LAWRENCE WITTNER – As the Cuban missile crisis ultimately convinced Kennedy and Khrushchev, in the nuclear era there’s little to be gained―and a great deal to be lost―when great powers continue their centuries-old practices of carving out exclusive spheres of influence and engaging in high-stakes military confrontations. Surely, we, too, can learn from the Cuban crisis―and must learn from it―if we are to survive.
Author: Oregon PeaceWorks
No War with Russia! No Expansion of NATO!
MASSACHUSETTS PEACE ACTION – The US has just managed to extract itself from a 20-year war in Afghanistan. Does our government seriously want to embark on another war? Since 2001, our long, bloody, fruitless interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Pakistan have cost thousands of US lives, hundreds of thousands of civilian lives in those countries, and $6.4 trillion.
The Continuation of Thich Nhat Hanh
MEL DUNCAN – Just as he believed in no beginning and no end, Thich Nhat Hanh continues to live in the initiatives and hearts he inspired.
In the Line of Eternal Fire: Ukraine’s Nuclear Reactors – CounterPunch.org
LINDA PENTZ GUNTER – As Craig Hooper so chillingly warned us in his December 28, 2021 article for Forbes, a Russian invasion of Ukraine, “could put nuclear reactors on the front line of military conflict.†The result, he said, depending on the tactics deployed by the Russians, could be equivalent to “nuclear warfare without bombs.†It’s yet one more reminder of just how much an already perilous situation can become orders of magnitude worse, once you introduce the risk of major radioactive releases into the equation.
China Gives Oomph to Russia’s ‘Nyet’ on NATO
RAY MCGOVERN – Fourteen years ago today, when then-ambassador to Russia William Burns, in an IMMEDIATE cable titled “Nyet Means Nyet: Russia’s NATO Enlargement Redlines,” reported Moscow’s warning that NATO membership for Ukraine would cross a red line, the Russians could do little more than grouse. Enter from left stage Chinese President Xi Jinping last year with the shot of adrenalin Putin needed to make “Nyet” stick. Under-Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and her protégé Antony Blinken seem to be in the dark about the close ties between Russia and China represented by such give and take between the two countries.
Who is Willing to Participate in Non-Violent Civil Disobedience for the Climate?
CONTRIBUTORS – In September 2021, we asked Americans about their willingness to support an organization engaging in non-violent civil disobedience against corporate or government activities that make global warming worse and about their willingness to personally engage in such non-violent civil disobedience themselves. Here we examine how this willingness varies across different groups including Global Warming’s Six Americas, generations, and the three largest racial/ethnic groups in the United States.
San Jose Set to Become First U.S. City to Make Gun Owners Get Insurance
CHERI MOSSBURG and AMIR VERA – The San Jose, California, city council voted Tuesday night (January 25) to adopt a first-in-the-nation ordinance requiring most gun owners to pay a fee and carry liability insurance, measures aimed at reducing the risk of gun harm by incentivizing safer behavior and easing taxpayers of the financial burden of gun violence.
4 Good Reasons NOT to go to War in Ukraine
RIVERA SUN – How many reasons do we need to not go to war with Russia over the Ukraine? Instead of a foolhardy plunge into yet another military conflict, let’s look closer to home and take care of the many crises we face in the United States. Be sure to tell your elected officials this – they may not have gotten the memo.
A Citizen of the World – Still Speaks True
ROBERT C. KOEHLER – The speech, “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break the Silence,†is remembered and celebrated (or not) as MLK’s official condemnation of LBJ’s war, inappropriately “mixing peace and civil rights†and shattering ties with the country’s pro-war liberals. My takeaway after reading it: The speech is a lot more than that.
Corporate Sedition is More Damaging to America than the Capitol Attack
ROBERT REICH – The tsunami of money now flowing from corporations into the swamp of American politics is larger than ever. And this money – bankrolling almost all politicians and financing attacks on their opponents – is undermining American democracy as much as did the 147 seditionist members of Congress. Maybe more.
To Nuclear-Armed States: Nice Talk, Now Walk the WalkÂ
PETER BERGEL – We must build a movement strong enough to abolish nuclear weapons altogether. It will take a lot of work and will not happen overnight, but if we want to survive, it is up to the citizens of the nuclear-armed nations to demand that their governments conclude the nuclear disarmament agreements necessary to enable all of them to sign the nuclear ban treaty.
