Newsletter 2018-02-12

Free Film Screening

View a special screening of The World is My Country free online during the week of February 14-21! The film tells the unique story of Garry Davis, former Broadway actor and WWII bomber pilot-turned-international peace activist. Davis advocated for a World Beyond War with his creation of a World Passport. He sparked a global citizenship movement, which envisions a peaceful world beyond the divisions of nation states.

Watch the Film: Between February 14-21, enter the special viewing code wbw2018 at: TheWorldIsMyCountry.com/wbw

Read a review of the film by Marc Eliot Stein.

Let us know if you plan an event around viewing this film!


Learning to Abolish War

Education is one of World Beyond War’s key strategies for confronting the war system and establishing alternatives. Our thinking about education goes beyond simply informing people about the issues (although that is critically important). Education is a tool we leverage to bring people together to exchange ideas; discover solutions and strategies that don’t yet exist; develop skills and capacities to change the war system; and to challenge the militaristic assumptions and mindsets that keeps our security system in the dark ages. Education is both informing and transforming.

This vision of education is at the heart of our upcoming online course, War Abolition 201: Building the Alternative Global Security System. The course will take place online from February 26 to April 16, 2018.

This lively online course is designed to help us consider what we replace the War System with and to strategize how we might go about doing it. The course seeks to establish a lively and pragmatic discussion around our resource A Global Security System: An Alternative to War. Our goal is to learn with and from one another about the alternatives that currently exist; new possibilities that might emerge; and actions and strategies might we pursue in building a new system. We also orient the course to help all participants consider practical actions that can be taken in the present.

The online course format is designed to allow you to learn at your own pace. There are no “live” lectures, but rather weekly themes organized around key topics that are supported by video, text, discussion forums, assignments, and feedback from experts who help facilitate online dialogues.

How deeply you engage is up to you. At a minimum you can expect to spend between 1-2 hours a week if you only review the weekly content (text and videos). We hope, however, you’ll want to engage in the online dialogue with peers and experts. This is where the real richness of the learning occurs; where we have the opportunity to explore new ideas, strategies and visions for building a global security system. Depending on your level of engagement with the online discussion you can expect to add another 1-3 hours a week. Finally, all participants are encouraged to complete optional written assignments (required to earn a certificate). This is an opportunity to deepen and apply the ideas explored each week to practical possibilities. Expect another 2 hours a week if you pursue these options.

There is a low registration fee of $100 (a donation to World Beyond War). If interested please register soon as space is limited to 100.

You can learn more online and register at classroom.worldbeyondwar.org


Donor Corner

One of my first discoveries after joining WBW was all the truly amazing people who advance our Mission to eradicate war. WBW donors, activists, and organizers are absolutely incredible!

It wouldn’t be fair for me to have all the fun. So to make our global WBW community a little cozier and so you, too, can meet these powerful change agents, each WBW newsletter will featured an awesome donor.

Meet Maria from Oakland, California, USA!

“I give to WBW because I have long been saddened by the military industrial complex and the devastation that it wreaks upon our world. WBW is trying to move toward a human-centered world order as opposed to one that is focused on greed and war. I appreciate that.”

Thanks, Maria!

If you would like to share your reasons for fueling WBW, just send a quote and a photo to me at barbara@worldbeyondwar.org

Not a donor yet? Then please join us at WorldBeyondWar — no amount is too small or too large to create a world without war.

Barbara Zaha


Sign the People’s Peace Treaty with North Korea

Alarmed by the threat of a nuclear war between the U.S. and North Korea, concerned U.S. peace groups have come together to send an open message to Washington and Pyongyang that we are strongly opposed to any resumption of the horrific Korean War. What we want is a peace treaty to finally end the lingering Korean War! Add your name.


Will Supreme Leader Trump Commit the Supreme International Crime?

Read article by Joseph Essertier.


 

 

Get Organized, Take Action!

As the new Organizing Director, I’m eager to help amplify the movement for a World Beyond War. This month, we welcome new WBW chapters in Central Florida and Springfield, VT, as well as new affiliates in New Mexico, Washington State, and on Long Island. Click here to join a local chapter in your community!

Please mark your calendar for a Global Anti-War Day of Action on April 14-15. World Beyond War is collaborating with the Coalition Against U.S. Foreign Military Bases and the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) to organize and promote coordinated days of action against U.S. wars and militarism, and for the redirection of the military budget towards human and environmental needs. More details to come.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to me for more information about our work, and ways to get involved as a volunteer or affiliated organization.

Onward,
Greta Zarro


Peace or Pence?

A beautiful celebration of peace and progress toward Korean unity at the Winter Olympics was marred only by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence’s nasty refusal to stand or to greet a North Korean official. Don’t let Pence sit in the way of progress. Tell the world to support the Olympic Truce!


Join In One of These Projects

Contact us if you’d like to help with any of these campaigns:

Educational Events.

Close Bases.

Support Global Justice and the Rule of Law.

Divest from Weapons Dealers.

Put up Billboards.

Pass Resolutions.

Opt Out of Military Recruitment (a U.S. campaign).


The Fierce Urgency of Now

Time. It’s our most valuable commodity. Sure, society and mainstream media do their utmost to convince us otherwise, to make us think money and things have the greatest value. Wisdom and experience, however, attest to the undeniable fact that time remains the most precious of all assets.

If that realization doesn’t spur us to invest our time and passion in the causes we cherish most, certainly a world in which war spending, threats, and deaths are on the rise underscores the extremely critical nature of our work. The threat of war, and of nuclear war, to humanity and the planet must be addressed. And it must be addressed now.

The talent and time antiwar activists devote to World Beyond War’s mission, actions, and events is remarkably impressive, a clear demonstration of our individual and collective values. All accentuated by the fierce urgency of our shared awareness that there is a better alternative to war, namely a sustainable global peace.

This urgency to abolish war now must also be applied to our financial support of these values. We must fuel our strategy to expand awareness of the atrocious impacts of war and the very real potential of a sustainable alternative. Investing financially in our beliefs exponentially increases the impact of the direct actions we take to pursue our vision of a war-free world.

So, regardless of whether you’ve contributed to WBW before or not, now is the time to make another donation, increase the amount or frequency of your recurring gift, or consider planned giving. Now is the time to host a local fundraiser or encourage your personal and professional networks to support WBW. Now is the time. So please visit worldbeyondwar.org/donate and share the link so that our valuable investment of time can produce the maximum impact.

My qualifications for making such an audacious fundraising plea? I’m not only the WBW Development Director, I’m a WBW donor.

Barbara Zaha


Stop Trump’s Militarism Before It Starts

Trump wants a military parade with major war weaponry rolling down the streets of Washington, D.C.

We will deliver this petition to the U.S. House Majority Leader, House Minority Leader, Senate Majority Leader, and the Senate Minority Leader.

Let’s stop this bad idea before it happens!


Lies, Damn Lies, and Nuclear Posture Reviews

Read article by David Swanson.


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