Although imperfect and tenuous every movement towards peace and de-escalation of violence is cause for rejoicing....
Fellowship of Reconciliation on the Gaza Ceasefire
TONIGHT at 8PM ET, 5PM PT: Webinar on Peace and Justice Advocacy with the New Congress
The 119th Congress has begun, and you can engage to promote policies that make a difference. The Friend's Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) will offer strategies for advocacy on domestic and international peace and justice issues in the current political environment. The webinar will focus on 1) Restoring aid to Gaza and furthering peace in the Middle East; 2) Protecting health care and food assistance funding for poor and working families; and 3) Preventing funding for harmful immigration enforcement and detention. REGISTER HERE and invite people in your networks to also REGISTER. Even if you are unable to attend, REGISTER and FCNL will share a recording and resources afterwards.
Theoharis and Hartung, Turning the Tide
"Honestly, for at least some of us, it's hard to imagine that Donald Trump is once again president -- yes, president! -- of the United States, no less that he was sworn into office the second time on -- can you believe it? -- Martin Luther King Jr. Day. That gives irony a bad name." So begins Tom Engelhardt's introduction to Liz Theoharis and William D. Hartung's new essay, Toward a Better World; Building a Movement for Social Justice in a Time of Peril, published by TomDispatch. He goes on, "It's still difficult to believe. And yet it happened. And it's already old news that Donald Trump is indeed back in the Mar-a-White House, preparing for his all-American MAGA version of -- yes! -- manifest destiny, whether in relation to Greenland, the Panama Canal, Canada, or the rest of us." Read Theoharis and Hartung's thoughtful antidote here.
Watch the 2025 Doomsday Clock Announcement
On Jan. 28, at 10 am EST, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists will reveal the 2025 Doomsday Clock time. For 2025, the Bulletin will consider multiple global threats in setting the Clock, including the proliferation of nuclear weapons, disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence, the Russia-Ukraine war, the Israel-Hamas war, the Israel-Hezbollah conflict, bio-threats, and the ongoing climate crisis. In 2023, the Bulletin moved the Clock to 90 seconds to midnight--the closest to global catastrophe it has ever been--in large part because of Russian threats to use nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine. Last year, the clock remained at 90 seconds to midnight. Katrina Vanden Heuvel, writing in the Nation, warns we should expect the hands of the Doomsday Clock to move forward this year. Sign up for email updates from the Bulletin here.
Webinar: Yoon's Failed South Korean Military Coup: Implications for Korea and the World--January 29, 2025 7:30pm EST 4:30pm PST
In December South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol announced a military coup. Given the Republic of Korea's brutal history of military dictatorships, thousands of Koreans and opposition parties committed to upholding democracy immediately mobilized and reversed the declaration of martial law in a matter of hours. Yoon has since been impeached and arrested, but whether he will be forced from office remains an open question. Also uncertain are South Korea's political future, the political turmoil's impacts on the country's alliance with the U.S. and Japan, and for the region as a whole, including China. Presenters will be Francis Daehoon Lee of PEACEMOMO, Seoul, and journalist Timm Shorrock. Co-sponsored by the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Security, Massachusetts Peace Action and the New England Korea Peace Campaign. Register here.
The Gaza Ceasefire: How Real, How Long? UFPJ Israel/Palestine War Resources
A fragile ceasefire is in place, but the violence has not ended. Israel's military has shifted its focus to the West Bank, with its recent operations there raising new concerns of serious violations of human rights. Trump has tried to claim credit for the ceasefire, but it appears more likely that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was responding to domestic pressures arising from an increasingly unpopular war. Meanwhile, the toll of the war has only begun to be counted, with Gaza deaths likely to be far higher than official tallies, and the people of Gaza facing the immense task of restoring a shattered society. All this makes it more imperative to consider how Palestinians and Israelis might live together in a democratic state. Find these and other resources at the UFPJ Israel/Palestine war resources page.
Image: Rousseau Diderot, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Webinar: Trump's Second Term: NATO, War, and the Economy--Feb. 18
The Campaign for Peace, Disarmament, and Common Security is hosting a webinar, Trump's Second Term: NATO, War, and the Economy, Tuesday Feb. 18 at 1PM EST / 10AM PST. Trump has returned to the presidency demanding that NATO nations increase their military spending to 3% of GDP and threatening massive tariffs. His commitments to NATO remain uncertain, as does his administration's approach to the Ukraine War and possible ceasefire-related diplomacy. His "America First" agenda includes a $100 billion increase in the Pentagon's already gargantuan budget. What are the implications for Euro-American relations with Russia, for NATO, or for the U.S., European, and world economies? How should the U.S. and European peace movements respond? The webinar features Niamh Ni Bhriain, Reiner Braun, and Michael Klare. Register here.
