Law Professors’ Statement Challenging US War Plans

“. . . to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights . . . in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from international law can be maintained” -Preamble to the Charter of the United Nations

317 teachers of law from 87 law schools around the country have denounced the Bush administration’s plans for war with Iraq, explaining that a US war against a country that has not attacked the United States would itself be an unlawful act, in defiance of America’s treaty obligations, and in violation of US and international law. Read the full statement.

“The international rule of law is not a soft luxury to be discarded whenever leaders find it convenient or popular to resort to savage violence. The international rule of law is a bulwark against the horrors of warfare that we Americans have so recently felt first-hand.

A US War Against Iraq Will Violate US and International Law and Set a Dangerous Precedent For Violence That Will Endanger the American People