75 years ago Hiroshima and Nagasaki were hit by US atomic bombs. We must remember the past to make progress toward eliminating nuclear weapons

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, August 4, 2020

Contact: Patrick Hiller; patrick@jubitz.org 

War Prevention Initiative: “75 years ago Hiroshima and Nagasaki were hit by US atomic bombs. We must remember the past to make progress toward eliminating nuclear weapons”

PORTLAND, OR – This week we commemorate 75 years of immense harm and suffering caused by the atomic bombs detonated over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The hibakusha – those who survived the bombings – continue to share their stories. We must listen to remember the terror of what happened on August 6 in Hiroshima and August 9 in Nagasaki. We must honor the hibakusha who have stood at the forefront of the movement to eliminate nuclear weapons for seven decades. Honoring and thanking the hibakusha is not enough. We rise with them and strongly support their call to eliminate nuclear weapons. We have done so humbly but with full dedication by joining the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).

The moment is unique. The youngest hibakusha are now 75 years old. We owe it to them to end the threat of nuclear weapons in their lifetime. We have the momentum to end the age of nuclear weapons and the legal framework to do so in the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). 40 nations have ratified the treaty which will become international law when 10 more join. The TPNW will reach a historic 50 ratifications by the end of this year. The TPNW already has impact with financial institutions divesting from nuclear producers. Yet, nine countries still hold the threat of more Hiroshimas and Nagasakis over our heads every day. “We refuse to accept a narrative on keeping nuclear weapons that essentially implies ‘we are OK with what happened 75 years ago happening again,’” said Patrick Hiller, Executive Director of the War Prevention Initiative. “As long as nuclear weapons exist, we cannot speak about authentic security at a global level. No one is safe, until all are safe. The hibakusha know they are witnessing a new nuclear arms race and they know how this ends. Instead of risking the lives of millions and making the planet inhabitable for many, we must redirect resources to where they are needed. The Covid-19 global pandemic has made this clearer than ever”, says Hiller.

The US spent $35.1 billion on nuclear weapons in 2019, or 300,000 beds in intensive care units, 35,000 ventilators, and the salaries of 75,000 U.S. doctors and 150,000 U.S. nurses. In our home state of Oregon, taxpayers are paying $211.73 million in tax dollars for nuclear weapons and associated costs. That money could have paid for 5.89 million Coronavirus tests for 1 year, or 7,057 hospital stays for Covid-19 patients for 1 year, or 62.27 million N95 respirator masks for 1 year, or 14,703 monthly relief payments of $1,200 for 1 year.

It is time to get our national priorities right. We must demand from our government to stop investing billions in weapons that are incompatible with life on earth and the planet. We must demand ending the nuclear threat.

Please join us for a week of global virtual events at https://www.hiroshimanagasaki75.org/. We urge you to support the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. Under the hashtag #stillhere, we honor the survivors and acknowledge that the weapons are still here.

Our work is not done until nuclear weapons are gone, and communities affected by their testing, production and use are receiving justice.

The War Prevention Initiative aims to is to transform the global peace and security paradigm to one that is built around viable alternatives to war and all forms of political violence.

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For further comment or questions, please contact Patrick Hiller, Ph.D., War Prevention Initiative’s Executive Director at patrick@jubitz.org.

Dismantling racism means dismantling militarism

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, May 30, 2020

Contact: Patrick Hiller; patrick@jubitz.org 

War Prevention Initiative: “Dismantling racism means dismantling militarism”

PORTLAND, OR – At the War Prevention Initiative, we are saddened and outraged by the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor. Their deaths remind us that the evils of racism and white supremacy are omnipresent in United States. As result, we have observed nationwide protests, including those in our hometown of Portland, Oregon, some of which have turned violent. While we know from peace research that violence is counterproductive to the goals of protest movements, we understand that systemic racism poses a daily threat the lives of communities of color throughout the United States. This is made apparent when comparing the police response to those heavily-armed white men protesting stay-at-home orders that were allowed to parade into state capitols, while those protesting a brutal pattern of racism were greeted by police in riot gear and tear gas. This is a blatant display of ongoing racism fully sanctioned and actively driven by the White House.