Why the Dutch are Closing Prisons – and What They’re Doing with Empty Ones
DEBORAH NICHOLLS-LEE – The Netherlands has reduced its prison population to such a degree that it’s now turning old prisons into socially useful buildings, such as schools and refugee centres. What went right?
Candidates, Keep it Clean! The Exhausted Majority is Urging
MELINDA BURRELL – We’re hearing more about our “exhausted majorityâ€Â – the two-thirds of Americans who are tired of the polarization and anger that surround us, are flexible in their attitudes, and want a way out of the divide.
Wet’suwet’en Water Protectors Vow to Continue Struggle after Announcing Strategic Retreat
ANISH R M – In the face of another crackdown by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), anti-pipeline Wet’suwet’en protesters have retreated from Coyote Camp. In an announcement on January 4, the activists of the Indigenous Wet’suwet’en tribe in British Columbia, Canada, have stated they are staging a “strategic retreat.†Water protectors who have been resisting the construction of the Coastal GasLink (CGL) pipeline and staging an occupation and blockade at the drill site near Camp Coyote have retreated to evade arrests and another violent police crackdown.
Should Fighting for Democracy Take Priority over Building Powerful Social Movements?
GEORGE LAKEY – Activists throughout history have put social movement work on hold for the electoral arena. Determining whether to do so is a matter of strategy and calling.
Whales: Nature’s Solution to Climate Change
RALPH CHAMI, SENA OZTOSUN, THOMAS COSIMANO, CONNEL FULLENKAMP – A strategy to protect whales can limit greenhouse gases and global warming.
Four Former Heads of Nuclear Agencies: “Nuclear is not a Practicable Means to Combat Climate Change”
DR. GREG JACZKO, PROF. WOLFGANG RENNEBERG, DR. BERNARD LAPONCHE, DR. PAUL DORFMAN – Nuclear is neither clean, safe or smart; but a very complex technology with the potential to cause significant harm. Nuclear isn’t cheap, but extremely costly. Perhaps most importantly nuclear is just not part of any feasible strategy that could counter climate change. To make a relevant contribution to global power generation, up to more than ten thousand new reactors would be required, depending on reactor design.
Putin’s Quid: No Offensive Missiles in ‘ABM’ Sites
RAY MCGOVERN – As senior U.S. and Russian negotiators begin talks early next week in Geneva, the makings of a first-step-in-the-right-direction deal are already at hand. And for this we can thank Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin for serious, attentive, one-to-one conversations in the past several weeks.
New Year’s Resolutions for the United States Suggested
JOHN MIKSAD – Many of us make resolutions at this time of year. These are some of the New Year’s Resolutions John Miksad would like to see his country make.
Nuclear Power’s Touted Reliability Fails in France
TSVETANA PARASKOVA – Europe’s energy crisis just got worse.
Seasonal Insomniacs in Times of Climate Chaos
RIVERA SUN – For the trees, snakes, and toads, these winter times are times of rest and dreaming. For humanity, these must be times of reckoning and change.Â
Budget Watchdog Raises Red Flags for Federal Investment in Smaller Nuclear Reactors in New Report
PRESS RELEASE FROM TAXPAYERS FOR COMMON SENSE – Budget watchdog raises red flags for federal investment in smaller nuclear reactors in new report.
“Defense” Spending is Indefensible
TOM H. HASTINGS – We want a serious change in our federal spending priorities away from destruction to actual human needs. Anything less is defenseless.
Can the US and China Cooperate Around Cobalt Mining?
MEL GURTOV – Cobalt is a valuable mineral that is the subject of intense international competition. Not a new subject: In past times copper, uranium, and rare earth metals have had center stage. Recall the controversy over “blood diamondsâ€â€”diamond mining that helped fund civil wars in Africa. More recently we have lithium in Bolivia, where Chinese, American, and other countries’ firms are seeking to gain the upper hand on a mineral that is vital in electrical products. There’s still another battle, this one over cobalt, which is also an essential mineral in cell phones but especially in electric car batteries.
