January 2023
If you don't think nuclear weapons are a local issue, ask the Mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Mayor Frank Cownie, Des Moines, Iowa
Mayors for Peace U.S. Vice-President
The Dismal State of Nuclear Disarmament
"The year 2022 has been a nightmare for nuclear disarmament," writes Jackie Cabasso in her year-end wrap up, The Dismal State of Nuclear Disarmament. Cabasso notes, on January 3, 2022, the five original nuclear-armed states affirmed "that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. But less than two months later Russia launched a brutal war of aggression on Ukraine, accompanied by a series of veiled and no-so-veiled nuclear threats, raising concerns about the dangers of nuclear war to their highest level since the darkest days of the Cold War. And prospects for progress on nuclear disarmament went down from there." She concludes, "By doubling down on the concept of national security through military might, at any cost, the governments of the nuclear-armed states and their allies are putting humanity on the road to Armageddon."
Mayors for Peace Launches New U.S. Membership Drive
Mayors for Peace, founded in 1982 and led by the Mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, is working for a world without nuclear weapons, safe and resilient cities, and a culture of peace, in which peace is a priority for every individual. As of January 1, Mayors for Peace has grown to 8,234 cities in 166 countries and regions, representing in total over one billion people - with 223 U.S. members. Find out if your Mayor is a member. Mayors for Peace's next membership goal is to reach 10,000 cities. Can we recruit 50 new U.S. members this year? Check out the updated Mayors for Peace Action Tool Kit, which provides information about how to enroll your Mayor and how to combine your advocacy for Mayors for Peace, the Back From the Brink Campaign, and the ICAN Cities Appeal. And join the new Mayors for Peace interest group listserv.
Ukraine Christmas Truce Campaign
A national year-end appeal by interfaith leaders for a "Christmas Truce" in Ukraine/Russia was led by the Fellowship of Reconciliation (with CODEPINK & the National Council of Elders). Hailing from every U.S. state, 1,200+ clergy & lay leaders -- Baha'i, Buddhist, Christian (Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant), Indigenous, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, and Zoroastrian -- endorsed the call, as reported by Democracy Now!, the Washington Post, The Nation, and even right-wing media. Rev. William Barber live-streamed a Christmas Eve broadcast on "No War: A Moral Call for a Christmas Truce." In early 2023, Russian Patriarch Kirill and President Putin ordered troops to observe a Christmas cease-fire during Orthodox Christmas (Jan. 7). While the cease-fire was limited, anti-war activists hope it will inform broader efforts to a negotiated and lasting truce.
Support Ukraine Conscientious Objector Vitaly Alekseenko
The right to conscientious objection to military service is a universal human right. On Jan. 16, Ukraine violated that right for the first known time since Russia's February 2022 military invasion, jailing Vitaly Alekseenko, who had refused a military call-up on religious conscientious grounds. In response, the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection, War Resisters' International, the International Fellowship of Reconciliation, and Connection e.V. issued a statement decrying this violation of Alekseenko's freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. The groups, supported by FOR-USA and other U.S. groups, expressed their solidarity with Alekseenko and urged Ukrainian authorities to drop all charges against him immediately. They also call on the European Commission and the European Council to protect C.O.'s from Belarus and Russia.
European Peace Movements: "Together We Can Change the World," Webinar, Jan. 28, 2023, 2:00 pm EST
Peace movements in Europe are working for a ceasefire and negotiations to end the Ukraine War. They are organizing to oppose deployment of new U.S. nuclear weapons under the cover of NATO's Nuclear Sharing doctrine and working in support of the Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. They are deeply critical of NATO expansion and are working to cut their nations' military budgets and ambitions to fund their health care and education systems. And they are challenging their governments' racist responses to their immigration crises. To help build our movements and to encourage collaborations, the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security and Mass. Peace Action have organized this a webinar to engage with movement leaders in Britain, Germany, Italy and Finland. Find more information and register for the webinar here.
"Reimagining King's Vision - The Fierce Urgency of Now" celebrates Rev. King's birthday, and Charts a Path Forward
This year, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday was marked by a powerful webinar organized by The National Council of Elders, the King and Breaking Silence Coalition, the Highlander Center, CODEPINK, and Fellowship of Reconciliation. Titled "Reimagining King's Vision -- The Fierce Urgency of Now," the webinar featured Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson of the Highlander Center, Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis of the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice and the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, Tiffany D. Loftin of the Debt Collective, Luis J. Rodriguez of Tia Chucha's Centro Cultural & Bookstore, and Medea Benjamin of CODEPINK. The speakers engaged in a compelling discussion about the crises that Rev. Dr. King warned us about, from U.S. militarism to borders to student debt. Watch the powerful recording here.