Drawing again from insights in peace research, we believe that the militarization of security by the white dominant group against “the other”—whether people of color in the United States or “enemies” abroad—fuels a spiral of violence that we work to prevent. Our goal is to change this system of domination away from militarized peace, but towards peace with justice. Kelsey Coolidge, Associate Director of the War Prevention Initiative stated: “In moments like these, we feel frustrated that we can’t do more organizationally. At the War Prevention Initiative, our work takes the long view. We understand that there are key structural conditions—namely those of white supremacy and militarism—that lead to the violence we see across the United States. As peace scholars and advocates, we cannot call for peace without also calling for the dismantling of those very structural conditions that perpetuate white supremacy and normalize violence against communities of color. By confronting the militarization of our society (including the militarization of police), our work is not only to respond to the moment, but to contribute to the dismantling of those structural conditions that result in the untimely death of far too many black and brown lives.” 

Those conditions maintain the ongoing and institutionalized deprivation of needs, well-being, identity, and freedom. Those conditions are built into an inhumane social order and visible in the ongoing forms of racism, sexism, xenophobia, and homophobia. Those systems maintain militarism and wars. At the War Prevention Initiative, we are committed to strengthening our efforts to demilitarize security and manage conflicts without violence while simultaneously acknowledging the disparities in harm directed towards non-white and non-dominant groups.

The War Prevention Initiative aims to is to transform the global peace and security paradigm to one that is built around viable alternatives to war and all forms of political violence.

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For further comment or questions, please contact Patrick Hiller, Ph.D., War Prevention Initiative’s Executive Director at patrick@jubitz.org or Kelsey Coolidge, War Prevention Initiative’s Associate Director at kelsey@jubitz.org

War Prevention Initiative joins civil society groups urging immediate sanctions relief and legal reform

The War Prevention Initiative is a signatory to a letter urging for an overhaul in sanctions regimes. You can see the letter here:

https://www.liftsanctionssavelives.org/ 

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For Immediate Release

Press Contact: Daniel Jasper

414-465-9865, djasper@afsc.org

Civil Society Groups Urge Immediate Sanctions Relief and Legal Reform

Amid COVID-19 pandemic a group of nonprofit organizations sends letter to President Trump urging an overhaul in sanctions regimes

 Washington, DC (April 23, 2020): Today, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, 70 organizations representing humanitarian, research, peacebuilding, faith-based, human rights, and other civil society groups with over 40 million supporters sent a letter to President Trump, Secretary Mnuchin, and Secretary Pompeo urging the administration to provide emergency sanctions relief for countries such as Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba, North Korea, and other heavily-sanctioned locations. Emphasizing the need for a global approach in dealing with the pandemic, the letter points out the “critical state of health infrastructures and economies” in many of these places.

“The pandemic has illustrated that isolating populations for decades and continuously strangling national economies has left millions of people vulnerable to disasters such as a COVID-19,” said Daniel Jasper, Asia Public Education and Advocacy Coordinator for the American Friends Service Committee. “Denying people access to lifesaving resources now represents a risk to the entire world. The U.S. must rethink its approach to sanctions.”

The letter puts forth a framework for universal safeguards that include six specific categories. These include aid that is directly related to containing and providing treatment for COVID-19 (such as testing kits, personal protective equipment, ventilators, etc.). The letter also calls for safeguarding aid needed to address simultaneous challenges exacerbated by the pandemic, such as providing adequate water supply, food security, and urgent health services for other infectious diseases.

The 70 organizations, some of which have decades of experience operating in heavily-sanctioned contexts, highlight the fact that sanctions can prevent the delivery of medical supplies and goods needed for things like childcare or food security projects, as well as limiting communication and partnerships necessary to deliver the aid and monitor ongoing projects.

