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Join us in picketing each tuesday, writing letters to congress and to local papers, working to raise the awareness of our community about peace and justice.
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To the Editor:
President Bush had repeatedly criticized Democrats for not presenting alternatives to his reckless foreign policies; policies that have replaced diplomacy, the rule of international law and action by the United Nations and the World Court with direct American military control of a sovereign nation. President Bush, you are wrong to make this claim. Once again you are misleading the American people. You, and your rubberstamp supporters in the US Congress, Republican and Democrat, have simply been ignoring those Democrats who have presented credible alternatives.
I speak from experience. As a candidate for the US House of Representatives (FL6) I have been calling for the United States to change our foreign policy course, not just in Iraq, but in the entire Middle East. Since 2002 I have been steadfast in my calls for the United States to lead a focused and aggressive diplomatic initiative in the Middle East to find workable solutions to the problem of terrorism, to find ways for the displaced peoples in the region to rebuild their communities and to use the region’s vast oil reserves to finance sustainable energy solutions for the entire planet, not just the short-term profits of sheiks, presidents and multinational corporations.
On October 19, 2006 (http://www.bruderly.com/press_releases.php?page=wasa-10-19-06 ) I called for creation of the Western Asia Security Alliance (WASA), an organization similar in concept to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). An initiative that would create a framework for all nations in the Middle East to cast off the threat of foreign occupation and find ways to share responsibility for their security.
My message has been credible, concise and consistent. It has been presented in a legitimate, organized, calm and rational manner and presented by a candidate for one of the most powerful elected offices in the world. Unfortunately my proposal was not reported by the news staff at your newspaper. Since I did not win my election I cannot directly implement my proposal. But the 40% of the voters in District 6 who saw the wisdom of my proposals and cast their vote for me must be heard.
Therefore, as a citizen, I once again submit this letter and my attached proposal to your newspaper. This time I submit it for publication as an Op-Ed piece. Concurrently I am calling for Congressman Clifford Stearns to present my proposal to the US Congress as an essential alternative to the proposed “surge” proposed by President Bush. Without an aggressive diplomatic initiative by the United States to create new institutions that will provide security in the region, the Iraq Quagmire will not only continue, but will spread.
Thank you.
David E. Bruderly, PE
Former candidate US House FL 6
President
Bruderly Engineering Associates, Inc.
920 SW 57th Drive
Gainesville, Florida 32607-3838
352-377-0932
www.cleanpowerengineering.com
www.bruderly.com
SUMMARY: Formation of Western Asia Security Alliance
January 20, 2007
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed in 1949 to provide a mutual response by the United States and Western Europe to attacks from the Soviet Union or Warsaw Pact nations. It worked. Since the end of the Cold War, NATO’s mission has turned to furthering world peace and, especially after 9/11, includes anti-terrorism operations. Membership has expanded to 26 nations, including several in the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Western Asia. Some nations have advocated extending membership to Israel and even India. Clearly NATO has been a creative, just and powerful force for defending and expanding freedom and democracy, not just in Europe but in Western Asia.
NATO has used a variety of initiatives to further peace in a number of troubled regions of the world, including the former Soviet Union. To deal with rapidly changing international tensions and to head off future military conflicts, NATO established a tradition of creating international partnerships with non-member states. Most recently, on 11 August 2003, NATO formally took command of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. This is the first time that NATO has assumed operational control of a mission outside Europe.
Clearly the world community has recognized the value of international cooperation, dialogue and mutual security agreements and treaties. In addition, all nations understand the strategic importance of the petroleum resources controlled by Western Asian nations. It is time for the developed and developing nations of the world to recognize that sustainable management of this resource is absolutely essential to ending terrorism and maintaining peace in the region.
I believe it is time to apply the NATO model, the concept of international cooperation for mutual security, to end the unilateral American occupation of Iraq and create a shared mechanism for ending terrorism emanating from the troubled nations of Western Asia. It is also time to recognize that terrorism has its roots in economic power and control of resources; that terrorism is not just a religious jihad or a sinister plan to create a caliphate to subvert western cultural influences. It is time for our politicians to be honest with themselves and the people. It is time to create internationally supported policies that will ensure responsible stewardship of resources – land, water and especially global oil supplies. It is time to protect the integrity of those sovereign nations that are blessed with abundant reserves while finding ways to share their bounty with all the peoples in the region. It is time to destroy the myth that “market forces” will ensure responsible management of vital and strategic oil resources while the United States military provides security and attempts to enforce political stability.
I am calling for the United States to initiate treaty discussions that will lead to the formation of an international security organization – the Western Asia Security Alliance (WASA). Its mission will be to restore and maintain security throughout Western Asia and to develop an international mechanism for sustainable management of regional petroleum resources. This entity could be formed as an extension of an existing NATO initiative or as an entirely new organization. There are many, many details to be worked out. The process will be difficult. The time to start is now.
President Bush and the US Congress have an historic opportunity to set a new course for American foreign policy in this critical region of the world. The American people have called for change.
I propose that this Treaty Conference be convened no later than March 1, 2007 and that a firm deadline for implementation of appropriate action plans be set for no later than 1 November 2007. It is absolutely imperative that the process of forming this organization begin immediately. Prompt action by the US Congress is essential because the “surge” proposed by the President demonstrates that he has absolutely no interest in changing failed policies. The Congress must use all of its powers to persuade the Administration to replace military action with aggressive diplomacy. The Constitution requires the US Congress to set policy and change failed policies. Congress must act to check the president and jump-start the diplomatic process to bring real security and peace to this long-troubled, sensitive, and politically volatile region of the world.
David E. Bruderly PE
David E. Bruderly, PE
Bruderly Engineering Associates, Inc.
920 SW 57th Drive
Gainesville, Florida 32607-3838
352-377-0932
www.cleanpowerengineering.com
www.bruderly.com
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