November 17, 2002 --

adopted unanimously by the Democratic Party Committee Abroad in Geneva on November 17, 2002

WHEREAS the United States of America’s national interests are best served by:

…ensuring the exercise of freedoms, rights and the rule of law
applied uniformly to all within our borders while urging the same
within all nations;

…furthering commerce, the rule of law, and comity among nations;

…ensuring adherence to arms control agreements on weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery;

…enhancing alliances through cooperative exercise with mutual respect;

…safeguarding the vitality of the global seas, atmosphere and lands;

…working diligently to use U.S. and allied influence to create
conditions for peace with justice and economic advancement in
chronically troubled regions, including securing peace and
reconstruction with the people of Afhanistan and the Middle East;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that Democrats Abroad, tens of thousands
strong in countries around the globe engaged in finance, media,
education, corporate, legal, entrepreneurial, religious and caritative
work, hereby censure as harmful to U.S. interests the Bush
Administration’s moves toward:

…disregard for due process and Constitutional safeguards under the rubric of a loose analog of “the war on terrorism”;

…extra-Constitutional recourse to “war,” which only Congress can declare;

…imprudent, immoral calls for assassinations of “enemies” anywhere;

…reckless and feckless pursuit of a doctrine of pre-emptive strikes;

…reckless endangerment of global economies dependent on satellite
communications through useless but lucrative pursuit of national
missile defense and weaponization of space;

…unworthy pressuring of countries who seek to counter genocide and
crimes against humanity through the International Criminal Court.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the inept and largely counterproductive
international leadership of the Bush Administration be redirected to:

…pursue peace vigorously and tirelessly in the Middle East with
respect for the rights and security of all, including adherence to the
provisions of the Arms Control Export Act;

…uphold the civil and human rights of all persons within U.S.
jurisdiction, including to legal counsel, public announcement of
charges, and, absent a declared war, habeas corpus;

…return the economy of the U.S. to a balanced budget by recognizing
U.S. security requires more than weapons systems for every conceivable
form of hostility;

…return open government to the American people, including on formation of energy and homeland security policies;

…resume global leadership in arms control within the United Nations
as well as bilateral and regional frameworks to include UN inspections
of Iraq;

…find ways to enhance economic development and share propserity that
lessen rather than increase strains on regional and global eco-systems.

Democrats Abroad resolutely oppose the chaos-inducing claim to
pre-emptive strikes and assassinations, which are likely to expose U.S.
citizens at home and abroad to greater danger as well as encourage a
fundamentally flawed “fortress America” mentality unworthy of the great
United States of America, her values, and her history.