Emergency Statement Our Professional Duty to Inform: An Open Letter to the American People from Psychologists for Social Responsibility, Committee on Global Violence and Security
We are psychologists and social scientists who study peace, conflict, violence, enmity and trauma. As war preparations accelerate, we see evidence for a clear and present danger that can be prevented. As psychotherapists, we are bound by an ethical code which states that if we are aware that one is dangerous to oneself or others, we are legally required to warn those in danger. Our duty to inform takes precedence over all ethical considerations. We cannot remain silent in the face of avoidable danger. It is our professional opinion that war will trigger a cascade of violent reactions, likely to spiral out of control and cause massive traumatization of innocent civilians.
Effects of trauma are devastating, extending to society and lasting a lifetime. They are transmitted from generation to generation, continuing personal suffering and political conflicts. Surviving soldiers will suffer physical and psychological injuries, increased crime and homelessness. We and our descendants may all be in harm's way.
For billions, war will be experienced as an escalation of terror and evil that has been brewing. It will provoke a massive Jihad against Americans and allies, promised by our current and potential enemies - if we attack. Threats, humiliation, and military buildup plant psychological time bombs. Trauma increases recruitment to terrorist groups and motivation for further acts of terror. War will launch a new wave of terrorism beyond what we have seen before.
War planners, gripped by their just causes and hidden geopolitical motivations, tend to be overconfident, exaggerating potential for success while downplaying negative consequences. They surround themselves with advisors who support their one-sided, delusional views, and ignore, dismiss or punish those who warn of dangers. They are surprised when events backfire catastrophically. Most unintended consequences, due to psychological ignorance, are predictable and preventable. History is filled with military blunders.
The Bush administration and mainstream media present illogical and ignorant justifications for war that require a denial of facts, irrational beliefs, and disregard for human consequences. Exaggerating threats and enemy images can produce fear and a self-fulfilling prophecy. Beliefs that military action is necessary ignore bodies of knowledge of tension reduction, violence prevention and conflict transformation.
The fantasy that we can take out Sadaam and establish democracy is naive and unrealistic. We have been misled to believe war will prevent violence later. The CIA, military leaders, Gulf War veterans, and social scientists say the opposite is true. What is actually a provocative strike, is incorrectly called a preemptive and preventive war. Our aggressive bullying style, tough talk, and domination produce an unstable, dangerous state. We are gripped by our images of the enemy, oblivious to their images of us. The way to be more secure is to make your enemy more secure. People are more dangerous when threatened and backed into a corner.
We now live in a world with proliferating weapons of mass destruction and terrorism as a form of asymmetrical warfare. There is no amount of domination that cannot be turned against us. Strategies of war and counter-terrorism that attempt to physically eliminate enemies, terrorists and "infrastructure" without understanding the underlying psychological forces and addressing root causes, provoke an evolution of violence and escalate cycles of retaliation. They cannot make us safer, as there is no endgame
We are warning the public to see through the deception and manipulation of emotions and beliefs in a "necessary" war. War is not a last resort. It is the worst resort. The current paradigm is not survivable. We have enough knowledge to replace war with effective, proven methods, based in the social sciences, understanding the psychology of our enemies, reducing fear and tension. We must all do everything in our power to prevent a catastrophe. We have the capacity to use our great power in new ways, consistent with the true ideals of our country.