Professor of Psychology Scott Plous and other staff members of the Social Psychology Network recently launched IraqTheVote.org, a website aimed at ending the Iraq War and improving human rights in Iraq. The website centers on a petition proposing that Iraqi citizens be allowed to vote on whether they want foreign troops withdrawn from their country. The site’s developers hope the collected signatures will result in a referendum being added in the next national election in Iraq, currently scheduled for late 2009.
As of press-time, the petition had 2,447 signatures from 49 countries, including Middle Eastern nations such as Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iran. Most of the signers thus far have been students and educators including over 1,400 professors have signed.
“This is not a liberal petition or a conservative petition — it’s simply an effort to make sure that Iraqi citizens are heard,” said Plous. “No peace will be stable without their participation.”
U.S. leaders such as President George W. Bush have said they support the sovereignty of the Iraqi government and would leave if requested.
“We are there at the invitation of the Iraqi government,” said Bush in a press conference on May 24, 2007. “This is a sovereign nation… If they were to say, ’leave’, we would leave.”
In response, however, IraqTheVote.org cites polls showing that many Iraqi citizens are demanding a U.S. withdrawal.
“When a 2007 BBC poll asked Iraqis whether the presence of U.S. forces was making security ’better, worse, or having no effect on the security situation,’ 72 percent said worse and only 18 percent said better,” Plous said.
According to The Washington Post, another poll found that over 70 percent of the Iraqi population wanted U.S. troops to withdraw within a year. However, the issue does not seem so clear in the Iraqi government, which has been unable to reach a consensus regarding U.S. occupation.
Plous believes the results of the proposed referendum, which would be drafted by Iraqis, would allow a much larger portion of the populace a voice, and would therefore lead to a decrease in U.S. military presence.
He also claims that none of the leading U.S. presidential candidates have proposed a complete withdrawal of U.S. forces. In addition, none of the candidates have proposed that the Iraqi people should be directly consulted, even though a national referendum is logistically feasible, as the 2005 Iraqi referendum showed.
The idea of an Iraqi referendum has been on Plous’ mind since 2004, when the U.S. declared the new government of Iraq to be sovereign.
“It’s something I discussed with family and friends,” he said, “but I didn’t pursue it because we thought back then that the war would be short-lived. Once it became clear that the war wouldn’t be ending anytime soon, a colleague encouraged me to develop the campaign.”
The web site also lists several issues that Iraqis would need to decide on when drafting the referendum item, such as the exact timetable, whether to request a temporary U.N. peacekeeping force, the continuation of U.S. police and security force training, and the inclusion of an exemption for troops defending the embassy.
Plous says that even if Iraqis were to vote in favor of foreign troops remaining, this result would be better than the current situation.
“A vote to retain troops doesn’t bind us, because we’re a sovereign nation just as they are,” he said. “But it would counter, to some extent, the view that we’re conducting a forced occupation, especially if the voting were closely observed by independent election monitors.”
To create and publicize the petition for referendum, Plous joined forces with Social Psychology Network System Administrator David Jensenius and Wesleyan alum Mike Lestik, who now works as a professional web designer, to create the web site.
“They’re using their extraordinary talents to address peace and justice issues,” said Plous. “Everyone involved is doing this work pro bono.”
The site was under development for 6 months before going live last month. Additions to the site are currently being developed to facilitate large volumes of traffic.
The web campaign is unique in its ability to reach a large number of people internationally.
“If site visitors think the petition is a good idea,” said Plous, “they can email friends and family members, or post a link on their home page or Facebook, and within minutes it reaches many people.”
Notable signers of the petition include Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, MacArthur Fellows, international security and terrorism experts, Middle East specialists, religious leaders and scholars, and presidents of the American Psychological Association and other professional societies. Plous believes that a combination of numbers and signers of distinction will increase the effectiveness of the campaign, and urges involvement from all quarters, especially students.
“I hope this campaign offers a way for students to take meaningful action,” Plous said. “Students played a central role in ending the Vietnam War, and they can help end this one. This is the largest war of your generation, and it will have major implications for your future.”
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