World Anti-militarism Newswire Archive

Group 4 Securicor private security guards are being used on the increasingly violent war on the poor in South Africa as the ANC continues with its project to drive the poor out of the cities. For useful links giving background to this statement see  http://abahlali.org/node/4807

I am in favour of unilateral nuclear disarmament. I’m not a peacenik, in that I don’t hold all violence to be inherently unjustifiable, but the very idea of nuclear war makes my mind boggle. That we, that is, the UK, retain a nuclear arsenal with the capacity to wipe out millions if not hundreds of millions of lives is effectively a crime against all humanity. I’ve met a few Labourite activists who believe we should keep our weapons, but I’ve never yet met one who is consistent about it.

Please note that professor finkelstein will be speaking at two different venues on the same day.

Norman Finkelstein explores the corruption and bias of scholarship surrounding the Palestine-Israel conflict. The talk will examine the growing tendency of pro-Israel commentators to use spurious charges of anti-Semitism to deflect and discredit legitimate criticism of Israel.

"A fundamental principle of mine is that the educator must criticize the injustices of the world, whether or not this involves him or her in conflict with the powers that be. The systematic failure of the academy to do so plays no small role in the perpetuation of injustice and state violence. In no sphere of political action does this principle apply more vigorously than with the question of Zionism; and in no country is this issue more strategically important than in the United States, given the fact that United States support is necessary for Israel's behavior. The worse this behavior, the more strenuous must be the suppression of criticism."

Copyleft artworks by Brazilian cartoonist Latuff.

US Vice-President Joe Biden's speech at Munich Security Conference on February 7 was interpreted by a major German source as follows:

"The Americans will be scrupulously careful that the confrontation with Tehran does not develop into a one-on-one battle between the US and Iran. Biden's message is the following: Every NATO country and every member of the European Union is now involved, as of today. This is the price for the new trans-Atlantic openness and cooperation."

The Barack Obama administration is continuing the neo-conservative agenda of US military domination of the world— albeit with perhaps a kinder-gentler face. While overt torture is now forbidden for the CIA and Pentagon, and symbolic gestures like the closing of the Guantanamo prison are in evidence, a unilateral military dominance policy, expanding military budget, and wars of occupation and aggression will likely continue unabated.

Since February 2003, Iran's nuclear program has undergone what the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) itself admits to be the most intrusive inspection in its entire history. After thousands of hours of inspections by some of the most experienced IAEA experts, the Agency has verified time and again that (1) there is no evidence of a nuclear weapons program in Iran, and (2) all the declared nuclear materials have been accounted for; there has been no diversion of such materials to non-peaceful purposes.

Copyleft artwork by Brazilian cartoonist Latuff.

02/02/09: Upperclass car from O.Rohr (housekeeper of L14 and R94) torched
02/02/09: Armament company attacked with stones and color
09/02/09: Van torched
09/02/09: Stones and bottle against luxurious condo-project
12/02/09: Neonazi shop attacked

A place for those interested in the anti-nuke movement.

On Valentine's day, Feb 14th, activsts descended on DC from places as far away as Baltimore and Philly to protest fur (at stores) and vivisection (HLS home demos). Time was taken out form this to protest the horrific suffering in Gaza-at the HOME of the Israeli Ambassador.

Students from the University of Aberdeen are fighting for the freedom of Palestinians through a 'Boycott Israeli Goods' Campaign.

Pictures from London and the February 11th 'Eleventh of Every Month Until Justice' street action. Visit  http://truthaction.org for more details on International Days of Truth Action and to see more pictures/reports from around the world.

various initiatives and groups called to counter-protest against 6000 nazis from all over europe who met in Dresden this saturday to "remember and honour the victims of the bombing of Dresden in WWII."
All in all 15 000 people protested against the nazis. Thousands of police enabled the nazis`march through the city.

Nine Muslims were arrested under the draconian anti terror law on the M65 motorway, near Preston, Lancashire, Friday at 9pm, according to the police.

The vehicles were apparently going to Gaza in the 'Aid Convoy' from the UK through Europe. On one of the vans were signs saying 'No Justice, no peace', 'Stop Killing Children' and 'Free Palestine'. Another was adorned with the Palestinian flag.

Dust of Tuesday's voting battle settled down and the battle of forming the next Israeli government has just begun. With Benjamin Netanyahu poised for premiership and Avigdor Lieberman, leader of a “racist and fascist” party (as condemned by Talia Sasson of the Merez party) very well positioned to be the king or queen maker of the next ruling coalition, the Palestinian people and the whole region will have to brace as from next March for an Israeli government of war.

"These players are promoting a tricky way to whack Social Security benefits, but to do it behind closed doors so the public cannot see what's happening or figure out which politicians to blame. The essential transaction would amount to misappropriating the trillions in Social Security taxes that workers have paid to finance their retirement benefits. This swindle is portrayed as "fiscal reform." In fact, it's the political equivalent of bait-and-switch fraud.

Defending Social Security sounds like yesterday's issue--the fight people won when they defeated George W. Bush's attempt to privatize the system in 2005. But the financial establishment has pushed it back on the table, claiming that the current crisis requires "responsible" leaders to take action. Will Obama take the bait? Surely not. The new president has been clear and consistent about Social Security, as a candidate and since his election. The program's financing is basically sound, he has explained, and can be assured far into the future by making only modest adjustments.
But Obama is also playing footsie with the conservative advocates of "entitlement reform" (their euphemism for cutting benefits). The president wants the corporate establishment's support on many other important matters, and he recently promised to hold a "fiscal responsibility summit" to examine the long-term costs of entitlements. That forum could set the trap for a "bipartisan compromise" that may become difficult for Obama to resist, given the burgeoning deficit. If he resists, he will be denounced as an old-fashioned free-spending liberal. The advocates are urging both parties to hold hands and take the leap together, authorizing big benefits cuts in a circuitous way that allows them to dodge the public's blame. In my new book, Come Home, America, I make the point: "When official America talks of 'bipartisan compromise,' it usually means the people are about to get screwed."
The Social Security fight could become a defining test for "new politics" in the Obama era. Will Americans at large step up and make themselves heard, not to attack Obama but to protect his presidency from the political forces aligned with Wall Street interests? This fight can be won if people everywhere raise a mighty din--hands off our Social Security money!--and do it now, before the deal gains momentum."

Eye Witnesses and the authors of "The Wounds of Gaza", published in the Lancet of this week, Dr Ang Swee Chai and Dr Ghassan Abu Sittah, will speak at our next IFY meeting at Islington Town Hall, on Monday, 16 February 7pm.

Right and left –wing Israeli rhetoric could not smokescreen the fact that Israel ’s latest elections, from Palestinian and Arab perspectives, were competed among the right, the center right and the far right, or between the extremists and the ultra-extremists.

Does it really matter then if they differ on launching an all out war or limited wars on the Palestinian people, or on which is better to finish them once and for all in a military blitz or to exhaust them to elimination by prolonged gradual small wars!