Student World Assembly
Action Alert | November 17th, 2005

Action Alert!

You Decide: Who Should Determine the Future of Iraq?

United States invaded Iraq over three years ago. Since then, there has been much discussion on whether the US should “stay the course” or pull out.

SWA encourages you to debate on whether Iraqis should have sole jurisdiction over this decision. Can the Iraqis use their new democracy to deliberate and decide how and under what conditions the United States should stay or withdraw from Iraq? On the other hand, the situation in Iraq may have deteriorated to such a degree that open democratic elections can not be possible. In that case, should U.S. be able to determine the course of action in Iraq without consulting the Iraqis?

SWA has opened a discussion forum to allow members to debate these alternatives:

1. The Iraqis should be encouraged to vote and decide for themselves whether they still need U.S. troops on the ground or whether those troops are proving to be counter-productive and should pull out now.

2. The U.S. should make this decision autonomously as it is impossible for the Iraqis to hold a democratic election in the current political environment.

This is an opportunity to spread the concept of democracy to address international issues. This should be of interest to all members, not just American and Iraqi students. The results of such a poll by the SWA members will be widely distributed and will seek to influence the development of international policymaking on this issue.

Please join us in our discussion forum about this pressing issue and vote.

We look forward to hearing from you on this pressing issue!

Our Mission

The Student World Assembly is a
non-governmental, nonpartisan organization created to represent students globally. It provides a deliberative assembly where students around the world can exchange views, vote on global issues through online discussion forums and in annual international conventions, and translate these views into meaningful actions.

Our Democratic Philosophy

The Student World Assembly believes that true global democracy affirms fundamental human rights, which include the dignity and worth of all human beings, the equal rights of men and women, social, economic and cultural justice for every person, and the freedom to promote these causes. SWA’s representative democracy offers a powerful instrument for addressing the vital social and political conditions that threaten our global future. The informed wishes of the people, conveyed through the collective of a democratic assembly, need to be heard in the decision-making processes. By giving students from the most remote to the more accessible institutions an equal voice, we are enabling all students to educate, participate and take action, and to begin thinking of themselves as global citizens.