Institute for Policy Studies

Washington, DC - More than 35 American City Councils from Baltimore to Seattle, from Philadelphia to Kalamazoo, have passed resolutions opposing war in Iraq. Anti-war resolutions are pending in many more communities, from Chicago to Houston and all points in between. Faced with crushing budget deficits, safety concerns about urban terrorist attacks that might accompany a strike against Iraq, and the prospect of their constituents fighting a costly and bloody war, growing numbers of City Councils have passed public resolutions that express mainstream American concerns about a possible war in the Middle East and its domestic repercussions.

The effort to give voice to millions of American citizens through these resolutions is being organized and facilitated by Cities for Peace, a coalition that includes the Institute for Policy Studies, the Education for Peace in Iraq Center, the National Priorities Project, chapters of the American Friends Service Committee and other grassroots organizations, student groups and faith-based organizations, which are facilitating the drafting and passing of the resolutions. Similar resolutions are being passed by student council bodies, faculty senates, major labor unions and church boards around the country.

While the resolutions differ in emphasis and wording from city to city, all highlight how taxpayers, city and state budgets, and critical social services will be hard hit by the costs of a war with Iraq. The resolutions note the link between U.S. foreign and domestic policies, and assert that citizens have the right and responsibility to speak out on all issues that affect America. "Foreign policy can no longer be just the purview of a secretive clique in the White House and Defense Department," says Karen Dolan, coordinator of Cities for Peace at the Institute for Policy Studies.

For interviews with council members who have been successful in getting resolutions passed or are sponsoring pending resolutions, or with spokespeople for Cities For Peace, please contact Karen Dolan at 202-234-9382, ext. 228. For further information on Cities For Peace, visit www.citiesforpeace.org. For information about the diverse and growing anti-war movement in the United States, visit www.UnitedforPeace.org.

Institute for Policy Studies, 733 15th Street, NW, Suite 1020, Washington, DC 20005-2112 Phone (202) 234-9382, Fax (202) 387-7915