Dear Friends,

The Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR) is coordinating an Emergency Campaign on Iraq to promote peaceful alternatives to war based on fundamental human rights principles. CESR researchers have just returned from Iraq where they identified foreseeable humanitarian consequences of a new war against Iraq. Their forthcoming report warns that the US may be guilty of war crimes if it targets indispensable civilian infrastructure (e.g. food distribution, electricity, water purification, public health), as was done in the 1991 Gulf War. Baseline data gathered by CESR may be used as evidence in future legal proceedings against the US and UK.

In addition, CESR is preparing a series of one-page fact sheets examining key topics related to the crisis in Iraq, including:

1. Overview of the crisis
2. Costs and Consequences of War for Iraq
3. Weapons of Mass Destruction
4. Costs and Consequences of War for the US
5. Secrets and Lies: US Justifications for War
6. International Law on Sanctions and War

The first three fact sheets are available NOW at www.cesr.org/iraq/index.cfm and the others are on their way soon! We hope that you will find these resources useful and informative, and encourage you to share them freely and widely.

Peace,
Chris