Follow the extended link for an essay about Tom Fox.
Last in a Round of Bullets
by Lisa Schirch
Lisa Schirch is an associate professor at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University. Tom Fox took a graduate-level course with Lisa in the spring of 2004 in preparation for his work in Iraq and kept in regular contact with her about his work.
Bullets travel in circles - one side fires, another side reciprocates. Tom Fox's body was the final resting place for a long line of bullets in Iraq.American soldiers wield guns to support democracy and freedom. Saddam
Hussein's forces used the power of the gun to terrorize civilians and
threaten neighboring countries and the U.S. Those who killed Tom are part
of the Iraqi insurgency and have their own reasons for wielding guns. If
we understand their story we have a better chance of preventing more
deaths.The number of people joining the insurgency continues to grow in direct
correlation with mounting anger toward the U.S. According to a recent
poll, nearly half of Iraqis now support insurgency attacks on U.S. forces.
They are outraged at the ongoing destruction and occupation of their
country. Iraqis lament the almost total abandonment of reconstruction,
community development, and grassroots diplomacy efforts that would build
the foundation for their security.Insurgents target Americans because they are angry at the illegal
detentions of innocent Iraqi people, the widespread torture in prisons in
Iraq, and the use by American forces of a chemical weapon, white
phosphorous, that killed and burned innocent families who were in the way
in Fallujah. The insurgents are mainly Sunni Muslims who are the minority
and fear being left out of the new political context.Guns are a short term solution, whether in the hands of dictators,
insurgents, or militaries. Saddam Hussein could not hold onto power
through his brutal use of the gun. The Coalition Forces deposed him with
guns, but military power cannot defeat the insurgency. Guns have no power
to win the peace.The more the U.S. has shifted its focus to fighting the insurgency rather
than reconstructing Iraq, the more the insurgents have been able to
recruit new, unemployed young men with little hope for the future to join
them. When I was in Iraq in August, I heard many stories from Iraqi
community development workers about the direct relationship between
unemployment and insurgent recruitment. When there is little hope for
this life, people begin imagining using the gun to gain martyrdom in
preparation for the next life.Each one who picks up a gun believes bullets will create their desired
end. But instead of bending the will of their opponents, bullets only
harden the other's resolve to keep fighting. No amount of overwhelming
force can bring an end to the violence in Iraq. More guns will only make
the situation worse.History suggests that terrorism disappears in the absence of the fuel of
economic and political desperation. The U.S. needs the courage and
leadership to work in partnership with the international community to
invest in long-term solutions of reconstruction, development, and
grassroots diplomacy among the ethnic and religious groups in Iraq. We
need to diligently support those undertaking grassroots diplomatic efforts
across Iraq. Development and diplomatic tools can prevent and curb the
growth of the insurgency.Bullets ended Tom's life. But they have not crushed his vision for a just
peace in Iraq nor the inspiration he offers the living to join in the
cause of ending the war in Iraq. Tom was in Iraq to end the cycle of
bullets among Saddam Hussein's forces, the Coalition Forces, and the
insurgents. His body, his writings, and his work for peace all aimed for
that end. There should be no bullets in reciprocation for those that rest
in Tom. We need a different path out of Iraq.Thousands of people like Tom Fox risk their lives everyday around the
world to oppose dictators through nonviolent actions, to document human
rights violations, and to build relationships across the lines of
conflict.There are many people willing to give their lives for war. There need to
be more people who give their lives for peace.