We Need a Coordinated Global Response to the Pandemic
JERRY TETALMAN – If we are to win the real world game of Pandemic, we must strengthen and reform our global institutions in order to apply a global cooperative response, rather than our current patchwork approach of every country for itself.
Current Dispute Over ICBMs Is a Quarrel Over How to Fine-Tune the Doomsday Machinery
NORMAN SOLOMON – Nuclear weapons are at the pinnacle of what Martin Luther King Jr. called “the madness of militarism.†If you’d rather not think about them, that’s understandable. But such a coping strategy has limited value. And those who are making vast profits from preparations for global annihilation are further empowered by our avoidance.
Ukraine: Tragedy of a Nation Divided
JACK F. MATLOCK, JR. – Interference by the United States and its NATO allies in Ukraine’s civil struggle has exacerbated the crisis within Ukraine, undermined the possibility of bringing the two easternmost provinces back under Kyiv’s control, and raised the specter of possible conflict between nuclear-armed powers. Furthermore, in denying that Russia has a “right†to oppose extension of a hostile military alliance to its national borders, the United States ignores its own history of declaring and enforcing for two centuries a sphere of influence in the Western hemisphere.
Rohingya Sue Facebook for $150bn for Fueling Myanmar Hate Speech
AL JAZEERA and NEWS AGENCIES – Rohingya refugees have sued the social media giant Facebook for $150bn over claims the social network is failing to stem hate speech on its platform, exacerbating violence against the vulnerable Myanmar minority.
How the USA Could Lead a Global Green New Deal
KEVIN DANAHER – The world is facing two interlinked crises: politically motivated violence and global destruction of the environment. They are obviously related, in that global military conflicts and weapons spending are among the most egregious wasters of resources on the planet. This project would seek to unify those elements of the military and civil society who want to accelerate the transition to sustainability while also improving the security of the United States.
Mass Murder: New Victims, Same Old Questions
ROBERT KOEHLER – Why is the American sense of justice simply linear and bureaucratic? Why is priority number one, in the wake of such a crime – a crime against humanity – to charge, convict and punish, rather than heal, understand and change? Rupert Ross, in his book Returning to the Teachings, examines indigenous approaches to justice around the world: “The purpose is healing, not punishment – a healing accomplished by the full range of people who were affected by the original event.†This is the core of Restorative Justice.
German Complaint against Iran Rings Hollow with US H-bombs Still In Country
JOHN LAFORGE – When it comes to double-standards, sheer hypocrisy, and laughable duplicity, Germany takes the cake this week — for nuclear weapons two-facedness.
Choose the River
KERN BEARE – This holiday season, in a world that feels increasingly conflicted — where so many cultural battle lines have been drawn it’s impossible not to stumble over one of them and find yourself in unfriendly territory — what centering force helps us maintain our inner sense of wellbeing, our faith in a better future? The experience of Janessa Gans Wilder may be instructive. She found her centering force in the midst of a war zone.
Why Biden Shouldn’t Use the ‘Summit for Democracy’ to Start More Cold Wars
KATRINA VANDEN HEUVEL – Before America chose to lead any kind of “Summit for Democracy,†and before “America is back†to a new Cold War, the country urgently needs a more serious discussion about its real security priorities—and the real challenges it faces.
Victory in Ecuador: Constitutional Court Upholds Rights of Nature
PRESS RELEASE of the CENTER FOR DEMOCRATIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS – Rights of Nature Victory in Ecuador: In the Los Cedros case, the Constitutional Court upheld the rights of nature. The Court ruled that mining in a protected forest is unconstitutional, and violates the constitutional rights of nature.
The Big Industry That COP26 Failed to Tackle
REYNARD LOKI – Our broken and inhumane food system is a huge source of emissions, so why isn’t it a major part of the climate solution?
Facing the Facts About Gun Violence in the U.S.
LAURA FINLEY – Laura Finley’s hope in teaching and writing about gun violence is that, if we all discuss real data, perhaps then we can identify more appropriate policies and practices, which might include gun control, educational programs, mental health assistance and more.
“Vladimir the Terrible†Fits the Needs of the U.S. Military-Industrial Complex for an “Evil Foreign Enemy”
DANNY SHAW – Vladimir Putin is considered a threat because he restored Russian sovereignty, erased the humiliation of the Boris Yeltsin era, and championed Russia’s national interests. But that is just what the U.S. elite could not tolerate.
