Skip to content

militarism

Racialized Militarism, Peacebuilding And Defunding The Military

June 25, 2020 By Brent Patterson, Rabble.ca. , , ,
As the Canadian government prepares to spend $1 billion on Raytheon missiles and related equipment, award a $19 billion contract for new fighter jets in 2022, and increase spending to $32.7 billion a year on the military by 2026, it is both timely and necessary to have a conversation about peacebuilding and the structures of violence. In this regard, the Canadian Peace Initiative has a campaign to establish a federal Department of Peace. And Eriel Tchekwie Deranger has urged NGOs advocating for a Green New Deal to: "center the destructive intertwined roles of capitalism, consumerism, militarism and colonialism as foundations to the current crisis."

ACLU Demands Congressional Probe Into ‘Politically-Motivated’ Attack On Peaceful Protest

June 3, 2020 By Jon Queally, Commondreams. , , ,
Jamil Dakwar, director of the ACLU's Human Rights Project, denounced both the nature and the timing of the assault on the unsuspecting demonstrators, given that it happened just as Trump delivered a speech from the Rose Garden in which he threatened tougher police tactics—including use of U.S. military forces—to quell protests in cities nationwide. "This appears to be grossly unjustified use of a dangerous chemical weapon on protesters and raises serious human rights concerns under international law," Dakwar said of what transpired in Lafayette Square. "Health experts warned that the use of tear gas can have long-term effects on respiratory function. Elected officials, including Congress, must investigate this politically-motivated and life-threatening use of indiscriminate weapons."

Pentagon Ready To Send Troops To Minneapolis If State Asks

June 3, 2020 James LaPorta and Robert Burns,  Associated Press. , , ,
The Pentagon said Saturday it was ready to provide military help to authorities scrambling to contain unrest in Minneapolis, where George Floyd’s death has sparked widespread protests, but Gov. Tim Walz has not requested federal troops. Jonathan Rath Hoffman, the chief Pentagon spokesman, said several military units have been placed on higher alert “as a prudent planning measure” in case Walz asks for help. The Associated Press first reported on the potential deployments and, citing sources with direct knowledge of the orders, named four locations from which soldiers would be drawn. Hoffman did not identify the units, but other officials said they are mainly military police. Hoffman said these are units normally on 48-hour recall to support state authorities in the event of crises like natural disasters. They are now on four-hour alert, Hoffman said.

Can The President Call In The Military To Stop Uprisings Over Killing Of George Floyd?

May 30, 2020 Mark Nevitt, Just Security. , , ,
The Minnesota National Guard has been activated by Minnesota Governor Timothy Walz. These Minnesota National Guard members report to the governor and can actively take part in law enforcement functions, which they are doing. But now, President Donald Trump is involved too. The president tweeted Thursday night that he "can’t stand back & watch this [the riots] happen to a great city, Minneapolis. A total lack of leadership. Either the Radical Left Mayor, Jacob Frey, get his act together and bring the city under control, or I will send in the National Guard and get the job done right." Can he?

US Military To Fight Drug Trafficking In Colombia Along Venezuela Border

May 29, 2020 Telesur English. , , ,
A US brigade of special anti-drug units will arrive in Colombia in support of an operation announced by Washington in April that actually seeks to deploy military forces in the country's border states with Venezuela. The US Embassy in Colombia announced in a statement that a Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) will travel to Colombia under the guise of helping it in its fight against drug trafficking. The mission will begin in early June, extend over several months, and focus its efforts on the Zonas Futuro, as delimited by the Colombian government. The Zonas Futuro cover 2.4 percent of Colombian territory, and some are located in frontier areas with Venezuela, such as Catatumbo and Arauca.

Why So Many Nuclear-Capable Hypersonic Missiles?