The letter also urged authorities to address the concerns of financial institutions, which have been reluctant to work with humanitarian agencies. “While sanctions contain exceptions for food, medical supplies, and other humanitarian goods, in practice these exceptions do not work. Banks often block purchases for these items out of fear of running afoul of sanctions, in what is known as over-compliance,” said Teri Mattson, the Latin America Campaign Coordinator for CODEPINK. “Over-compliance is one of the many ways that innocent civilians end up being harmed by sanctions regimes.”

The signatories say that more is needed than just emergency safeguards, however. The letter notes that the effectiveness of sanctions regimes is not properly assessed by U.S. government agencies, referencing a report by the Government Accountability Office which called into question official monitoring procedures for sanctions as well as the impact of sanctions on human rights abroad. To understand these impacts, signatories to the letter recommend putting into place “reporting protocols that monitor the impact and human cost of sanctions.”

Citing a growing body of independent literature that shows the impacts of sanctions on civilians, the letter also urges the administration to suspend “broad-based and sectoral sanctions that cause significant economic damage and leave populations more exposed to sickness and disease, food insecurity, and other humanitarian emergencies.”

“Sanctions kill innocents indiscriminately just like bombs. Historically, this type of economic warfare fails to positively affect the behavior of governments. During this pandemic crisis, the U.S. needs to remove all barriers, like sanctions, so countries can counteract COVID-19,” stated Paul Kawika Martin the Senior Policy Director for Peace Action.

“Across the world, COVID-19 is deepening existing gender inequalities. Women and girls, who are typically tasked with caregiving, face an increased workload and heightened risk of contracting the disease when family members fall sick. They’re also the most exposed to the economic shocks we’re seeing,” said Yifat Susskind, Executive Director of MADRE. “These gendered impacts are only compounded by economic sanctions, which put lifesaving medical equipment and aid out of reach.”

Press Release: “Congress, people-power, and global leaders need to help prevent war with Iran”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, January 3, 2020

Contact: Patrick Hiller; patrick@jubitz.org 

War Prevention Initiative: “Congress, people-power, and global leaders need to help prevent war with Iran”

PORTLAND, OR – The January 3, 2020 assassination of Qasem Soleimani, a top Iranian general, and nine other people with him greatly increases the likelihood of catastrophic war between the United States and Iran. The current trajectory toward a US war of choice is dangerous. The consequences would be disastrous in terms of casualties on all sides, further destabilization of the Middle East, the increased risk of nuclear proliferation and war, and the waste of trillions of dollars. Diplomatic solutions should be pursued at all costs. Long-term, often messy diplomacy—even if it comes with setbacks—is always preferable to war, which in this case would be unwinnable and catastrophic.

Congress, the American public, and global leaders must insist on immediate de-escalatory moves to the crisis caused by this assassination. Patrick Hiller, Executive Director of the War Prevention Initiative, released the following comments:

“Since President’s Trump’s announcement to withdraw from the so-called Iran Nuclear Deal we and other peace advocacy organizations and networks have called for diplomacy over war. The War Prevention Initiative urges Congress to fully exercise its authority to stop the reckless actions by the Trump administration. We also support public mobilizations nationwide that show that the American people do not want another catastrophic war. We urge international leaders to address the crisis with urgency and create pathways for diplomatic steps that de-escalate the current situation.

War with Iran is unnecessary, wrong, immoral, and cannot be won. War with Iran cannot be contained and increases the risk of nuclear conflict. It is time to look beyond the inhumane war rhetoric. We must start looking at Iran as a country with 80 million people who are not our enemies, instead of an entity reduced to “bad guys” who need to be “eliminated”. If war starts, civilians will bear the brunt of it and we must do everything in our power and in our respective spheres of influence to prevent that from happening.”

The War Prevention Initiative informs and educates about viable alternatives to war and violence.

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For further comment or questions, please contact Patrick Hiller, Ph.D., War Prevention Initiative’s Executive Director at patrick@jubitz.org

Press Release: The War Prevention Initiative commends the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, October 11, 2019 
 
The War Prevention Initiative commends the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali. 
 