Poor Peoples Campaign Petitions Congress to Truly Honor Dr. King's Legacy
On MLK Day, the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival (PPC) released a video to demand that the Biden administration and every member of Congress "meet with poor and low-wealth people, religious leaders, economists, lawyers and public health specialists to address the systemic policy violence that threatens the soul of our nation." In the video, PPC Co-Chair, Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, declares, "Today and every day, let's honor King as we end racism, poverty, ecological devastation, the denial of healthcare, militarism, and this false narrative of Christian nationalism. Let us fight poverty, not people." The video includes messages from PPC Co-Chair Bishop William J. Barber II, economist Jeffrey Sachs and impacted people around the country. Common Dreams has more about the video and the PPC's origins.
Guantanamo: Another Year of Indefinite Detention and Evasion of the Rule of Law
On January 11, 2023, the 21st anniversary of the Guantanamo detention facility, UFPJ joined 158 other U.S. and international human rights and racial justice organizations urging President Biden to prioritize closing Guantanamo and ending indefinite detention. "Among a broad range of human rights violations perpetrated against predominantly Muslim communities over the last two decades, the Guantanamo detention facility--built on the same military base where the United States unconstitutionally detained Haitian refugees in deplorable conditions in the early 1990s – is the iconic example of the abandonment of the rule of law. The Guantanamo detention facility was designed specifically to evade legal constraints, and Bush administration officials incubated torture there." Read the entire letter with endorsements HERE.
Confronting the Threat of MAGA Racist, Authoritarian Rule in 2023
Max Elbaum, former UFPJ steering committee member, challenges justice and peace activists in "The MAGA Threat Is Greater Today Than in 2020." Anti-fascist forces can stop the Republican drive toward racist authoritarian rule, Elbaum argues, only if we are crystal clear about how strong and dangerous the MAGA bloc is. He examines MAGA control of the House, the Supreme Court, and the legislatures and governorships of 35 states. "Kevin McCarthy may be sitting in the Speaker's chair, but the fascists-in-suits of the 'Freedom Caucus' are calling the shots.... Trump may indeed be fading, but…his demise is a sign that the torch is passing to leaders who bring a more disciplined and strategic approach to the drive toward one-party authoritarian rule," he writes. Read the article HERE. Listen to Elbaum discuss "The Strengthening On The Alt-Right" HERE.
CODEPINK calls for Bolsonaro to be sent back to Brazil
On January 8th, supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro attempted a coup in Brazil emulating the January 6th U.S. Capitol attack. Fascist and extreme-right groups stormed Brazil's Congress, Supreme Court and Presidential offices attempting to subvert the constitutional order and calling for military intervention. President Lula accused Bolsonaro, who has remained in Florida since Lula's inauguration, of encouraging the uprising. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Rep. Joaquin Castro have called for the U.S. to cease granting refuge to Bolsonaro in Florida. CODEPINK joins their calls. Bolsonaro and his former Justice Minister Anderson Torres should be sent back to Brazil to face justice for their crimes. Read more here.
Golden Rule Updates: From Havana, Cuba to Washington, D.C.
The Golden Rule anti-nuclear sailboat has successfully completed a historic voyage to Cuba and will be headed in late March to the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River to highlight radioactive contamination at Navy bases there. The 34-foot wooden ketch, which in 1958 was sailed toward the Marshall Islands to interfere with U.S. nuclear testing, is owned by Veterans For Peace (VFP) and carries out an important part of its mission, "to end the arms race and to reduce and eventually eliminate nuclear weapons." Gerry Condon describes the visit to Havana and explains why VFP is calling for an end to the U.S. blockade of Cuba. In another piece, Pat Elder documents extensive radiological contamination at Naval installations where the Golden Rule will stop when it visits the Washington, D.C.--Baltimore area as part of its Great Loop Voyage.
War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict
Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODEPINK, released her most recent book this past year and has been on a national tour to promote the book and collaborate with local anti-war communities since its release. War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict, co-authored with Nicolas J.S. Davies, examines the historical and current context of the war in Ukraine, different parties involved in the war, the risks of escalation, and possible pathways to peace. This Thursday, January 26th, Brooklyn for Peace will be hosting Medea for an online book talk event (cosponsored by United for Peace and Justice!). Please register here to join us.