9/11 Case in the Guantanamo Military Commission Now a Total Legal Quagmire as Transition to a Trump Administration is Contemplated
On January 8, defense counsel for Khalid Sheik Mohammed, alleged mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, agreed with the judge and the prosecution in the Guantanamo 9/11 military commission, that Mohammed would plead guilty to all charges against him in open court on January 10. Then on January 9, the Department of Justice at the request of the Department of Defense (presumably by order of Secretary Austin) appealed the plea agreement to the DC Circuit Court. The court will hear arguments on January 28. On January 23, however, the prosecution sought to halt all proceedings in the 9/11 case until April, in order to give Trump Administration officials time to assess the case and the attempts by Mohammed and two other defendants to plead guilty, in exchange for life sentences. Meanwhile another defendant is seeking a ruling on whether his confession made to the FBI was tainted by torture.
Global Day of Action to #CloseBases, Feb. 23, 2025 -- at a military base near you!
The thousands of military bases, both foreign and domestic, around the world are a critical piece of the war machine that must be dismantled. Closing bases is a necessary step to shift the global security paradigm towards a demilitarized approach that centers common security -- no one is safe until all are safe. Individuals and organizations around the world are invited to join the Global Day of Action to #CloseBases on February 23 by organizing protests at military base sites near you. Core mobilizing organizers are: International Peace Bureau (Global); No to War -- No to NATO Network (Global); Pace e Bene (U.S.); RootsAction (U.S.); Veterans For Peace (U.S.); War Industry Resisters Network (U.S.); War Resisters' International (Global); and World BEYOND War (Global). Learn more and find out how to get involved here.
Is an End to the War Drawing Closer? UFPJ Ukraine Resources
Donald Trump claimed he could end the Ukraine war before he even took office, but so far has offered no plan beyond his one-size-fits all foreign policy mix of threatened sanctions and tariffs. There is growing concern among Russia's elites about the strain that the war is placing on the economy, but so far it does not appear to be enough of a factor to encourage a Russian government that believes it is winning to be serious about negotiations. Ukraine's government appears ready for talks, but seeks security guarantees -- either NATO membership or something much like it--that Russia's government has claimed are unacceptable. Against this background, Ilya Budraitskis and Grigory Yudin offer a view of what a lasting peace might look like from the leftist perspective. Find these and other resources at the UFPJ Ukraine resources page.
Recording: Reclaiming Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Radical Legacy Through Music
On the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, Jan. 20, a jubilant crowd of about 150 people gathered at Crenshaw United Methodist Church in Los Angeles, joined by more than 500 people online from across the country to honor Dr. King's radical legacy by retelling the history of the Civil Rights Movement through communal singing. The event was cosponsored by the California Poor People's Campaign (CA PPC) and Pastor Royce V. Porter Sr. and was hosted by CA PPC theomusicologist, Arnae Batson. Arnae led the sing-in, featuring songs that have sustained our movement for decades. Most of the songs were written by Bernice Johnson Reagon, a founding member of the Freedom Singers and Sweet Honey in the Rock and a towering figure in the worlds of gospel and social justice. Watch this inspiring event here.
Moral Mondays Return to North Carolina
The North Carolina Poor People's Campaign, in partnership with Repairers of the Breach and other partners, gathered at the NC capitol on December 9th for a "Moral Monday" in response to an immoral power grab by the NC legislature. Moral Mondays, led by Bishop William J. Barber, II, first began as a response to a similar overreach by NC lawmakers in 2013. This latest Moral Monday challenged the passage of the GOP-sponsored SB 382, which falsely claimed to fund disaster relief in Western NC but in reality shifted political power away from newly-elected Democratic officials. Hundreds of protestors gathered to chant, sing, and hear from Bishop Barber and Rev. Rob Stephens, as well as impacted people and advocates from Western NC. Watch video from the event and read more here.
96 Years from the Date of his Birth, the Organization MLK Belonged to Celebrates the Announcement of a Gaza Ceasefire Agreement
On January 15, the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR)-USA issued a statement on the announcement that a Gaza ceasefire deal had been reached. As of this writing, the ceasefire is still holding. In its statement, FOR declares: "The Fellowship of Reconciliation welcomes the news of a 42-day ceasefire in Gaza. Announced on the 96-year anniversary of the birthday of FOR member Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we cleave to the hope that Israel's military bombardments and starvation of the people in Gaza will halt on the scheduled day of January 19, 2025, and that the hostages being held in Gaza will be returned to their families." Read the full statement here.
Save the Date! Rebuilding the Anti-Nuclear Weapons Movement Together -- Pacific Northwest in-person Conference April 11 - 12
Through the statewide Washington Against Nuclear Weapons coalition, Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility, the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, the Partnership for a World Without Nuclear Weapons, and many other local organizations are working to re-galvanize grassroots engagement on the issue of nuclear weapons in the Pacific Northwest. Together they will be hosting an in-person conference April 11 -- 12 at the Seattle First Baptist Church. This 2-day conference will feature field experts, panels, and workshops dedicated to educating the public and reviving the movement to abolish nuclear weapons in the Pacific Northwest. Learn more and register here.
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