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FPA Response to U.S. Attack on Syria

The recent missile attack against Syria ordered by the President was clearly outside the scope of any congressional mandate and was reckless, irresponsible, and illegal.

The Foreign Policy Alliance calls on the U.S. Congress to begin an immediate investigation into the facts surrounding the recent U.S. missile attack against Syria in response to allegations of the use of chemical weapons.  Further, we call on Congress to issue a joint resolution directing the President to suspend all military action in Syria until such actions are authorized after an open and thorough debate concludes that such actions are justified as being in the national interests of the United States.  Additionally, we call for the U.S. representative to the United Nations to give full support to an impartial investigation by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and call for a disengagement of forces from all parties to permit the OPCW to complete an unimpeded investigation to ascertain the relevant facts and present those findings to the UN Security Council for action.

President Donald Trump ordered a military attack against Syria without a resolution from the UN Security Council or authorization from the U.S. Congress for the use of military force.  This order was in violation of the War Powers Act and the UN Charter.

The Constitution of the United States clearly establishes that the power to make war rests exclusively with Congress (Article 1, Section 8).  Congress granted former President George W Bush authorization to use military force as a response to the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. This congressional authorization was limited to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States and not intended to permit the involvement of U.S. forces in a civil war.

-FPA Board

Video: FPA Town Hall Panel Discussion at the University of St. Thomas, April 4, 2018

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzmXXzP3xi0%5D

This Foreign Policy Town Hall Meeting was co-sponsored by the Foreign Policy Alliance and the Distinguished Diplomat Program of the Center for International Studies at the University of St. Thomas.

Speakers: Amb. Christopher Ashby (ret.), Professor Richard Sindelar (UST), Mr. Joe Marcinkowski (FPA Board Member), and Mr. Allan Vogel, (FPA Board Member)

Moderator: Ms. Patricia Gras, Journalist

Date: Wednesday, April 4, 2018, University of St. Thomas, Jones Hall, Houston Texas

FPA Co-sponsors Foreign Policy Town Hall Meeting at University of St. Thomas

Panelists and more than 50 audience members, including students, had an incredible opportunity to discuss a wide range of topics at the Foreign Policy Town Hall Meeting on April 4, which was co-sponsored by the Foreign Policy Alliance and the Center for International Studies’ Distinguished Diplomat Program at the University of St. Thomas. Ably moderated by journalist Patricia Gras, the knowledgeable panel included Ambassador Christopher Ashby (ret.) and Professor Richard Sindelar (UST) along with FPA Board members Joe Marcinkowski and Allan Vogel. UST’s intimate Jones Hall  turned out to be an ideal venue for such a community discussion and we plan to have a video posted on our website soon. Thanks to everyone who made this event possible. We look forward to continued collaboration with the University of St. Thomas on similar events in the months to come.

Audio from Colonel Lawrence A. Wilkerson’s 2015 Talk in Houston

Col. Lawrence A. Wilkerson (US Army, ret.), former Chief of Staff to Sec. of State Colin Powell (2001-2003), was a keynote speaker at the “Peace or Wars Without End?” conference at Texas Southern University in Houston, April 26, 2015. The conference, co-sponsored by the Houston Peace and Justice Center and the TSU Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs, brought together speakers from the right and left to address foreign policy issues and was the impetus for the formation of the Foreign Policy Alliance.

Introduction by Joe Marcinkowski, FPA Board Member

Lawrence A. Wilkerson, “Empire of Liberty in Peril?”

Question and Answer Session

The Year in Review – A Letter from Bob Henschen, FPA President

Foreign Policy Alliance, Inc.
P.O. Box 66234
Houston, Texas 77266-6234
832-495-4372, 832-369-0521 [fax]

Dear Friend of the Foreign Policy Alliance,

As we approach the new year, I’d like to review what the Foreign Policy Alliance has achieved in 2017 as we contemplate future goals.

But before I get into details, let me mention that what we have accomplished has been through a 100% volunteer effort working with a very small budget derived solely from the contributions of our most active supporters.

