DRAFT

First District Platform - 2006=

Iow= a Democratic Party=

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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

IA-1 &n= bsp; Military action should be taken only with clear, attainable, anti-terrorist goals, o= nly with the fully informed assent of the US Congress, and in concert with the international community. We r= eject the concept of unilateral pre-emptive war.= We oppose any attempt to undermine, destabilize, and overthrow freely-elected governments of other countries, by covert actions or economic pressure, and call for the closing of the “school for assassins,̶= 1; now called the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation.

IA-2 We support fair and hum= ane treatment for all people, and we oppose the torture of prisoners or detaine= es under any circumstances. We support a strong commitment to worldwide human rights, as defined in our Bill of Rights, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, The International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights= .

IA-3 We believe in working w= ith the community of nations in all ways practicable, and strongly support our participation in the U.N. We strongly urge the US government to bring curren= t its UN membership dues. It is essential that we comply with treaties to which we are signatory, and that we support the Kyoto treaty and other international environmental, human rights, and arms contro= l agreements.

IA-4 We oppose GATT, NAFTA, = CAFTA, WTO and all other such “free trade” agreements and organizations that do not ensure fair trade and support new trade agreements which honor workers rights, human rights and environmental concerns. We oppose all effo= rts to extend the detriments of NAFTA to the rest of the Americas.

IA-5 We believe that Congress should revoke the President’s unlimited authority to commit our force= s to Iraq and put in place a plan to bring our troops home. We call on the United States to maintain no long-term, or permanent military presence in Iraq. The stabilization and rebuilding of Iraq must be a cooperative venture, involving the international community as wel= l as ourselves, and the people of Iraq.

IA-6 We support an evenhanded approach to the achievement of just peace between Israel and the Palestinians t= hat equally respects the human rights of those on both sides. We must refrain f= rom actions that further inflame this conflict.

IA-7 We support initiatives = that offer human and material resources to parts of the world in need. We support the worldwide fight against AIDS and Malaria, and believe that foreign aid should be increased for this purpose. Humanitarian aid should not be contin= gent upon the recipients’ approach to family planning. Military aid should= be extended only to those who are genuinely threatened.

IA-8 We demand that the United States takes seriously our obligati= on to both prevent and stop the genocide of people in places like Dufur, Sudan. The United States must fully support the work of the African Union.

IA-9 We support the normaliz= ation of relations with Cu= ba.