The threat of war between the United States and Russia over the conflict in the Ukraine clearly shows us that the possession of 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons does not make either nation feel secure.
The widespread belief that military action is necessary to national security rests on the logic of coercion: the idea that the threat or use of military violence will make an adversary back down, due to the high costs they would incur for not doing so. And yet, we know that this is often or usually not how adversaries—whether other countries or non-state armed groups—respond.
In response to the growing threat of a new war in Ukraine an international movement for peace and human rights is forming. In collaboration with European Alternatives and the Washington-based Foreign Policy in Focus we are pleased to host this international appeal to recover the spirit of the Helsinki Accords.
Commentators on the current Ukraine crisis have sometimes compared it to the Cuban missile crisis. This is a good comparison―and not only because they both involve a dangerous US-Russian confrontation capable of leading to a nuclear war.
The African Union is condemning a wave of coups in Africa, where military forces have seized power over the past 18 months in Mali, Chad, Guinea, Sudan and, most recently, in January, Burkina Faso. Several were led by U.S.-trained officers as part of a growing U.S. military presence in the region under the guise of counterterrorism.
Washington’s response to Russia’s December security proposals augurs well for an eventual peaceful denouement on Ukraine.
Our fascinating and wide-ranging conversation covered the politics of water, the credibility of contemporary journalism, the status of refugee communities in Jordan from Palestine, Syria, Yemen and Iraq, the outlook for peace in an age of imperial decline, social conservatism and gender in Jordan, open source reporting, the effectiveness of antiwar activism and much more.
Interview to Olivera Injav, Montenegrin Minister of Defense, regarding Sinjajevina’s future.
By Marc Eliot Stein, May 30, 2021 World BEYOND War · What Can The Antiwar Movement Do For Palestine and Gaza? For antiwar activists all
