Soon after Russia invaded Ukraine, the MFSO Board was asked to write a position statement. Since then, thousands of Ukrainian citizens have died and  six million civilians have been forced to flee their homes. Thoughtful input from our members, a review of our mission statement along with recent developments have moved us to update our previous position statement. Please keep in mind that MFSO is not a pacifist organization and understand that the issue of self-defense can be complicated, but MFSO will continue to speak out against unjust wars where the US military is involved. Our opinions on the war in Ukraine should only reflect the possibility of the involvement of US troops. Therefore, we believe:

•           There is no military solution to the war in Ukraine.

•           We support any and all efforts to end the war in Ukraine through diplomatic means

•           The US/NATO should not declare a “No Fly Zone”

•           The US should continue to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine and support the current medical, nutritional, shelter and other needs of the Ukrainian people now.

Again, we are in a very precarious position in the Middle East.

MFSO believes that every effort should be made to resolve this issue with no military intervention.  We need to bring all our troops home and utilize diplomacy to solve any conflicts with Iran.  We strongly oppose the presence of our military troops in the area, which only serves to increase tension   If Iraq wants the U.S. to leave their country, we should honor that request.

It is clear, with the release of the Afghanistan Papers last month, that our government has no truth, accountability, or strategy in conflict zones. We perpetuate violence, confusion and chaos.

Our presence in Iraq only deepens the suffering of the ordinary citizens and do nothing to make peace with those governments. 

We call upon President Trump and Congress to deflate this aggressive posturing and bring our troops home now.