May 22, 2020 By Karl Grossman, Nation of Change. , , ,
The United States is seeking to acquire “volumes of hundreds or even thousands” of nuclear-capable hypersonic missiles that are “stealthy” and can fly undetected at 3,600 miles per hour, five times faster than the speed of sound.  Why so many? A Pentagon official is quoted in the current issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology as saying “we have to be careful we’re not building boutique weapons. If we build boutique weapons, we won’t—we’ll be very reluctant to—use them.” The article in the aerospace industry trade journal is headlined: “Hypersonic Mass Production.” A subhead reads: “Pentagon Forms Hypersonic Industry ‘War Room.’”

The US Military Continues War Practice In Europe And The Pacific

May 21, 2020 Ann Wright, Oped News. , ,
During the COVID-19 pandemic, not only will the U.S. military have the largest maritime military maneuvers in the world, with Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) coming to the waters off Hawaii August 17-31, 2020 bringing 26 nations, 25,000 military personnel, up to 50 ships and submarines and hundreds of aircraft in midst of a worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, but the U.S. Army is having a 6,000 person war game in June 2020 in Poland. The State of Hawaii has the most stringent measures to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus, with a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all persons arriving in Hawaii -- returning residents as well as visitors. The U.S. Army has requested $364 million to conduct the war exercises throughout Asian and Pacific countries.

Expect Police-Military Repression Amid The Crisis of COVID-19 And Its Aftermath

April 12, 2020 Netfa Freeman, Black Agenda Report. , , ,
News stories about the National Guard assisting with the coronavirus have overshadowed stories about US military plans  to join police in stopping expected “civil disturbances.” But eyewitness accounts of trains transporting armored vehicles and other equipment into their communities prompted posts to social media about the threat of martial law. The Department of Defense responded with a media defensive  to dismiss the concerns as conspiracy theories, sticking to the strict definition of martial law. They assure that the duties of the reserve National Guard personnel are only for things like disinfecting public spaces, delivering food to homes, and erecting provisional medical facilities. Semantic games and a neglect to connect the dots are meant to assuage public concerns.

Ending Militarization Of Our Communities

January 19, 2020 Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers, Popular Resistance. , , ,
In recent weeks Popular Resistance has focused on the escalation of US militarism around the world, especially in the Middle East with the assassination of General Soleimani, US troops staying in Syria to take their oil and the US refusing to leave Iraq despite being asked to leave. The US is in the midst of a potential escalation toward full-scale war in the Middle East once again. However, militarism abroad is mirrored by militarism at home, especially in poor, black and brown communities. There is a long history of attacks on these communities. Now, the Department of Justice's new Operation Relentless Pursuit threatens seven cities with more militarized police who view people in these communities as the enemy. This escalation of the war at home must be stopped and people are offering positive alternatives to militarization.

MLK And The Black Misleadership Class

January 19, 2020 Glen Ford, Black Agenda Report. , , , ,
The birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is commemorated each year at thousands of events in literally every U.S. city, yet the martyred human rights leader’s political philosophy is totally absent from the agenda of today’s Black Misleadership Class, a grasping cabal of hustlers and opportunists that have grown fat and infinitely corrupt through their collaboration with “the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism.” Their “freedom train” was the Democratic Party, the half of the corporate electoral duopoly that allowed colored folks to ride as first-class passengers – as long as they didn’t question the schedule or the destination. The budding Black misleaders hopped on board the Democratic Party express to the boardrooms of corporate power at about the same time that Dr. King was making his definitive break with the evil “triplets’” infernal machinery, including both corporate parties.

Black Alliance For Peace – Baltimore Demands End To Policing Surge

January 12, 2020 Hood Communist. , , ,
Baltimore, MD - At the end of October, during the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference in Chicago, President Trump announced, “In coming weeks, Attorney General Barr will announce a new crackdown on violent crime—which I think is so important—targeting gangs and drug traffickers in high crime cities and dangerous rural areas.” Attorney General Barr announced, right before the holidays, the initiative known as Operation Relentless Pursuit at a news conference in Detroit, Michigan. Joining him were leaders of the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and U.S. Marshals Service.  Baltimore City is one of 7 cities, including Detroit, Albuquerque, Cleveland, Kansas City, Memphis and Milwaukee, selected for the new crime program intended to “surge” federal, state and local resources into cities where violent [horizontal] crime rates remain high.

