Statement for Peace and Accountability
We condemn what Russia did to Ukraine. 
We condemn what the Iranian dictatorship has done to its own people. 

But today, we must also condemn what the United States government is doing. 

Recent actions by the U.S. military have deeply shocked many people around the world. 

First, the deadly bombing of an Iranian primary school that killed around 150 children and injured many more. 

Second, the torpedo attack by a U.S. submarine on an Iranian frigate returning from a naval exercise in India, reportedly in international waters—an attack that sank the vessel, leaving more than eighty sailors dead, while those abandoned at sea were not rescued. 

Even if these incidents occurred in the chaos of conflict, the world expects something fundamental from a nation that has long claimed to stand for the rule of law.

We expected acknowledgement. 
We expected accountability. 
We expected an apology. 

The failure to recognize the human tragedy of these events is deeply troubling.

International humanitarian law exists precisely to protect civilians, to prevent unnecessary suffering, and to preserve basic human dignity even in times of war. When these principles are ignored, the credibility of the international order itself is weakened.

For many of us, this is profoundly painful because it does not reflect the America we once admired — a country that, despite its mistakes, often tried to uphold the rule of law and moral responsibility in the world.

When powerful nations abandon those principles, the consequences reach far beyond one battlefield. They destabilize trust, weaken international norms, and endanger global peace.

To the American government, we say clearly: 
War without accountability is unacceptable. 
Violations of humanitarian law cannot simply be ignored.

But to the American people, we say something different.
When we criticize America, we are speaking about the decisions of its government—not about the American people themselves. America is a diverse nation filled with compassionate, thoughtful, and courageous individuals who believe deeply in justice and peace.

History has shown that when the American people raise their voices, their country can change course.

If many of you feel uneasy about the direction your leaders have taken, your voices matter now more than ever.

Democracy gives citizens not only the right, but the responsibility, to question their government and demand a better path. The world is watching—not with hostility, but with hope. 

Hope that the American people will once again help guide their nation back toward wisdom, restraint, accountability, and peace.

Rungsrit Kanjanavanit MD.
A concerned world citizen.