The Ukraine War Continues: Ukraine Resources
With the Ukraine war in its eleventh month, United for Peace and Justice continues to compile a variety of resources on UFPJ's Ukraine resource page. The war continues to spark debate among peace advocates and in broader progressive movements, and we aim to provide a variety of views. Items added recently include an exchange between two prominent European commentators, Yanis Varafoukis and Anthony Barnett, a debate that reflects the complexity of this moment and the difficult political and ethical challenges we face. See Barnett's A betrayal of Ukraine and the Left, the reply by Varafoukis, Comradely disagreements between progressives over Ukraine & the New Cold War, and Barnett's rejoinder, Down with Putin's modern czarism! A response to Yanis Varoufakis.
Dr. King's Refusal to Accept "a militaristic stairway into the hell of thermonuclear destruction"
On Jan. 12, to honor and celebrate the legacy and courage of Dr. King in championing a nuclear-free world, Defuse Nuclear War (DNW) hosted a livestream featuring the Reverend Dr. Liz Theoharis, Pastor Michael McBride, Judith LeBlanc, Daniel Ellsberg, Khury Petersen-Smith, David Swanson, Norman Solomon, former Ohio Senator Nina Turner, and India Walton. Watch the recording here. A focus of this event was Dr. King's statement during his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize speech: "I refuse to accept the cynical notion that nation after nation must spiral down a militaristic stairway into the hell of thermonuclear destruction." During the event DNW issued a call to action and is offering people online organizing tools for sending messages and photos of loved ones and others, whose futures are at stake, to the White House and members of Congress.
Militarized Japan and the Biden-Kishida Summit Signal Moment in the New Cold War
"Across the Indo-Pacific, as well as in the escalating Ukraine War," writes Joseph Gerson, "humanity stands an accident or miscalculation away from the calamity of nuclear war." Gerson, President of the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security with decades of experience working with Pacific Basin peace movements, provides an in-depth analysis of the intensifying confrontation between China, the United States, and its allies in Northeast Asia, bringing with it the re-militarization of Japan's foreign policy. "It is past time," he writes, "for the U.S., Japan, China, and the Koreas to pursue their national interests--including human survival--by backing away from and reversing their dangerously spiraling military confrontations and embrace common security diplomacy and solutions." Read the piece here in Common Dreams.
Myths, Realities, and Implications of China's Nuclear Buildup: A Webinar with Michael Klare, Hans Kristensen, and Tong Zhao, Feb 2, 2023, 07:00 PM EST
While most observers agree that Beijing is expanding and modernizing its very small--as compared to those of the U.S. and Russia--nuclear force, there is debate as to the scale and rapidity of those endeavors. With many in Washington now citing the Pentagon's claims of a Chinese nuclear buildup to justify the further expansion of America's already vast nuclear arsenal, it is essential to interrogate the claims of the China Military Power report lest we all be drawn into a new, profoundly dangerous arms race. The Committee for a Sane U.S.-China Policy invites you to join three outstanding experts to learn more about China's nuclear buildup, the debate over its scale and intent, and how all this might inform U.S. foreign and military policy. Find more information and register for the webinar here.
Inside China 2023: A Conversation With Tings Chak
Earlier this month, CODEPINK co-founder Jodie Evans talked with Tings Chak about the realities of China, and living in China, that we don't get to hear about in the West. The conversation touched on Tings' experience of living as a woman in China, and the impact of socialism on gender within the country. The conversation also touches on human rights, Covid, and beyond. Watch the recording here. And as U.S. militarism mounts against China in the Pacific, join us in taking action and sign a petition urging Congress to investigate the harm done by the US Military in Guam Also sign CODEPINK's petition against construction of a new U.S. military base in Okinawa.
CODEPINK challenges Rep. Adam Smith, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Since the beginning of 2023, CODEPINK has disrupted multiple "defense" events centering on warmongering, to promote a message of peace, sustainability, and diplomacy. On January 9th, Olivia DiNucci and a fellow organizer disrupted a Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) event launching a "wargame" report on a hypothetical invasion of Taiwan. "What's happening in Ukraine should be a wake-up call that diplomacy in China is what is needed," DiNucci addressed the room. "War is not a game." Two days later, Medea Benjamin and Olivia DiNucci made a splash on CSPAN by disrupting a Brookings Institute talk with Rep. Adam Smith, to push for negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine. Read about the first disruption here and check out the second disruption here.
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