PORTLAND, OR – Since his election in 2018, Mr. Ahmed has spearheaded dramatic reforms in Ethiopia’s domestic and foreign affairs. Persistent challenges to peace remain. Kelsey Coolidge, program manager at the War Prevention Initiative notes: “These reforms put into practice the best research and evidence in global peace and security studies – a background from which Mr. Ahmed has a doctorate.”
 
First, Mr. Ahmed has prioritized the inclusion of women in formal decision-making roles in Ethiopia’s national government. Half of the twenty cabinet ministries are led by women, including top positions in defense and security, trade, and labor. Research featured in the Peace Science Digest shows that more peaceful and less corrupt societies are associated with higher levels of women’s participation in government. 
 
Second, Mr. Ahmed has ushered in democratic reforms by releasing thousands of political prisoners, lifting bans on freedom of speech, opening the partial privatization of state-owned companies, and removing key opposition groups off the list of terrorist organizations. By opening space for civil society and opposition groups, Mr. Ahmed signals a commitment to uphold democratic values that are long associated with more peaceful societies. 
 
Third, Mr. Ahmed struck a peace accord with neighboring adversary Eritrea. Formerly one country, the two countries fought in a brutal civil war that resulted in Eritrean independence. The countries continued to fight until a bitter stalemate severed all diplomatic, social, and economic ties. The success of Mr. Ahmed’s peace accord restored these ties and provided hope for resolution to the world’s other deeply entrenched conflicts.  
 
Mr. Ahmed has accomplished a great deal in a short period of time to create a more peaceful and democratic Ethiopia and, more broadly, East Africa. However, these reforms bear certain risks. Ethnic tensions have flared, contributing to two million internally displaced persons.
 
Democratic transitions are notoriously difficult to navigate. A report from the Institute for Integrated Transitions argues that there needs to be a larger societal narrative of a different future in the aftermath of conflict. Poorly designed transitions leave too many voices unheard and can create opportunities for spoilers who are dissatisfied with changes. For example, coup d’états are the greatest threat to transitional democracies according to research from OEF Research.  Currently, OEF Research CoupCast moderately ranks the risk of coup in Ethiopia at 2% for 2019. 
 
 
The War Prevention Initiative informs and educates about viable alternatives to war and violence.
 
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For further comment or questions, please contact Kelsey Coolidge at kelsey@jubitz.org.

War Prevention Initiative: “Violent hate speech gives rise to conditions for violence at home and war abroad” 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday July 18, 2019

War Prevention Initiative: “Violent hate speech gives rise to conditions for violence at home and war abroad” 

PORTLAND, OR – The War Prevention Initiative (WPI) condemns the vicious and racist attacks by U.S. President Donald J. Trump on U.S. Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich. Instead of apologizing or retracting those statements, the President nourished the comments, leading to a chilling “send her back” chant at a campaign rally on July 17, 2019. This kind of violent hate speech gives rise to conditions for violence at home and war abroad.

WPI Executive Director Patrick Hiller stated: “If it were a little fringe group chanting those horrible things, I’d consider it disgusting and shameful. Seeing this at a rally held by the President of the United States, where he cues up the audience’s response and boasts in the hate against a member of Congress, or for that matter anyone, reminds me of everything I learned while growing up in Germany. Germans take ‘never again’ quite seriously, and throughout my educational journey I learned how subtle discriminatory acts turned into socially accepted and officially sanctioned discrimination against many ‘others’. Rallies whipping up hate were an important part of that context, and we very well know the outcome. Moreover, here in the U.S. I’ve never been told to go back home, despite having been born and raised in Germany. I am a white man, and it is one of the many privileges I receive living in Trump’s America. That makes it even more important for me to actively confront racism and other forms of discrimination. It should not be left to those who are the targets of such attacks to address them alone.”

