LAWRENCE WITTNER – Back from the Brink has emerged as an impressive coalition of organizations, individuals, and public officials working together to create a world free of nuclear weapons.
Category: Archive
What’s next after the historic No Kings protest?
DANIEL HUNTER – Seven million turned out for the largest protest in US history, and there are growing signs of defections and defiance.
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.
Impeachments Show Tyrants How Resistance Threatens Them
RIVERA SUN – Impeachment is in the air. It’s a powerful thing to look around the world and see presidents being convicted for their crimes.
Halting misinformation in its tracks is up to us
THELMA YOUNG LUTUNATABUA – To limit the spread of misinformation, we need to increase our digital literacy skills and be brave enough to have hard personal conversations.
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.
Exploring the High Rates of Social Violence in the Americas
JOHN P. RUEHL – For decades, the Americas have been the most violent part of the world outside active war zones. Many factors contribute to this, but long-term solutions remain difficult to achieve.
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.
How 12-step programs can help build healthier movements
ERIN WAX – The 12-step method that began with Alcoholics Anonymous is a form of mutual aid that can help movement organizers take better care of each other.
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.
Is Trump Going to Take Us to War with Venezuela?
MEL GURTOV – Remember the Bay of Pigs, Tonkin Bay, and 9/11? We’ve seen this play before.
How Can We Identify and Protect Ourselves From Lies?
MARYELLEN MACDONALD – Scientists are uncovering how the hidden effort of talking affects everything from everyday conversations to spotting deception and fake news.
We can tell a different story about Hurricane Katrina and who we are in disasters
REBECCA SOLNIT – We want to give, to share, to connect, to relieve suffering, to liberate all beings; doing so gives us meaning, purpose, lets us be our largest, most heroic selves. We were made for this work, and when we do it we discover who we truly are.
Plane to purgatory: how Trump’s deportation program shuttles immigrants into lawless limbo
MAANVI SINGH and WILL CRAFT – 44,000 immigrants, 1,700 flights, 100 days: a Guardian investigation of leaked flight data and government detention data reveals the inhumane journey of immigrants shuttled around and outside the US.
Claiming Hope in Times of Disorder and Despair
MARIE DENNIS – Our growing awareness of cosmic belonging and our embrace of nonviolence as the ethic that defines our relationships are transforming what it means to be human. They are enabling us, in this fragile, wounded world, to keep claiming hope. Even now. Especially now.
5,595+ Campaign Nonviolence Actions Challenge Violence Everywhere
RIVERA SUN – Violence may be everywhere … but nonviolence is, too. Campaign Nonviolence empowers tens of thousands of people each year to use nonviolent tools to construct nonviolent solutions in a world longing for change. “Means are ends in the making,” said Mahatma Gandhi. If we want a nonviolent world, we must build it through those means.
Nuclear power is failing, and AI can’t rescue it
AMORY B. LOVINS – Nuclear generation is expensive and slow to develop. Claims that past failures won’t recur have convinced politicians to socialize investments rejected by private capital markets.
Trump upends the international economic order
By Mel Gurtov Protectionism by Another Name Tariff hikes across the board, political interference through trade threats, pressure on US multinational corporations, supply chain disruptions—these are among the ways the Trump administration is trying to change economic globalization, from one…
Busting the myth that Gen Z isn’t protesting
KAELEIGH BANDA – Despite a persistent belief that Gen Z isn’t politically active, young people are finding and creating ways to fight for a better future.
Trump is Deporting Russian Asylum Seekers, in Chains, to Putin’s Russia
LAWRENCE WITTNER – It’s a shame that the Trump administration, through its treatment of courageous Russian war resisters and other dissidents, has reversed the process.
THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY TO STOP ICE NOW
MATT CAMERON – A tactic that has been used in the past to nonviolently demoralize occupying military forces is succeeding and should be adopted by all of us.
The Billionaire Oligarchs and Corporations Profiting from ICE’s Deportation Machine
DEREK SEIDMAN – A primer on the billionaire barons and corporate profiteers enabling ICE’s deportation apparatus.
A Nobel Peace Prize for Trump? Inconceivable
By Mel Gurtov Four US presidents have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize: Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter, and Barack Obama. Donald Trump is determined to be the fifth recipient. He has been campaigning for a Nobel (decided by…
Could Oregon chart the course for universal health care in the US?
KEVIN FOSTER – Oregon is on the verge of enacting a single-payer health care plan, but continued organizing is needed to secure this historic victory.
How do we balance political correctness against reasoned beliefs?
TOM HASTINGS – Destructive conflict will destroy us; constructive conflict will save us. Our choice.
Why Food and Nutrition Deserves Its Own Public School Curriculum
SANDRA ERICSON – A national human ecology curriculum that begins with food education could help address our most pressing crises—from climate change to inequality—by teaching students how to live well and care for one another.
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.
Groups Announce Support of DNC Resolution for Israel Arms Embargo
NORMAN SOLOMON – Progressive Groups Announce Support for DNC Resolution Urging “Arms Embargo” and “Suspension of Military Aid to Israel”
What Keeps Nonviolence Guru George Lakey Motivated?
JORDAN TEICHER – Grid interviews legendary activist George Lakey on his inspirations, the current political moment and what keeps him motivated.
People often miscalculate the impact of climate choices — like owning a dog — study says
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS – Many people aren’t great at identifying which personal decisions contribute most to climate change — and some of the ones that do may come as a surprise.
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.
Stanford-led research finds small modular reactors will exacerbate challenges of highly radioactive nuclear waste
MARK SHWARTZ – Small modular reactors, long touted as the future of nuclear energy, will actually generate more radioactive waste than conventional nuclear power plants, according to research from Stanford and the University of British Columbia.
The renewable energy revolution is a feat of technology
REBECCA SOLNIT – An energy revolution is underway in this century, though most people have not noticed it
Turning Down the Temperature: How Town Halls Can Be Productive Again
MELINDA BURRELL – Officials can ask their local community mediation centers or other skilled facilitators for help. Our public meetings can become part of our way forward.
Democrats should give peace a chance in Ukraine
NORMAN SOLOMON – It is time for Americans and their elected representatives to set aside partisan lenses and see what’s really at stake with the Ukraine war. Endless killing is no solution at all.
What if Americans protested like Icelanders?
GEORGE LAKEY – If 3 percent of Americans took to the streets instead of looking for justice in the next election we would actually see what a “political revolution” looks like.
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.
ICJ Advisory Opinion: World’s Top Court Lays Out Historic Protections For Climate-Impacted Nations in Landmark Ruling
MARTINA IGINI – The International Court of Justice delivered a landmark opinion on the obligations of states in respect of climate change, marking a historic win and a turning point for the world’s most vulnerable nations and communities.
Avelo: Oregon Attorney General Tells It Like It Is
DAN RAYFIELD – As Oregon’s Attorney General, I am committed to upholding Oregon priorities and the rule of law. In many cases, this means supporting businesses that promote tourism and invest in local economies in our state. It also means stepping in when Oregon’s values are under threat.
The Descent of Republicanism into Christian Nationalism and Delusions of Grandeur
BOB TOPPER – A number of major problems began when the Republican Party became theocratic. Democracy requires rational debate guided by facts, and it achieves progress through compromise. But the religious right eschews rational debate for they are guided by belief, the acceptance that things are true when they are not supported by fact. They reject for instance the fact of global warming and accept, without evidence, that Trump won the 2020 election. So, unlike the Republican Party of Eisenhower, Goldwater, Reagan, or George H.W. Bush, today’s theocratic party is unable to find common ground and is thus unable to govern–instead they attempt to rule.
Lessons in courage, care and collective action from the international accompaniment movement
MOIRA BIRSS and ZIA KANDLER – International accompaniment was developed in Central America during the 1980s and ’90s in response to threats against human rights defenders, communities and activists at the height of the civil wars there. Recognizing the global power dynamics and unequal treatment across borders by state actors, international solidarity movements and accompaniment organizations emerged to provide a protective presence, using international volunteers to deter violence and support grassroots struggles for justice.
Real World Effects as Republicans Scuttle International Humanitarian Assistance
LAWRENCE WITTNER – Calling for aid “to help 114 million people facing life-threatening needs across the world,” the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs said that “this isn’t just an appeal for money―it’s a call for global responsibility, for human solidarity, for a commitment to end the suffering.” Thus far, there’s no indication that the Trump administration has that commitment.
If fear is the goal, then solidarity is the antidote
DANIEL HUNTER – We would do well to take refuge in each other. We can focus on the fear or we can focus on the acts of courage around us. We would do well to steel our wills and gird ourselves — for these times require great courage. And courage is contagious. So let this be our mantra: It outlaws me, and I outlaw it.
Activate climate’s ‘silent majority’ to supercharge action, experts say
DAMIAN CARRINGTON – “People deeply understand we are in a climate emergency,” said Cassie Flynn, at the UN Development Programme, whose People’s Climate Vote in 2024 found 80% of people wanted stronger climate action from their countries. “They want world leaders to be bold, because they are living it day to day. World leaders should look at this data as a resounding call for them to rise to the challenge.”
How Some Independent Radio Stations Avoid Sounding Like Corporate Drones
DAMON ORION – Local radio stations and digital networks of independents are keeping “human-driven, anti-algorithm expression” alive.
How Sanctuary Cities Protect All of Us
ROBERT KOEHLER – As George Cassidy Payne writes, “Sanctuary cities offer more than a geographical claim. They challenge us to look past a person’s nationality and recognize their humanity.”