with emergency humanitarian aid, with our unwavering commitment to stand by them for the long haul of healing and rebuilding, and with our daily work to build the movements we need for a peaceful world. Please continue to stand by MADRE and be a part of this vital work for peace.
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