War Abolition Has a Rich History

By David Swanson, World BEYOND War, May 18, 2022

I often publish a review of a recent book and append a list of recent books advocating war abolition. I’ve stuck one book from the 1990s on that list, which is otherwise all 21st century. The reason I haven’t included books from the 1920s and 1930s is the size job it would be.

One of the books that would go on that list is 1935’s Why Wars Must Cease by Carrie Chapman Catt, Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt (I guess making clear she was married read more

Talk World Radio: Tim Pluta on Protecting Activists in Western Sahara

AUDIO:

Talk World Radio is recorded as audio and video on Riverside.fm — except when it can’t be and then it’s Zoom. Here is this week’s video and all the videos on Youtube.

VIDEO:

This week on Talk World Radio, we are talking about the unending Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara with Tim Pluta who is speaking to us from the town of Boujdour, in the home of human rights activist Sultana Khaya. Tim is an organizer in Spain with World BEYOND War, a U.S. military veteran, read more

The Shame of the Richest Country in the World Just Not Being the Richest Country in the World

“In the richest country in the world, it’s an injustice that millions of people lack basic health care,” said Sen. Ed Markey.

“[T]he richest country in the world [is] struggling to provide basic nutrition to many of its infants,” according to Vox.

Politico tells us that “the richest country in the world could find itself out of money to combat a Covid resurgence on its own soil.”

“In the richest country in the history of the world, it is absurd, to say the least, that we have sentenced read more

What If Western Saharans Mattered?

By David Swanson, World BEYOND War, May 11, 2022

If I object, in the United States, to the Israeli government’s brutal occupation of Palestine, most people will not only know what I’m talking about but also understand immediately what a hateful antisemite I must be.

If, on the other hand, I object, in the United States, to Morocco’s brutal occupation of Western Sahara, most people will have no idea what I’m talking about. Isn’t that actually worse?

Remarkably, the Moroccan government is read more

Talk World Radio: Greta Zarro on #NoWar2022

AUDIO:

Talk World Radio is recorded as audio and video on Riverside.fm — except when it can’t be and then it’s Zoom. Here is this week’s video and all the videos on Youtube.

VIDEO:

This week on Talk World Radio, we’re talking about #NoWar2022, an online event planned for July 8th to 10th. Our guest Greta Zarro is Organizing Director of World BEYOND War, where I’m Executive Director, so we are colleagues. Greta is based in Upstate New York, where she and her partner read more

If Televisions Cared About This Planet

By David Swanson, World BEYOND War, May 6, 2022

When we doubt that swift and dramatic change is possible, what we really mean is that we haven’t seen much swift and dramatic change for the better lately. There’s actually no disputing that massive and almost instant change is perfectly possible. For example, in a matter of days, the unified voices of virtually every television network, newspaper, news website, and entertainment outlet in the United States took millions of people without a thought read more

Peace Advocates Must Meet People Where They Are

By David Swanson

I set out to meet people where they are. But where are they?

I found some of them at the nearby organic vegan fairtrade coffeeshop. I asked them what they thought of Ukraine. We exchanged ideas and outraged lamentations for a few cappuccini, and came up with a short statement that we thought we could all agree with and that was more peaceful than they would have proposed on their own. I offer it here as a model for peace groups to consider:

“The maximum possible quantity and quality read more

Talk World Radio: Angelo Cardona on Latin America and the War in Ukraine

AUDIO:

Talk World Radio is recorded as audio and video on Riverside.fm — except when it can’t be and then it’s Zoom. Here is this week’s video and all the videos on Youtube.

VIDEO:

Angelo Cardona is a multi-award-winning human rights defender, and peace and disarmament activist. He is representative of Latin America in the Council of the Nobel-peace prize-winning International Peace Bureau (IPB), Co-founder and President of the Ibero-American Alliance for Peace, member of read more

Protests Around Globe Target World’s Biggest Weapons Company Lockheed Martin

By World BEYOND War, April 29, 2022

From April 21st to 28th, crowds and small groups of people in locations around the world have brought petitions, banners, and protests to the offices of the world’s largest weapons dealer, Lockheed Martin. Details, including photos and videos, of the Global Mobilization to #StopLockheedMartin are still being collected and posted at https://act.worldbeyondwar.org/stoplockheedmartin

The read more