To: President Donald Trump, The United States House of Representatives, and The United States Senate

No New U.S. War in Iraq!

President Obama was right to say that the Iraqi government must be responsible for security in Iraq. President Obama should resist calls for direct U.S. military action in Iraq, including airstrikes. Members of Congress must insist that before any direct U.S. military action in Iraq, including airstrikes, there must be explicit Congressional authorization.

Why is this important?

Senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain have called for direct U.S. military action in Iraq in the wake of the failure of the Iraqi Army to defend Mosul against Sunni insurgents.

But Senate Armed Services Chair Carl Levin has correctly called for caution. Levin said: "It's unclear how air strikes on our part can succeed unless the Iraqi army is willing to fight, and that's uncertain given the fact that several Iraqi army divisions have melted away." As the New York Times has written, “The United States simply cannot be sucked into another round of war in Iraq.”

The U.S. war in Iraq ended in 2011 with the withdrawal of our troops, and we don’t need a new U.S. war in Iraq. President Obama is right that the Iraqi government must be responsible for security in Iraq.

To avoid another rush to war, Members of Congress must insist that an explicit Congressional authorization of force precede any direct U.S. military action in Iraq, including airstrikes.