A war between Yemen and the nearby states of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been going on for seven years as of this March. The war began March 25, 2015, with a Saudi-led intervention in Yemen’s civil war. The intervention has involved a bombing campaign against Yemen that has continued into … Continue reading A People in Agony: How the United States Continues to Fuel the Yemen War
Author: JohnW
Opposing War amid Repression: Anti-War Efforts in Russia
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has rightly provoked widespread condemnation. Perhaps the most important source of such condemnation has been the Russian people, many of whom have protested or otherwise dissented from their government’s actions. Peace-minded people around the world would do well to acknowledge anti-war efforts in Russia and to recognize our allies in … Continue reading Opposing War amid Repression: Anti-War Efforts in Russia
A Catastrophe Decades in the Making: The Russian Invasion of Ukraine
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a monstrous injustice. Russia’s blatant aggression of 2022 recalls such similar infamous episodes as the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, repression of a rebellion in Hungary in 1956, and annexation of the Baltic states in 1940. Precisely how many people have been killed since the invasion began … Continue reading A Catastrophe Decades in the Making: The Russian Invasion of Ukraine
A Defense against Threats or a Cause of Them? The United States’ Global Military Presence
The United States’ military presence extends across the earth. US military personnel are located in hundreds of US bases and outposts in dozens of countries around the globe. Like the US military’s enormous size (about 1.3 million troops) and enormous expense (over $700 billion per year), American troops’ international presence demonstrates the US military establishment’s … Continue reading A Defense against Threats or a Cause of Them? The United States’ Global Military Presence
Achieving Diplomatic Breakthroughs in the Past and Future: The “Opening to China” after 50 Years
China and the United States began a new era in their relationship 50 years ago this February. The arrival in Beijing of US President Richard Nixon, on February 21, 1972, and his subsequent meetings with Chinese leaders Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai marked a resumption of relations between the two countries after decades of hostile … Continue reading Achieving Diplomatic Breakthroughs in the Past and Future: The “Opening to China” after 50 Years
Help War’s Victims: End the Economic Punishment of Afghanistan
Having already endured decades of civil war, Afghanistan’s people must now face economic collapse and abysmal poverty. The Taliban’s victory, in August 2021, over the US-backed Afghan government led to a dramatic decrease in foreign support to Afghanistan. The United States has also placed economic sanctions on Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. These events have contributed to a … Continue reading Help War’s Victims: End the Economic Punishment of Afghanistan
“An Inferno That Even the Mind of Dante Could Not Envision”: Martin Luther King on Nuclear Weapons
Although Martin Luther King is most famous for championing racial and economic justice and nonviolent protest, an aspect of King’s thought that has received relatively less attention is his opposition to the ultimate tools of violence, nuclear weapons. Historian Vincent Intondi, in his work African Americans against the Bomb: Nuclear Weapons, Colonialism, and the Black … Continue reading “An Inferno That Even the Mind of Dante Could Not Envision”: Martin Luther King on Nuclear Weapons
Staving Off War: The Russia, Ukraine, and NATO Stand-Off
The conflict between Ukraine and Russia that has been simmering since 2014 now threatens to become open war. Russian military forces reportedly have been gathering close to the Russia-Ukraine border this past fall. US government sources recently suggested Russia might be preparing for an attack on Ukraine.[1] War between Ukraine and Russia would be a … Continue reading Staving Off War: The Russia, Ukraine, and NATO Stand-Off
Checking the Nuclear Threat: The Opportunity of the Nuclear Posture Review
The Biden administration is currently re-evaluating the United States’ nuclear strategy. This re-evaluation offers an opportunity to reduce both the number of nuclear weapons in the US arsenal and the probability that the United States will use such weapons. However, trying to make such changes will provoke considerable resistance from the political and military establishment. … Continue reading Checking the Nuclear Threat: The Opportunity of the Nuclear Posture Review
The Temptation to Escalate: Responding to China’s Hypersonic Weapon Test
US-China tensions increased this fall with the announcement by US officials that China had tested a “hypersonic weapon” earlier in the year. The alleged test has produced alarmist warnings about a Chinese threat to the United States and spurred US efforts to respond in some way. However, these fears about hypersonic weapons are overblown and … Continue reading The Temptation to Escalate: Responding to China’s Hypersonic Weapon Test
Peacemaking for Life 