The Russian invasion of Ukraine has now entered its third year. The war currently seems to be a stalemate. However, either the Russians or Ukrainians might have a break-through and rapidly gain ground, potentially leading to a crisis for the losing side. The risk also remains of the war escalating into a broader conflict between … Continue reading A Stalemate Is the Best Option: The Future of the Ukraine War
Category: Peace Activism
Ripples from Gaza: The Threat of a Wider Middle East War
The Gaza War has taken a terrible human toll within Israel and Palestine while also threatening to escalate into a larger regional war. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has had violent repercussions in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen and the Red Sea. The recent strikes by the United States and its allies on Yemen are the latest … Continue reading Ripples from Gaza: The Threat of a Wider Middle East War
World Out of Balance: Reflections on Selective Concern about Violent Conflicts
I have periodically written about violent conflicts that are generally overlooked in the United States. In 2023, I reviewed Ethiopia’s recent civil war, the collapse of Haiti’s government, and Sudan’s civil strife.[1] Given that these bloody and tragic events have attracted comparatively little attention, I must ask: Why do some conflicts receive significantly more attention … Continue reading World Out of Balance: Reflections on Selective Concern about Violent Conflicts
Overlooked Conflicts: Ongoing Violence at the End of 2023
Although the Ukraine-Russia war and the Gaza war have dominated the news, other countries have been suffering violent conflicts recently. In several pieces this year, I highlighted contemporary wars and other conflicts that are too often overlooked. As 2023 ends, here is an update on the status of these conflicts. NOTE: This piece discusses sexual … Continue reading Overlooked Conflicts: Ongoing Violence at the End of 2023
A Complex Man’s Complex Legacy: What the Movie ‘Rustin’ Leaves Out
The great civil rights activist and thinker Bayard Rustin (1912-1987) has received renewed attention thanks to the recently released movie Rustin. The movie is an engrossing look at Rustin’s role as an advisor to Martin Luther King and as the organizer of the 1963 March for Jobs and Freedom in Washington, DC. Rustin organized one … Continue reading A Complex Man’s Complex Legacy: What the Movie ‘Rustin’ Leaves Out
Sleepwalking toward Nuclear War: The Lessons of the Able Archer Scare
Since the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, nations have repeatedly come close to using nuclear weapons again and even to all-out nuclear war. The most famous episode in which nations came close to nuclear war was the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.[1] However, another terrifying case of narrowly averted nuclear war occurred 40 years ago this … Continue reading Sleepwalking toward Nuclear War: The Lessons of the Able Archer Scare
A War That No One Will Win: The Violence in Israel and Palestine
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has erupted into a terrible new wave of violence. To date, thousands of people, including over 1,500 Palestinians and over 1,200 people in Israel, have been killed. Thousands more have been injured.[1] If not stopped, the violence seems destined to escalate to ever-more-devastating levels. The Attack The violence began October 7, when … Continue reading A War That No One Will Win: The Violence in Israel and Palestine
The Niger Crisis: A Coup That Could Turn into a War
Niger was thrown into a crisis this summer when the country’s military overthrew its democratically elected president on July 26.[1] This coup has prompted threats of intervention from other countries in the region, with different countries supporting either the overthrown president or the military. The crisis even risks leading to intervention by France or the … Continue reading The Niger Crisis: A Coup That Could Turn into a War
“Never Again”: Taking Action against the Nuclear Threat
The following is adapted from remarks given at the Vigil to End the Nuclear Danger, a peace witness outside the White House on August 12, 2023. The vigil was co-sponsored by the American Solidarity Party of DC and Maryland, the Consistent Life Network, Pax Christi Metro DC-Baltimore, and Rehumanize International. We are here today to … Continue reading “Never Again”: Taking Action against the Nuclear Threat
The Danger of Russian Instability: The Wagner Group Uprising and Its Significance
The brief uprising in Russia by members of the Wagner Group private security force was a warning. It was a warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin about how potentially fragile his regime is. It was also a warning to western nations and the rest of the world about how Russia can spin dangerously out of … Continue reading The Danger of Russian Instability: The Wagner Group Uprising and Its Significance
Peacemaking for Life 