Author: Oregon PeaceWorks

Albert Einstein and the History of the Nuclear Arms Race

LAWRENCE WITTNER – The Russell-Einstein Manifesto, issued in 1955, called on world leaders to renounce war. Einstein died shortly after the release of the manifesto, but its salience continues to this day.The Russell-Einstein Manifesto, issued in 1955, called on world leaders to renounce war. Einstein died shortly after the release of the manifesto, but its salience continues to this day.

NATO Continues to Plan for Nuclear Annihilation

JOHN LA FORGE – NATO’s ceaseless nuclear attack threats are on parade in Europe now, and its ring leaders talk as if they are rational. Gen. Butler, who is one of dozens of retired nuclear war planners that disagree, says, “Deterrence suspended rational thinking in the Nuclear Age.” The commander denounced deterrence, in theory and practice, using words that could still stir desertion or mutiny among the nuclearists: “The likely consequences of nuclear war have no politically, militarily or morally acceptable justification, and therefore the threat to use nuclear weapons is indefensible.”

The Reality of Trump’s Gaza “Peace”

TONY PENTIMALLI – This is what peace looks like in 2025. It is not safety or justice. It is the moment when the noise of war stops long enough for the world to congratulate itself. Trump calls it success. Netanyahu calls it strength. But for the people who live beneath the wreckage, peace is just the brief hour between the funerals and the next warning.

Displacement: An inherent problem of a divided world

DAVID GALLUP – As long as we, the people of the world, allow the nation-state system to maintain the arbitrary and exclusive borders that divide humans from one another, immigration will continue to be viewed as a problem rather than as an educational, economic, political, and social opportunity. When we respect each other, our rights and duties, as world citizens, the entire earth will be a sanctuary of peace and safety for all.

Ratcheting Up the Race to Armageddon

ALICE SLATER – The recent report from the Stockholm International Peace Institute (SIPRI), despite its assertion that “understanding the conditions for peaceful solutions to international conflicts is a key part of their work”, has just issued alarming news that there is a “clear trend of growing nuclear arsenals, sharpened nuclear rhetoric and the abandonment of arms controls agreements!”

Are we fighting the wrong battle, Mr. Secretary of War?

WINSLOW MYERS – In contrast to the Hegseth/Trump/establishment vision which leads to mass death, imagine the militaries of the world gradually redirecting their resources, prowess, and logistical efficiency toward addressing the regeneration of Earth’s biosystems. It would be a very different conception of military strength—because authentic strength that leads to real security for all from now forward will be whatever contributes to the health of the whole planetary organism. We’re all in a leaky boat together, including the military.

ICE, a Standing Army Inside America, Defies the Genius and History of America, the Constitution, and Bill of Rights

KARY LOVE – Patrick Henry warned, prophetically, that standing armies would be turned on the people. History is resonating. Are we not Americans? Are we not bound to resist, pledging our lives and our sacred honor to preserve the Republic won by generations refusing to acquiesce to such tyranny? Are we not duty bound to proclaim when asked “where is Spartacus” to say: “I am Spartacus!” I am Patrick Henry! You are an American, you are “we the people” of the Constitution, your country needs you, and you can stand with Patrick Henry and the Constitution.

A.I. and I-Thou

ANDREW MOSS – We are social beings, and by asking us to reexamine our humanity, A.I. is calling on us to reexamine our social relations in all aspects, from the personal to the political. There are ways, too, of curbing the most malign aspects of A.I. In considering the current state of our society, individuals must consider what’s most important to them in making better lives for themselves, their families, and their communities.

AG Rayfield Sues to Stop Federal Cuts That Threaten State Energy Programs

JENNY HANSSON – Attorney General Dan Rayfield and 18 other states, plus the District of Columbia, sued to block the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) from imposing a new funding cap that slashes support for vital state-run energy programs. The DOE policy would prevent states from using critical federal funds by limiting reimbursement for key administrative and staffing costs that have long been covered by these federal energy programs.

Dementia, Depression, and the Nuclear Button: The Shocking Reality of Mental Decline in Command

UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO – A startling new study reveals that many world leaders with access to nuclear weapons were suffering from serious health issues—including dementia, depression, strokes, and addiction—while still in power. Some were comatose, others deeply impaired, and in multiple cases, their conditions were deliberately concealed from the public.

Resistance to Autocracy Surges in US and Around the World

RIVERA SUN – Relentless action has had some notable impacts. In addition to Colombia’s president enforcing their coal shipment ban President Macron has stated that France will recognize the Palestinian State by September. The Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem put out a straightforward and unequivocal statement calling this a genocide. The most recent US Senate vote on blocking military aid to Israel revealed that the majority of Democrats now favor ending military aid to Israel.

Act to Stop Gaza Starvation While It Still Matters

WIM LAVEN – There are many profiteers enjoying business deals at the expense of human lives, but there are still lives to be saved if we can force an end to the campaign of genocide now. We have a moral obligation to save those we can, like Anne Frank (a teenager killed in genocide) reminds us: “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”

The nuclear mirage: why small modular reactors won’t save nuclear power

ARNIE GUNDERSON – Don’t believe the hype, says a 50-year industry veteran. Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are the nuclear industry’s latest shiny dream. It is more hope than strategy. SMRs only exist in the imagination of the nuclear industry and its supporters. SMRs can only be found on glossy PowerPoint slides. That is why Mycle Schneider dubbed SMRs “power point reactors.” There are no engineering plans, no blueprints, no working prototypes. 

Surge in U.S. Concern About Immigration Has Abated

LYDIA SAAD – Americans’ attitudes on immigration have largely returned to where they stood before the recent border surge, marked by broader appreciation for immigration, less desire to reduce it, and more support for pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. At the same time, support for tougher border control and aggressive deportation policies has eased since last year, with these measures mostly losing their appeal among Democrats and independents.

US/Israeli Policy in Gaza: Genocide Made Invisible

NORMAN SOLOMON – With rare exceptions, U.S. news media and members of Congress dodge the reality of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Meanwhile, the events in Gaza and the evasions in the United States have been enormously instructive, shattering illusions along the way. Many Americans, especially young people, know much more about their country and its government than they did just two years ago. What has come to light includes mass murder of certain other human beings as de facto policy and functional ideology.