Jan Swartzendruber: Pursue peace in Iran, not war

I was one of 50 constituents of Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Wichita, who delivered an urgent message to him last Wednesday: No war in Iran.

At stake is the “Iran deal,” the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action announced July 15 between Iran and the European Union, China, France, Germany, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States, which would lift economic sanctions on Iran and institute a strict system of nuclear facilities inspections.

Pompeo distrusts the deal and rejects the opinion of the vast majority of United Nations, U.S. and Israeli experts who say its requirements are the tightest ever negotiated. His view is backed by millions of dollars spent by interests that profit from war.

We went to state our preference for peace, because war does not profit us. Iran’s government, in signing the deal, has chosen economic recovery for its people over the suicidal pursuit of a nuclear arsenal.

We affirmed diplomacy as an opportunity to make friends with the people of Iran. Greater commercial, cultural and educational exchange with the outside world will strengthen Iranian moderates, not the radicals in power.

The prospect of lifting sanctions sent an immediate flood of European corporate and governmental representatives to Tehran to investigate starting businesses in this new market of 80 million people. Would they risk their money if they didn’t have confidence in the plan they helped negotiate?

War is too costly, we said, looking back at our “pre-emptive strike” on Iraq in 2003 – justified by similar lies about its nuclear weapons plans. The wreckage of the hawks’ fearmongering is a region in chaos with millions of people killed and millions more desperately fleeing conflicts that have gotten uglier.

The trillions required by another war should be spent instead on retraining for jobs, rebuilding our decaying roads and bridges, educating our children from kindergarten through college, and caring for our veterans.

Most poignantly, if we choose war, Kansans will lose family members. In delivering the 500 signatures to Pompeo’s staff, petition writer Mary Ware exclaimed: “These names are the barest, teeniest top of the iceberg. My son-in-law and nephew are on the line here, ladies. Kansas is a red state, but not when it comes to their children.”

This story was originally published August 31, 2015 at 7:01 PM with the headline "Jan Swartzendruber: Pursue peace in Iran, not war."