The people of Iraq and the Middle East are closely watching the U.S. presidential campaign, said Schirch, who recently returned from one of her frequent trips to the area. "Taxi drivers in Jordan told me, 'we're watching to see who you elect.'"
Iraqi refugees in Jordan are critical of the U.S. "surge" in troops and its reliance on the military to root out insurgents and terrorists.
"Do Americans know they have made the situation worse?" asked a group of Sunni and Shia Iraqi women who have fled to Jordan.
"Why do they focus on hunting down the terrorists rather than on civilian security," Schirch quoted the women. "It is a backwards strategy, it only helps the insurgents in their recruitment."
Schirch said the only hope in Iraq "is an economic solution and a political solution. Security does not land with a helicopter, it grows from the ground up."
Terrorism is born out of humiliation and frustration that are often the result of U.S. economic agreements with poor nations, she said. Climate change is also a factor that causes suffering in many parts of the world as food and water become more scarce.
Another source of anger around the world is the American lifestyle dependent on oil and cheap goods made possible by unfair trade agreements that benefit the U.S., she said.
"Until Americans change their lifestyle, we will need a military presence around the world."
Schirch offered her listeners an eight-point Akido, a Japanese philosophy sometimes translated as "the way of the harmonious spirit," to take with them when they visit Capitol Hill on Monday.
One of the points she stressed was, "God's strategy works." She cited a United Nations Security Report that cited successes in the use of development and diplomacy to ease tensions.
Schirch quoted the words of Jesus, "Do good to those who hate you."
"It's the smart thing to do," she said. "Not just the right thing."