The possibility of US military intervention abroad: Concern from a peace church perspective

By Nathan Hosler, Office of Peacebuilding and Policy

On Nov. 20, I attended a congressional hearing on the redesignation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern.” Coming from a different meeting, I arrived 10 minutes before the start. The room was so full that there was a line down the hallway. After 25 minutes of waiting and listening to the live stream, I decided I would not make it into the room.

This was the most interest in Nigeria that I’ve witnessed on Capitol Hill since the abduction of the schoolgirls from Chibok more than 10 years ago. I am hopeful to see this much attention on Nigeria, but the focus of this attention on potential military action is troubling.

The possibility of US military intervention abroad seems to be increasingly real. Military strikes against boats accused of carrying drugs, the preparation of the US military in the Caribbean, and the President’s suggestion that the United States military take action in Nigeria, raises concern that there is risk of escalation and involving the United States in war.

As a historic peace church, the Church of the Brethren has consistently opposed military intervention as a means of resolving international conflict. The 1991 Annual Conference statement “Peacemaking: The Calling of God’s People in History” calls on the church to “encourage the demilitarization of international relations and promote non-violent forms of defense” and “affirm policies which foster human rights at home and abroad.” The work of the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy is based on previous commitments made by Annual Conference and rooted in the history of the church in nonparticipation in war.

In this work, we stand in solidarity with the global Church of the Brethren and particularly Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN), which has faced violence. The Office of Peacebuilding and Policy has worked for several years with the Nigeria Working Group in Washington, D.C., to bring attention from the federal government to issues impacting church members there.

We also have concern for the Church of the Brethren in Venezuela. As the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy, we work to influence the United States government, but we work on issues with international implications. We should remember that any potential US military action inside Venezuela would impact church members there, especially if it results in an extended conflict. We are keeping in mind the connection between current living conditions, potential military conflict, and migration and US policies toward immigration, particularly from Venezuela. We will continue to work to support human rights in the US and everywhere.

As the Church of the Brethren, we should continue to call for attention to violence and injustice around the world. But we are concerned when calls to resolve humanitarian crises rely on doing so militarily. United States military action would likely cause harm to civilians and could escalate into a longer war. As a historic peace church, we continue to call for peaceful resolution to conflict anywhere in the world. The Office of Peacebuilding and Policy is actively working on this issue with the Nigeria Working Group.

For more about potential escalation between the US and Venezuela, see our office’s recent “Action Alert: Call on Congress to Speak Against Military Strikes on Civilians” at https://mailchi.mp/brethren/no-to-military-strikes-on-civilians.

We will be sharing more analysis of the legal and ethical implications of US military actions in the Caribbean and Pacific, on our office blog at https://blog.brethren.org/category/peacebuilding, with the first piece expected in early December.

— Nathan Hosler is director of the Church of the Brethren’s Office of Peacebuilding and Policy in Washington, D.C. Find out more about the work of the office at www.brethren.org/peacebuilding

#MissionAndMinistryBoard #StrategicPlan #RacialJustice #LoveOurNeighbors #Discipleship #NewTestamentGiving

———-

Find more Church of the Brethren news: