NORMAN SOLOMON – When Daniel Ellsberg died on Friday, June 16, 2023, the world lost a transcendent whistleblower with a powerful ethos of compassion and resolve.
How U.S. and NATO Policies Led to Crisis, War, and the Risk of Nuclear Catastrophe
BENJAMIN ABELOW – I am not anti-American. I see my comments here, as well as my book and my broader efforts regarding the Ukraine war, as an expression of American patriotism—an attempt to help realign U.S. policies with the true interests of the United States as a nation. These are my attempts to peacefully influence policies so that they better reflect the highest ethical values of the United States. To achieve this end, a hope which many share, we must face reality, even if that reality is uncomfortable. We must be willing to speak openly.
Wanted: More Fathers on the Front Lines of Social Change
ROB OKUN – Why are so many fathers and father figures standing mute on the sidelines of change?
Are We Living Through a De-Dollarization?
JUSTIN PODUR – Currency systems reflect power relations in the world: they don’t change them. The Anglo gold standard and the American dollar standard reflected imperial monopoly power for centuries. In a multipolar world, however, we should expect more diverse arrangements.
Why There Should Be a Treaty Against the Use of Weaponized Drones
ANN WRIGHT – The military finds it easier and safer to kill innocent civilians than put its own personnel on the ground to make on-site evaluations. Innocent persons will continue to die until we find a way to stop the use of this weapons system. The risks will increase as AI takes over more and more of the targeting and launch decisions.
De-Escalation of the Ukraine War Can Start with Ending All Nuclear Weapons “Sharing” on Both Sides
JOHN LAFORGE – The important call from Russian President Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko for an end to the stationing of U.S. nuclear weapons in other countries, and its direct reference to the U.S. and its allies, helps clear the air around Russia’s threatened escalation — to deploy nuclear weapons to neighboring Belrus. The only practically workable way to move Putin to reverse his planned deployment, is to offer to reverse the Pentagon’s deployment. Call it a Cuban Missile Crisis Redux. That terrible confrontation was resolved when President Kennedy offered to, and then did, withdraw U.S. nuclear-armed missiles from Turkey. De-escalation works, and it can lead to further breakthroughs.