February 2025
This is a moment when those being abused in Europe, the Global South, and the United States must act in solidarity and unity, rejecting all great power imperialisms, and demanding a Common Security future.
Joseph Gerson, President
Campaign for Peace, Democracy & Common Security
Doomsday Clock Set at 89 Seconds to Midnight; Closest Ever to Human Extinction
On Jan. 28, The iconic Doomsday Clock was set at 89 seconds to midnight, the closest it's ever been to midnight in its 78-year history. The 2025 Clock time signals that the world is on a course of unprecedented risk, and that continuing on the current path is a form of madness. Factors include nuclear weapons threats, the climate crisis, biological threats, and disruptive technologies like AI. Juan Manuel Santos, former President of Colombia, said: "The Doomsday Clock is moving at a moment of profound global instability and geopolitical tension. As the hands of the clock get ever closer to midnight, we make an impassioned plea to all leaders: now is the time to act together! The existential threats we face can only be addressed through bold leadership and partnership on a global scale. Cada segundo cuenta. Every second counts." Read more.
If Not Now, When? An International Forum to Prevent Nuclear War and Secure our Future -- March 4 In-person and Online
The 3rd Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, March 3 -- 7 at the UN in NYC, will take place at a time when the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has advanced the hands of its Doomsday Clock to 89 seconds to midnight, we face nuclear threats over Ukraine and Taiwan, and the nuclear-armed states are upgrading their arsenals - and shortly after the Nobel Committee sent an urgent message to the world by awarding its Peace Prize to Nihon Hidankyo, the association of Japanese A-bomb survivors. To build and help coordinate our movements, the International Peace Bureau, the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament & Common Security, and Peace Action NY State have organized an international forum on Tues. March 4, 7:00 PM, at Scandinavia House, 58 Park Ave, NYC. Learn more and register to attend in-person or online.
Trump Administration Deports Venezuelan Migrants from U.S. Territory to Guantanamo Only to Then Return Them to Venezuela
As abruptly as Trump Administration officials had begun deporting migrants from the U.S. to the Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, it changed course and again transported all 178 individuals who had been brought to Guantanamo; 177 were repatriated to Venezuela via a handoff in Honduras; one was returned to an immigration facility in the States. A court filing by an ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) official states, the use of Guantanamo "is deemed necessary to complete ongoing removal operations due to the number of illegal aliens present in the United States." Those "ongoing removal operations" can only entail further terrorizing of immigrant communities and violations of migrants' rights. Read more about how the U.S. arrived at this juncture. UPDATE: On February 23, the U.S. resumed tranfer of migrants to Guantanamo.
UFPJ Welcomes Return of Michael McPhearson as Executive Director of Veterans For Peace
The United for Peace & Justice (UFPJ) Coordinating Committee is delighted that Michael McPhearson has returned to his earlier position as Executive Director of Veterans for Peace (VFP). VFP was a founding member of UFPJ, and Michael served on UFPJ's Steering Committee and then as our National Organizer for many years. A combat veteran of what many call the First Gulf War, Michael is an unwavering advocate for peace and justice; a voice of wisdom and compassion in an increasingly unstable and violent world. As Susan Schnall, VFP National Board President, writes: "He returns at an extraordinary time in this country, as every meaningful governmental function and agency that provides life-sustaining aid to the most vulnerable in our population and the outside world are being assaulted." Welcome back!
Webinar: Women in Conflict Zones, March 19, 12pm EDT.
The Women in Conflict Zones webinar, sponsored by World BEYOND War, Southern Anti-Racism Network, International Peace Bureau, Convention for Pan-Africanism and Progress (CPP), and CODEPINK, aims to shed light on the profound impacts of war on women and children and to discuss measures being taken to mitigate these effects. The webinar features speakers from countries in conflict; Belarus, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gaza, Lebanon, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Korea, Sudan, and Syria. This not only serves as a means to share their stories but also as a call to action for global solidarity and support in ending violence and fostering peace. Register and Endorse here.
