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opinion |  | LETTER TO THE EDITOR: PUBLISHED IN THE INDEPENDENT, JANUARY 20TH 2003, PAGE 13
Why we must speak out against an immoral war.
Dear Sir
Architects Against War
We the undersigned believe that the case for war against Iraq has not been made, that it is immoral, and that it will very likely lead to an increase in international terrorism. As with other professions and bodies directly concerned with the well-being of people and the environment, we feel that taking a moral stand at this moment is necessary. The American and British public has already declared its distaste for coercive pre-emption and unilateral action. Not to take a stand, as a profession, amounts to silent complicity, while speaking up now in the present uncertainty may persuade leaders to pull back from the brink or, at the very least, oblige the Prime Minister to put the choice of War where it belongs: to the people and Parliament. Our position rests on four main foundations.The case for a Just War cannot be convincingly made; the link of Saddam Hussein with al-Qaeda has not been established; a war against Iraq is likely to kill large numbers of civilians and intensify the great suffering there; and unilateral action by the US (with Britain's support) will undermine international law and set a precedent for pre-emption by other nations in places such as Chechnya, Palestine, Kashmir and Tibet. It is possible to imagine circumstances where pre-emptive war could be justifiable in this age of mega-terrorism. But these must be exceptional and based on concrete evidence of an immediate and severe threat. Such a showing has not been made in relation to Iraq. A consequence of invasion by the USA and Britain is likely to be the very clash of civilisations sought by terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda. Arab statesmen from all Muslim countries have said an invasion would be seen either in terms of a Christian "crusade" (President Bush's initial reaction to terrorism) or Western imperialism and the grab for oil. The goal of the terrorist is to make the nation-state itself adopt terrorist tactics, and thereby lose legitimacy in the eyes of the people. In the eyes of the Arab world, the USA and UK are perilously close to being regarded as rogue states who do not respect international law and, if they invade Iraq without just cause, many of their own citizens will so regard them. Terrorism will have won the War on Terrorism.
Yours faithfully
Charles Jencks, Architectural Historian, Writer and Designer Paul Hyett, President RIBA Lord Rogers of River side Architect Sir Terry Farrell, Architect Professor William Alsop, Architect Rick Mather, Architect Paul Finch, Writer Eva Jiricna, Architect Mohsen Mostafavi, Chairman Architectural Association Zaha Hadid, Architect Rem Koolhaas, Architect Sir Richard MacCormac, Architect and Past President RIBA Ken Powell, Architectural Critic Richard Murphy, Architect Frank Gehry, Architect George Ferguson, Architect Edward Cullinan, Architect, Royal Institute of British Architects, London
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