Join the Iraq Peace Team

Under the circumstances of a seemingly inevitable U.S. strike, the Iraq Peace Team is accepting applications only from individuals committed to remaining on the ground in the event of a full scale war. We have no exit strategy and share the very same risks as the Iraqi civilians.  

We want to emphasize the importance of forming a support group to help applicants discern whether or not traveling to Iraq is the best way for them to nonviolently resist warfare against Iraq.

If you have decided that you are ready to make this commitment, please continue reading about how to complete the application process.

Given the volume of correspondence coming in, friends have encouraged us to clarify how we go about forming delegations for the Iraq Peace Team.

We generally seek people whom we personally know or whose references are people with whom we've personally worked in the past.

It may seem impossible, then, to connect with people in other countries, but Voices in the Wilderness, UK, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, Pax Christi International, the International Solidarity Movement, the former Gulf Peace Team, Bridges to Baghdad, Beati Costuttori di Pace, Peace Now and the Plowshares Movement are all international organizations that can help applicants and our "crew" here understand whether or not we have compatible goals.  

For US participants, we also stress how important it is that they be prepared to face criminal charges, civil penalties, and government efforts to garnish their wages or seize their assets. Therefore, it is good for people to consider how they would handle themselves in jail and before judges.

We further want people to have some idea of how they react during situations of high stress and tension, preferably with some experience of having been in a war zone before.  

Should warfare occur, it’s likely that airlines will impose a flight tax on travel in the region.  This would assuredly affect pricing of flights departing from Amman.  Lloyds of London would determine the amount of the tax, - we think it could be $500 or more.  

There are a number of somber questions to consider, as applicants decide whether or not to participate in the Iraq Peace Team, including concerns regarding what to do if a participant were injured or killed.  We have nothing but highest respect for all the individuals who want to become involved in the Iraq Peace Team, both as travelers and as supporters.  Thanks in advance for your assistance in helping us form the teams wisely.

We realize that we are asking a lot of people. Team members will be asked to clear their schedules indefinitely, potentially risk their lives in a war zone, pay their own way, and beforehand, inform us about your support network and send references!

Please understand that our most important task, presently, is to prevent a military attack against Iraq. The Iraq Peace Team is much more than a nonviolent presence inside Iraq. There is much work to be done here at home, before and if necessary, during a war. We are encouraging people to form affinity groups in their communities to work creatively and nonviolently against the pending war and to be prepared to act in solidarity with the group in Iraq if a war break out. This would mean distributing reports from the group to representatives and the media, holding vigils, fasts, and rallies. These are just a few of the possibilities. A “Pledge of Resistance” against a US assault against Iraq is being developed, and once it is finished, it will be posted on this site. Stay tuned. For help forming an affinity group in your area or finding an existing affinity group, contact the Voices in the Wilderness office.