war policy
The Problem of Selective Concern about Injustice
by John Whitehead A recent op-ed in the New York Times reminded me of how policymakers, journalists, and activists can be selective in the injustices they pay attention to and how this selectivity can attract criticism. How useful is this criticism, and what can we learn from it? I think some aspects of criticizing such…
Gaza War: Outrageous and Foolish
Statements of heartache and horror abound around the world. Every war is monstrous, and it hurts so badly when a new one is declared Here we offer comments focused on the one that flared up so badly this last weekend. Stephen Zunes Facebook Posts Professor of Politics, University of San Francisco Zunes is co-editor of…
Looking Beyond Anti-Imperialism: A Response to Some Arguments about the Ukraine War
by John Whitehead A New York Times article caught my eye recently because it seemed to confirm a tendency I had noticed among certain peace activists, particularly those on the political Left. The article comments, “As the war in Ukraine drags on, it is not uncommon to hear peace activists and progressive politicians, including many…
Act Before We Reach “Midnight”: The Need to Seek a Cease-Fire in Ukraine
by John Whitehead Introduction The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists recently announced that they had adjusted their “Doomsday Clock,” a symbolic measure of threats to humanity, to 90 seconds to “midnight”—that is, global catastrophe. This current status is the closest to midnight the Doomsday Clock has been in its 75-odd-year history. This dire prediction, the…
The Need for Peacemakers: Two Urgent Dangers That Require a Response
by John Whitehead Peacemaking is urgently needed today. Peacemaking is needed in response to a variety of ongoing violent conflicts in the world. I will highlight just two conflicts that my own country, the United States, is currently involved in and that demand particular attention from peacemakers. The first is the ongoing conflict with Russia…
A Personal Reflection on a Just War
by Fr. Jim Hewes Presidents and others over the years have tried to make the case to the American people (including those of us who are Christian) of what constitutes a necessary war or “just war.” As we form our consciences about war, let us keep in mind several points when someone is talking…
Buy the Time to Make Peace: Seeking a Cease-Fire in the Ukraine War
by John Whitehead The Ukraine-Russia war recently passed its 100-day mark. In those 100 days, the war has killed huge numbers of people (precise numbers are unclear) and displaced millions. The war also still threatens to cause harm beyond Ukraine’s borders, whether through a broader conflict between Russia and the west or through an international…
Untying the Knot of War: Seek Negotiation, Not Escalation in Ukraine
by John Whitehead The Russian war against Ukraine is nearing its two-month mark with no clear end in sight. The human suffering caused by the war, including reported human rights violations by Russian forces, is terrible to contemplate. Further, the ongoing US confrontation with Russia over Ukraine carries its own set of dangers: a…
A Hidden Cost of the Ukraine War: How Russia’s Invasion Encourages the Spread of Nuclear Weapons
by John Whitehead The terrible toll of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is plain to see: thousands killed and millions driven from their homes. The invasion also threatens to bring about a nuclear disaster. Fighting around Ukraine’s nuclear power plants might cause an accident like that at Chernobyl almost 36 years ago. The war might draw…
A Catastrophe Decades in the Making: The Russian Invasion of Ukraine
by John Whitehead The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a monstrous injustice. Russia’s blatant aggression of 2022 recalls such similar infamous episodes as the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, repression of a rebellion in Hungary in 1956, and annexation of the Baltic states in 1940. How many people have been killed since the…