The President has created a context where violence against people of color, particularly women of color, who voice dissent is considered acceptable in civil discourse. It is never acceptable. The normalizing of hate and fear based on a white supremacist ideology is dangerous because it is linked to the spread of violence both domestically and internationally. Data from the Global Terrorism Database show a steady rise in attacks by white supremacists world-wide. The data also show growing connections between white supremacist groups across North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.[1]

It is important for people from all sectors of society to nonviolently confront both hate speech and acts of hate. A recent article, “Rethinking civil resistance in the face of rightwing populism” by J. Sombatpoonsiri suggests that non-violent civil resistance needs to address the motivations of rightwing populism. Especially as right-wing populist ideology assists in the justification of hate. Nonviolent civil resistance should do so by identifying and confronting economic and social injustice; and engage in multi-cultural nation-building.[2] 

The targets of the President’s attacks Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., deserve to serve as duly elected members of the U.S. Congress without becoming the target of white supremacist violence. At the War Prevention Initiative, we will continue working for a more just and peaceful world, and advocate against hatred and violence.

[1]Attacks by White Extremists Are Growing. So Are Their Connections. Weiyi Cai and Simone Landon. April 3, 2019. New York Times. Accessed July 18, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/04/03/world/white-extremist-terrorism-christchurch.html

[2] Making Civil Resistance Work Against Rightwing Populism. April 2019. Peace Science Digest. 4(1) Accessed July 18, 2019. https://peacesciencedigest.org/making-civil-resistance-work-against-rightwing-populism/?highlight=racism

War Prevention Initiative: “Rising Tensions Between the U.S. and Iran Must Not Lead to War”

Press Release – Peace Delegation to Iran

For immediate release; February 24, 2019; Portland, Oregon

Contacts: In Washington, DC, Lily Tajaddini, 240-498-4218, lily[at]codepink.org

In Tehran, Medea Benjamin +001-415-235-6517, medea.benjamin[at]gmail.com

A CODEPINK delegation of 30 Americans will be traveling to Iran from February 25-March 6  to express their deep concern to the Iranian people about the effect of the Trump  administration’s brutal sanctions, abrogation of the Nuclear Agreement and building a case for war. The delegation is composed of lawyers, journalists, physicians, activists, artists, and other professionals who hope to help move our two nations from a place of hostility and military threats to a place of mutual respect and peace. Delegates will be meeting Iranian academics, students, artists, religious leaders and parliamentarians.

The group will be traveling to Iran just at the time when the Trump administration has been ramping up its opposition to the Iranian government. It organized an anti-Iran gathering in Poland on February 13-14, chastised the Europeans for not joining US-imposed sanctions, and increased its support for fringe opposition groups such as the MEK and royalists.

“Americans should challenge policies of our country that are wrong and harm others,” said retired US Army Colonel and former US diplomat Ann Wright. “The Trump administration’s abrogation of the nuclear agreement and the increased sanctions on Iran are harmful and dangerous, which is why our people-to-people delegation is so important.”

“We are anxious to see firsthand how the sweeping US sanctions are affecting ordinary Iranians so we can come back and convey their stories,” said CODEPINK cofounder Medea Benjamin. “Of course there are tensions between the governments. That makes it more important that we come as good listeners and with the clear message that we don’t want war. There is no reason why we as Americans cannot live in peace with the Iranian people,” said War Prevention Initiative Executive Director, Patrick Hiller.

Please contact Patrick Hiller, War Prevention Initiative’s Executive Director at patrick@jubitz.org or 503 505-5721 (phone upon return) who has joined the delegtation from Oregon for articles, blogs and speaking engagements.

The War Prevention Initiative informs and educates about viable alternatives to war and violence

War Prevention Initiative: “Blatant ignorance on Iran Nuclear Deal a dangerous course”

For Immediate Release: May 8, 2018; Portland, OR

War Prevention Initiative: “Blatant ignorance on Iran Nuclear Deal a dangerous course”                                                                                                      

The May 8, 2018 announcement by U.S. President Trump to withdraw from the Iran Nuclear Deal is a disastrous decision, shredding successful diplomacy into pieces and paving the path toward destructive conflict and war. In his announcement, the President continued to display his utter ignorance of the nature and functioning of the deal.

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“Preventing school shootings is not rocket science”

War Prevention Initiative: “Preventing school shootings is not rocket science”

For immediate release: February 16, 2018; Portland, OR

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