(originally published in the Wooster Daily Record on October 21, 2004, p.A4)

To the Editor:

I write on behalf of Security Scholars for a Sensible Foreign Policy, a bipartisan group of over 650 international affairs specialists who have joined together to call urgently for a change of course in American foreign and national security policy.

Given the faulty premises under which the United States has prosecuted the War in Iraq, given the reduced attention to the threat posed by the al Qaeda network, and given the negative consequences of these choices, we believe that a fundamental reassessment of American foreign policy is in order. We must pursue a foreign policy of security through credibility and strong but appropriate action. We must use our power wisely against real threats, not imagined ones.

Shifting the focus of the War on Terror from al Qaeda to Iraq has meant a missed opportunity to further weaken bin Laden’s network of terrorists. The faulty arguments put forward to justify the Iraq War rob us of the credibility that we need in order to lead an effective fight against terror and weapons proliferation. This makes it harder for us to influence the Middle East peace process or to deal effectively with proliferation threats from Iran and North Korea. These efforts are crucial to our national security, especially in a post-9/11 world. In addition, as a result of our squandered moral credibility we are no longer able to deal effectively with vital issues as diverse as genocide in the Sudan, repression of religious freedom in Tibet, and the ongoing erosion of democracy in Russia.

Our group, Security Scholars for a Sensible Foreign Policy has published an Open Letter to the American People at our web site, http://www.sensibleforeignpolicy.net, in which we more carefully detail our concerns. I hope citizens take the time to read and consider these arguments, and join the debate on the future direction of American foreign policy and security.

American foreign and security policy is your policy, made in your name and on your behalf. Take it back by contacting your local representatives, writing letters, and choosing candidates on November 2^nd with these issues in mind.

Matthew Krain

Chair, International Relations Program

Assistant Professor of Political Science

The College of Wooster