Canada Has Become an Innovator in Stripping Citizens of Basic Rights

By David Swanson, World BEYOND War, December 2, 2024

As a resident of the most flamboyantly hypocritical and war-crazed nation on Earth, the United States of Armaments, I find it weirdly encouraging when one of the U.S. military’s many vassals and sidekicks goes above and beyond, trying out new forms of abuse that I haven’t encountered here.  Of course, I find such actions awful and often horrific — particularly if we’re talking about new forms of surveillance and torture read more

Thousands Send Elon an Idea No Billionaire Will Ever Find Unaided

By David Swanson, World BEYOND War, December 2, 2024

Thousands of civic-minded people have been voluntarily helping out the not-yet-extant pseudo-government agency named after the ruler of not-yet-sunk Venice: the DOGE.

On a convenient webpage they are signing a petition and sending tweets to billionaire efficiency-creator Elon Musk. The petition reads:

To: Elon Musk at the Department of Government Efficiency

Here’s how to improve government efficiency and cut spending: Audit the Pentagon, stop read more

The International Criminal Court Becomes Slightly International

By David Swanson, World BEYOND War, November 25, 2024

Netanyahu-free zones (ICC members) in blue. Source.

The International Criminal Court has taken an enormously important small step toward respectability and real internationalism by issuing arrest warrants for the very first time for war allies of the United States and Western militaries.

It took many, many inexcusable months for the prosecutor of the ICC to request the arrest warrants, and six more months for the court to issue them. The delays read more

Peace Decides Elections

By David Swanson, World BEYOND War, November 20, 2024

The United States just held a presidential election between two pro-war, militarist candidates, each of whom could have been expected to shift yet more funding into war preparations, to arm the genocide in Palestine, and to wage and threaten war with abandon. And yet peace was, as it often is, a deciding factor.

Many voters demanding peace were otherwise inclined to vote for Kamala Harris. Had she simply committed to ceasing to illegally arm read more

The Message and War

I wasn’t going to read The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates because I’m doing what I can to end the genocide and occupation, and because Coates seems like such a nice guy that it saddens me that he nonsensically defended the U.S. Civil War.

I’m very glad that I did read it. I did so because someone led me to believe that in it Coates changed his mind about the Civil War. This turned out to be a misunderstanding that grew out of the fact that in the book he does slightly change his mind about a read more

Cherry Trees Blooming in Winter

In my town the cherry trees now bloom as winter approaches, and the curious thing is that people no longer mention the lovely spring days in November without adding they they are aware it’s an indication of a climate collapse that may rapidly render human life on Earth impossible. Everyone not only knows it but says it.

They still never add that they want to engage in any sort of activism to compel a change of course, even as the U.S. government is handed over fully to the oil companies and other read more

Politics and War By Other Means

Remarks in Göteborg, Sweden, November 11, 2024.

It’s wonderful to be here with many of you whose work I’ve known but whom I’ve rarely if ever been with in person. I am very grateful to John Jones and Tomas Magnusson and all those involved in arranging this event.

It’s wonderful to be in a country which — like Norway, where I was yesterday — some of my great-grandparents came from, including here in Sweden the ones who gave me my last name. I imagine some of you are too polite here in read more

Join the World, not the U.S. Empire

Remarks upon acceptance of Real Nobel Peace Prize, Oslo, Norway, November 10, 2024.

It’s wonderful to be here with many of you whose work I’ve known but whom I’ve rarely if ever been with in person. I am very grateful to John Jones and Tomas Magnusson for arranging this event. I am thrilled to be here at the start of what I expect will be years of terrific work by the Lay Down Your Arms Foundation — an appropriate name here in the House of Literature. The great Fredrik Heffermehl, read more

David Swanson on NATO, BRICS, and Anti-War Activism

By Kiannistan, November 10, 2024

In this compelling interview, activist David Swanson joins us to delve into pressing issues surrounding global conflicts. We explore NATO’s role in modern warfare, how consent for wars is manufactured, and the challenges faced by anti-war movements in today’s climate. David offers insights into the impact of color revolutions, the Ukraine conflict, and the complex realities of war, where no side holds moral superiority amidst ongoing violence. We also examine read more