International Peace Bureau Statement on Democratic Republic of Congo
In a recent statement, the International Peace Bureau (IPB), "expresses deep concern regarding the advance of the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.... humanitarian assistance remains blocked.... while the population is still deprived of access to drinking water, electricity, Internet, sufficient food and adequate health care.... The ongoing violence not only endangers the stability and well-being of the people of the DRC but also threatens peace and security across the whole region.... The roots of this conflict are based not only in ethnic divisions but in competing economic interests, especially access to mineral-rich areas.... [IPB] calls for an immediate ceasefire and global support for local and regional dialogue initiatives with the active involvement of civil society and particular community and women leaders."
Tell Congress: "Don't Let Trump Attack Gaza"
Trump openly called for genocide, to force Palestinians out of Gaza in order to develop a "Riviera in the Middle East." This is no joke. It's as treacherous a moment as can be imagined. The organizing MUST begin now. Please contact your Senators and Representative immediately. After you send emails, follow up with a phone call. Use the Capitol Hill switchboard (202) 224-3121. Ask the operator to connect you with your Senators and Representatives and speak with or leave a message for the staffer working on foreign affairs and/or the chief of staff. Tell them to speak out against Trump's reckless plans to attack Gaza. Share this action alert with your family, friends, co-workers, and everyone you know. We must stand with the Palestinian people and their right to land, self-determination, human and civil rights, and the full protection of international law.
The Poor People's Campaign - "Rev Barber at the Capitol: The President is not a king"
Rallying alongside federal workers on Feb. 11, Bishop William J. Barber II, National Co-Chair of the Poor People's Campaign; A National Call for Moral Revival, took to the podium outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., declaring, "A president is not a dictator unless we let him be a dictator. You can't bow, I can't bow. This is the time to take a stand!" People's World and USA Today covered the rally, which was organized by the Government Employees' union (AFGE) and drew more than a thousand people, including labor union leaders and representatives from nearly all workers' unions and many Democrat leaders from Congress and the Senate, who showed up to support federal workers and protest workforce cuts and the illegal closure of government-funded programs by President Trump and Elon Musk. Read more.
A World Turned Upside Down as Trump seeks to Strong-arm Reality: UFPJ Ukraine resources
We are seeing a torrent of lies from Trump and his acolytes, trying to shift blame for the Russian Federation's war of aggression to its victim, seeking even to remove all official references to "aggression." They propose a settlement that would allow Russia to retain lands unlawfully conquered, pushing Ukraine for concessions while demanding none from Russia. They seek to impose on the victim a settlement that would provide Ukraine with no meaningful security guarantees while reducing it to a neo-colonial extraction zone by requiring it to give half its natural resource income to the United States essentially in perpetuity, amounts exceeding Germany's WWI reparations. If any "peace" like this is imposed, the central pillar of the law of war, the prohibition of aggression, will be a dead letter. Find more UFPJ Ukraine resources here.
Rebuilding the Anti-Nuclear Weapons Movement Together in the Pacific Northwest: In-person Conference April 11 - 12
A Second Nuclear Arms Race has begun. The United States is expected to spend nearly $2 trillion on nuclear weapons over the next few decades and is rapidly expanding production. Our arms control treaties have been abandoned. We are growing closer to nuclear war by the day. But we have been here before. This two-day conference, hosted by Washington Against Nuclear Weapons, will feature field experts, panels, and workshops dedicated to educating the public and reviving the movement to abolish nuclear weapons in the Pacific Northwest. Keynote speakers include Dr. Ira Helfand, Physicians for Social Responsibility and Back from the Brink and Dr. Lee Tae Jae, Korean Association of Atomic Bomb Survivors. In-person, April 11-12, Seattle First Baptist Church, 1111 Harvard Ave Seattle, WA. This is a free event. Learn more and register here.
U.S. Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Test Protested at Vandenberg Space Force Base
Late Tues. night, Feb. 18, a group of seven peace activists gathered at the front gate of Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara county California. They were there both to protest against the test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) armed with a dummy nuclear warhead, and to celebrate the lives of Daniel Ellsberg, David Krieger and Fr. Louie Vitale, who were arrested 13 years ago protesting an ICBM test launch. The Defuse Nuclear War coalition condemns these launches in the strongest possible terms as a wasteful, dangerous step backward for peace. The continued existence of ICBMs is a profound threat to the life and security of every single person in the U.S. and around the world. If you want to be notified of the next launch and protest please sign up at the Defuse Nuclear War ICBM alert list. Read more and ACT!
