Nuclear weapons have threatened humanity’s survival for almost 80 years. During the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, the nuclear threat received substantial attention and inspired significant anti-nuclear activism, such as the June 1982 rally against nuclear weapons in New York City that drew roughly 1 million people.[1] In the 21st … Continue reading Are We Finally Waking Up? Signs of a New Awareness of the Nuclear Threat
Linked Threats to Humanity: How Nuclear Weapons and Climate Change Are Connected
Among the threats to human life, nuclear weapons and climate change pose dangers that set them apart from many others. Nuclear weapons and climate change not only can kill people but can radically alter the planet in devastating ways. They can both kill and hurt people in the present and change our world in ways … Continue reading Linked Threats to Humanity: How Nuclear Weapons and Climate Change Are Connected
A Stalemate Is the Best Option: The Future of the Ukraine War
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
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
“They Destroyed Everything That Had Kept Me Here”: Rising Violence in the West Bank
While world attention has understandably been focused over the past month on the Israel-Hamas violence centered around the Gaza Strip, violence has also been escalating in the West Bank. Long-running Israeli violence against Palestinians in the West Bank has intensified since Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attack that killed roughly 1,200 Israelis, most of them civilians.[1] … Continue reading “They Destroyed Everything That Had Kept Me Here”: Rising Violence in the West Bank
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
People in Need of a Safe Haven: The Struggle to Help Afghan Refugees
The Afghan people are suffering today from both the Taliban’s repressive rule and international economic penalties imposed on their nation. The United States can help Afghans by reducing the penalties on Afghanistan, as well as by giving refugees fleeing Taliban rule a safe haven within its borders.[1] Various legal routes to refuge are theoretically available … Continue reading People in Need of a Safe Haven: The Struggle to Help Afghan Refugees
Peacemaking for Life 