The Alliance for Peacebuilding and the Civil Society Platform for Peacebuilding and Statebuilding Urge Diplomacy, Not Escalation, with Iran
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 30, 2026
CONTACT
Nick Zuroski | nick@allianceforpeacebuilding.org
Washington, DC, USA; The Hague, The Netherlands — With the threat of renewed large-scale U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran looming, the Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP) and the Civil Society Platform for Peacebuilding and Statebuilding (CSPPS) again call for a return to diplomacy. A new ceasefire and a negotiated path forward are the surest way to prevent new hostilities from spiraling into a larger regional war.
According to recent reports, U.S. and Israeli forces are prepared to launch new major military operations against Iran, with the U.S. ready to strike after the midterm elections. According to Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), these strikes would reportedly be a serious, massive, and devastating escalation that would target civilian infrastructure. Iran claims if they are attacked, they will retaliate on U.S. personnel in the region and globally. Together, these threats risk pushing the region into a full-scale war.
Dr. Robert Pape of the University of Chicago warns the U.S. is caught in an “escalation trap,” through which political pressures are pushing the U.S. toward a more dangerous round of military action. Previous military strikes and now the frozen state of the war is already driving instability by sending economic and energy security shockwaves globally, leaving buffers that could absorb further shocks worn thin.
As two large international peacebuilding networks, representing more than 500 peacebuilding organizations globally, AfP and CSPPS urge the U.S. Government and Israel not to resume strikes. Renewed military action will deepen instability across the region and beyond, and put countless lives at risk. Furthermore, we call upon all parties to adhere to international humanitarian law and ensure the protection of civilians. The U.S. and all parties to the conflict must de-escalate and recommit to diplomacy and dialogue to end this conflict.
The Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP), named the “number one influencer and change agent” among peacebuilding institutions worldwide, is an award-winning nonprofit and nonpartisan network of more than 300 organizations working in 181 countries to prevent and reduce violent conflict and build sustainable peace. AfP cultivates a network to strengthen and advance the peacebuilding field, enabling peacebuilding organizations to achieve greater impact—tackling issues too large for any one organization to address alone.
The Civil Society Platform for Peacebuilding and Statebuilding (CSPPS) is a global network of 800+ civil society organisations working in over 50 countries to advance peacebuilding and conflict prevention in fragile and conflict-affected settings. CSPPS amplifies the voice and agency of local civil society in key global policy arenas, from the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding to the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New Agenda for Peace. Supported by a Secretariat hosted by Cordaid, CSPPS drives coordinated advocacy for advancing peaceful, just, and inclusive societies, with SDG16 at the heart of our mandate.