By Marc Eliot Stein, World BEYOND War, July 28, 2025
Episode 74 of the World BEYOND War podcast includes the entire 90-minute War Abolishers Awards event that took place on July 24, 2025 featuring award recipients Roger Waters and Ralph Nader, as well as a tribute to recipient Francesca Albanese who could not be present. Roger Waters presented a preview of a powerful song in progress, “Sumud”.
The full list of presenters and speakers in order: Bob Fantina, David Swanson, Roger Waters, Hanieh Jodat, Ed Horgan and Ralph Nader. Prepared remarks are followed by a lively question-and-answer session.
Participants spoke freely about their perceptions of the current urgency of the antiwar movement, with Ralph Nader urging voters to rediscover their power to transform government while Roger Waters described the drastic challenges that face peace activists who dare to speak out. All three of this year’s World BEYOND War War Abolishers award recipients have been attacked and persecuted, and are currently being attacked and persecuted in new and disturbing ways, for their courageous actions.
Some quotes from this event:
“This is a lesson of history, American history: it takes less than 1% of the American people organized in each Congressional district, volunteering, say, 500 hours a year, opening an office with two full-time staff … There’s huge public opinion in this country for peace. It has no cutting edge, though, until it mobilizes in Congress.” – Ralph Nader
“The mask is now off. They are saying after the Second World War when the United Nations was formed in 1945, and then when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights happened in December 1948 and all of that bit, we all said, what a jolly good idea. We all agreed never again after the Nazi Holocaust and blah, blah, blah. But we didn’t actually mean it … It’s been quite clear in the way that the United States has behaved in the world since the Second World War that actually the ruling class in the United States and in England have no interest in human rights. They believe in the supremacy of an ubermensch class, just like the Nazis did in Germany.” – Roger Waters
“There’s a lot of left/right opinion for peace. Don’t let the polarization, divide-and-rule cliques mislead you.” – Ralph Nader
“We will turn this ship around. What I say in my song: we will turn this ship around. I’m not just determined. I cannot believe that we won’t, if you see what I mean. Ralph, and Ralph is right to still be optimistic about being able to turn this, you know, they figured out a lot about propaganda and controlling the mainstream media and how they can get people to do anything they want because we’re all malleable. Well – we’re not all malleable!” – Roger Waters
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