Please consider adding your financial support either online (click here) or by mail (please make your check payable to Foreign Policy Alliance, Inc., and mail it to our treasurer, Allan Vogel, at P.O. Box 25043, Houston, Texas 77265-5043).

With the Foreign Policy Alliance, we are developing a truly unique coalition of Democrats, Republicans, Conservatives, Liberals, Independents, Greens, and Libertarians, who realize that working together toward a common goal gives us the best opportunity to achieve a more realistic and more effective foreign policy for our country.

Here is a summary of some of the progress we have made this year in building that coalition and spreading our message.

ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN 2017

Our board and steering committee has been meeting on a monthly basis for planning and organizing.  Our major achievements are:

  • The Foreign Policy Alliance is now incorporated as a non-profit in Texas;
  • We have elected our initial Board of Directors;
  • We have filed our application for federal 501(c)3 status;
  • We have enlarged and improved our website; and
  • We have produced a full-color organizational brochure.

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT IN 2017

Our volunteers have been actively bringing our message to the general public through a variety of programs, including:

  • Our first speaker event featuring Dr. Lloyd Dumas from UT-Dallas was held at the University of St. Thomas in conjunction with the Center for International Studies;
  • We made presentations at all six campuses of Lone Star College;
  • Presentations were also made to the Rotary Club of Hermann Park, Great Decisions of West University, Bellaire-Braeswood Democrats, Covenant Baptist Church, and Belmont Village of Hunters Creek;
  • We made several radio and television appearances on KPFT FM 90 and Houston Media Source TV.
  • We assisted Zachary Neeley in publishing his op-ed on the US role in the Middle East in the Houston Chronicle (click here to view it) and the Foundation for Economic Education (click here to view it), and in being interviewed on KPFT FM 90;
  • The Foundation for Economic Education published an op-ed on North Korea authored by FPA Board member Allan Vogel (click here to view it);
  • The FPA brochure, including our Resolution, was sent by first-class mail to all members of Congress;
  • The FPA Resolution received endorsements from the National Republican Liberty Caucus, the National Libertarian Party, and the Green Party of Harris County;
  • The FPA Resolution received endorsements (in 2016 and 2017) from prominent academics including Dr. Gordon Adams, Colonel Andrew Bacevich, Dr. Elizabeth Cobbs, Dr. Jon Dorschner, Dr. Lloyd Dumas, Dr. Ivan Eland, Dr. Jacob Hornberger, Dr. Jason Sorens, Dr. David Vine, and Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson; and
  • The FPA Resolution received endorsements (in 2016 and 2017) from a total of 21 Senatorial and Congressional candidates, which included five Democrats, three Republicans, four Greens, six Libertarians, and three Independents.

I think you will agree that the Foreign Policy Alliance has made solid progress during the last year for a volunteer organization with very little funding.

We hope that you will give us the financial support we need to take this grass roots movement to new levels in 2018.  Now that we have laid the organizational framework, we can continue our outreach to the general public through presentations and media appearances and writing, and to the numerous political candidates who will be running for House and Senate seats in the 2018 elections.

Here are some ways you can help us develop a new consensus on American foreign policy:

  • Make a generous donation today at our website or by mail;
  • If you haven’t done so yet, you can endorse the FPA Resolution on our website;
  • Call and write and/or visit your two Senators and your Congressman and ask for their support; and
  • Ask for endorsements from family, friends, neighbors, and civic and business organizations.

Thank you in advance for your generous support.  And best wishes for a happy and safe 2018.

Sincerely,

Bob Henschen, President

FPA event attracts diverse audience at University of St. Thomas

Thanks to everyone who attended the Foreign Policy Alliance’s first public event on October 19, “Keeping the Peace Without Threatening War,” as well as our co-sponsor, the Center for International Studies at the University of St. Thomas.  Seventy people, including many students, listened to an insightful talk by Dr. Lloyd J. Dumas (UT-Dallas) on the advantages of constructing national security policy around economic relationships rather than military force.  Following the lecture, members of the audience engaged in a spirited Q&A with Professor Dumas for about an hour.  You can follow up further on this innovative foreign policy approach by clicking here to order his book, The Peacekeeping Economy (Yale University Press, 2011).