We Are The Majority; We Must Turn That Into Power

December 29, 2019 Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers, Popular Resistance , , , ,
Over the last decade, a national consensus has developed for a progressive left agenda on the economy, social services and ending wars but the movement has not built the power to make that a reality. The next decade will be ripe with opportunities for transformational change due to a combination of expanding popular movements as well as escalating crisis situations. Positive change will only occur if these movements evolve into an organized popular movement that truly represents the people's interests against the elites. The movement must protect the planet at this critical time of climate crisis against the profiteering of the planet-plundering capitalist class. We must stand against continued militarism, bloated and wasteful weapons spending, military conflict and regime change imperialism.

Fear Of Potential Transformation From A Corbyn Election

December 9, 2019 Leonardo Clausi, Il Manifesto. , , ,
This Thursday the UK will be holding an election where Labour's Jeremy Corbyn is the lead challenger against the Conservative Party's Boris Johnson. Johnson has been leading in the polls throughout the campaign but his lead has been shrinking. The threat of a long-time peace activist and socialist being elected is very threatening to the power structure. There has been an aggressive character assassination and fear-mongering campaign against Corbyn.  US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was caught in a recording saying he would intervene to stop Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Mass Shootings, Militarism And Policing Are Chapters In The Same Manifesto

August 12, 2019 Derecka Purnell, Truthout.org , ,
This weekend, after two mass shooters killed and injured dozens of people in Texas and Ohio, Rep. Steve Cohen tweeted, “You want to shoot an assault weapon? Go to Afghanistan or Iraq. Enlist!” Cohen, a Democrat from Tennessee, apparently did not take issue with the El Paso shooter’s desire to slaughter people of color — he merely wanted to redirect his bullets toward people of color outside of the United States. His tweet was a chilling reminder of how the United States’ militarism against other countries and its domestic manifestations of white supremacy replicate and reinforce each other. 

Mass Shootings, Militarism And Policing Are Chapters In The Same Manifesto

August 6, 2019 Derecka Purnell, Truthout. , , ,
This weekend, after two mass shooters killed and injured dozens of people in Texas and Ohio, Rep. Steve Cohen tweeted, “You want to shoot an assault weapon? Go to Afghanistan or Iraq. Enlist!” Cohen, a Democrat from Tennessee, apparently did not take issue with the El Paso shooter’s desire to slaughter people of color — he merely wanted to redirect his bullets toward people of color outside of the United States. His tweet was a chilling reminder of how the United States’ militarism against other countries and its domestic manifestations of white supremacy replicate and reinforce each other.  White people attack Brown and Black Muslims in the United States precisely because of the country’s wars abroad. The United States’ destructive trade agreements and military intervention in Central and South America drive North American refugee border crossings, and armed white militia groups patrol the desert to catch or kill refugees seeking help. 
«123456789»
assetto corsa mods

Urgent End Of Year Fundraising Campaign

Online donations are back! Keep independent media alive. 

Due to the attacks on our fiscal sponsor, we were unable to raise funds online for nearly two years.  As the bills pile up, your help is needed now to cover the monthly costs of operating Popular Resistance.

Donate Here

Urgent End Of Year Fundraising Campaign

Online donations are back! 

Keep independent media alive. 

Due to the attacks on our fiscal sponsor, we were unable to raise funds online for nearly two years.  As the bills pile up, your help is needed now to cover the monthly costs of operating Popular Resistance.

Donate Here
Sign Up To Our Daily Digest

Independent media outlets are being suppressed and dropped by corporations like Google, Facebook and Twitter. Sign up for our daily email digest before it’s too late so you don’t miss the latest movement news.