Most Americans Look Favorably on Global Governance
LAWRENCE WITTNER – Amid all the flag-waving, chants of “USA, USA,†and other nationalist hoopla that characterize mainstream politics in the United States, it’s easy to miss the fact that most Americans favor global governance.
Digging for Peace – Resisting Nuclear Weapons
BRIAN TERRELL – NATO boasts of “Steadfast Noon,†betraying the arrogant conviction of the Allied Heads of State and Government that despite a “deteriorating security environment,†through annual displays of brute force and profligate waste of fossil fuel, the darkness can be held at bay forever and the exploiters of the earth and its people will bask in the everlasting light of noon. The scholars at The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists who have kept a “Doomsday Clock†since 1947, propose instead that the planet is actually closer to midnight, the hypothetical global catastrophe. The Bulletin’s Clock is now at 100 seconds before midnight and humanity is closer to its destruction than ever before, because “the dangerous rivalry and hostility among the superpowers increases the likelihood of nuclear blunder… Climate change just compounds the crisis.â€
Ten Ways to Confront the Climate Crisis Without Losing Hope
REBECCA SOLNIT – It’s easy to despair at the climate crisis, or to decide it’s already too late – but it’s not. Here’s how to keep the fight alive.
Don’t Blame Government Benefits for Inflation—Blame the Modern Economy
SONALI KOLHATKAR – A better takeaway from our current economic situation is that there is nothing natural about being at the mercy and whims of an economy designed by corporate profiteers for corporate profiteers.
COP26: Fossil Fuel Industry Had Largest Delegation at Climate Summit – BBC News
MATT MCGRATH – Campaign groups argue that the World Health Organization didn’t get serious about banning tobacco until all the lobbyists for the industry were banned from WHO meetings. They want the same treatment for oil and gas companies at COP.
Why Public Banking is a Step Toward Revolutionizing Our Economy
PAMELA HAINES – The public banking movement is creating an opening wedge for the transfer of our financial system from private to public control.
White Supremacists Declare War on Democracy and Walk Away Unscathed
CAAROL ANDERSON – This nation has a really bad habit of letting white supremacy get away with repeated attempts to murder American democracy. It’s time to break that habit. If we don’t, they just might succeed next time.
What Would a Real Day for Veterans Look LIke?
JOHN MIKSAD – Veterans Day should be a resounding commitment to true national service, choosing peace, choosing our environment, choosing the best future for our grandkids.
Common Security: Essential Component of a New World Order
ALEXEY GROMYKO – Next year we mark the 40th anniversary of the Report of the Independent Commission on Disarmament and Security Issues under the Chairmanship of Olof Palme. The Report introduced the concept of Common Security and contributed to the end of the Cold War. However, these days the ideas behind Common Security are almost forgotten in spite of the fact that we again live in extremely perilous times.
US Media Oddly Quiet on Nuke Sub Collision in South China Sea
JOHN V. WALSH – The USS Connecticut incident in the South China Sea should be a wake-up call for East Asia – and the world.
How Critical Race Theory Hysteria May Influence the Future of Affirmative Action
EBONY SLAUGHTER-JOHNSON – The anger surrounding teaching children a more expansive (and truthful) version of American history can largely be understood as a backlash to the Black Lives Matter era, the victories of which have been largely symbolic and localized. The legislative entrenchment of affirmative action will be spun by conservatives as “reverse racism†that hampers the educational advancement of white children. That argument will hold traction among conservatives, moderates, and progressives. As we prepare for the possibility of a post-Roe future, it might also be time to anticipate a future in which affirmative action is unavailable as a means of promoting diversity in and economic mobility through higher education.
We Are Surrounded by Local Solutions to Global Economic Challenges—Festival Brings Together Sustainable Leaders
APRIL M. SHORT – The free access event, Festival of What Works (November 2-7), highlighted solutions for communities to adopt.
Climate Emergency Includes the Threat of ‘Nuclear Winter’
NORMAN SOLOMON – At the same time that the atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases have continued to increase, so have the dangers of nuclear war. No imperatives are more crucial than challenging the fossil fuel industry and the nuclear weapons industry as the terrible threats to the climate and humanity that they are.