Trump's Neo-Colonial Gaza Dream: UFPJ Israel/Palestine War resources
Trump's Ukraine policy seeks to turn reality upside down; his talk of the U.S. "taking" Gaza departs from (21st century) reality altogether. Beyond its flagrant illegality harkening back to 20th century forced population transfer plans, it was swiftly rejected by virtually every state in the region except Israel, including U.S. allies. Nonetheless, Trump's proposal provides political cover for the Netanyahu government's continued campaign of piecemeal expulsion by military pressure and heartens Israeli factions who long have agitated for the re-colonization of Gaza. Counterposed to the current reality held in place by immense military force is a vision of one democratic state, in which "all citizens would have equal rights regardless of ethnic or religious identity." Find more UFPJ Israel/Palestine resources here.
Image: Rousseau Diderot, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
New Sheriff Astride the Globe: Trump's Sovereigntist Imperialism
Joseph Gerson, President of UFPJ member group the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament & Common Security, has published a new piece titled "New Sheriff Astride the Globe: Trump's Sovereigntist Imperialism." He writes that the unruly, sometimes contradictory Trump governing group shares a common outlook resembling that of the 1930's U.S. right wing, a "sovereignist" outlook seeking to bolster "not only America's formal sovereignty... but also the traditional forms of rule to which its white, native-born leaders were accustomed... they understood international cooperation as a threat to their personal sovereignty as well that of their nations." Gerson stresses that "This is a moment when those being abused in Europe, the Global South, and the United States must act in solidarity and unity, rejecting all great power imperialisms, and demanding a Common Security future." Read his commentary here.
Image by Sucares / depositphotos
Webinar Recording: Yoon's Failed South Korean Military Coup: Implications For Korea And The World
On January 29, the Campaign for Peace Disarmament & Common Security and Massachusetts Peace Action hosted a webinar on South Korean President Yoon's attempted coup and its implications. The presenters were Francis Daehoon Lee of Peace MOMO in Seoul and journalist Tim Schorrock in the U.S. Francis reported that the situation remained fluid and dangerous in Seoul, with the potential for a far-right coup. In addition to providing background on the ROKs political history, Tim pointed to the danger of South Korea and Japan acquiring nuclear weapons following a declaration by President Trump that North Korea is a nuclear weapons state, and should Trump and Kim Jung-un then negotiate a transactional agreement with little concern for South Korea's and Japan's security needs. Watch the webinar here.
Webinar Recording: Trump's Second Term: NATO, War, and the Economy
Donald Trump has returned to the presidency demanding that NATO nations increase their military spending and threating massive tariffs. His commitments to NATO remain uncertain, as does his administration's approach to the Ukraine war. His agenda includes a $100 billion increase in the Pentagon budget. What are the implications for Euro-American relations with Russia, for NATO or pressures for an independent European military, for the U.S., European, and world economies? How should peace movements respond? This Feb. 18 webinar was sponsored by the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament& Common Security and the International Peace Bureau (IPB). Speakers were Niamh Ni Bhriain of the Trans-National Institute, Reiner Braun, former General Secretary of IPB, and Michael Klare, visiting fellow at the Arms Control Association. Watch the video here.
The Power of the Pen
United for Peace & Justice has joined the Japanese American Citizens League and 95 other organizations in a letter supporting the all-too-timely Korematsu Bill Package which will soon be reintroduced by Representative Takano, Senator Hirono, and Senator Duckworth in the 119th Congress. In Feb. 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, under which authority more than 120,000 Japanese Americans were forcefully removed from their homes and incarcerated without charges or due process. Fred Korematsu, an American citizen of Japanese descent was arrested in 1942 for refusing to comply with the removal order. Korematsu challenged the constitutionality of the orders, but in 1944, shamefully, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of excluding Japanese Americans from the West Coast in Korematsu v. United States.
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