International Affairs (Click to see specific nations and regions)

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“How to Deal With the U.S.’s Current Crises”

December 14, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

“How to Deal With the U.S.’s Current Crises” October 2020 Our nation is suffering from several extremely serious problems all at once.  The crises are deeply rooted and actually go beyond individual elected officials and political parties.  Problems include the COVID-19 pandemic, economic injustices, homelessness, excessive military spending, racial injustices, the criminal justice system, unfairness to immigration, right-wing extremism, the climate crisis, nuclear weapons, and Trumpism. Instead of merely lamenting “ain’t-it-awful,” three guests (Jean Gant Delastrada, Liz Moore, and Glen Gersmehl) provide smart insights into those problems and lift up some positive values that can help us solve them.  We […]

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Youth-led climate case in the European Court of Human Rights makes important progress!

December 9, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

The short news article I linked below begins with this paragraph: What has been described as possibly “the most important case ever tried by the European Court of Human Rights” cleared a significant hurdle Monday when the international body ordered more than 30 European governments to respond to a historic youth-led lawsuit seeking to force political leaders to take ambitious action against the existential climate emergency.   Later paragraphs say: Citing the “importance and urgency of the issues raised,” the European Court of Human Rights granted the youth-led case priority status, a move the plaintiffs and their supporters celebrated as […]

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Sometimes the U.S. acts like a “rogue state.” What if the world treated the U.S. like one?

December 9, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

The U.S. often imposes sanctions and other penalties against nations that the U.S. government does not like. Sometimes the U.S. itself acts like a “rogue state.” What if the world treated the U.S. like a “rogue state,” imposed sanctions against our nation, etc.? See this interesting article: https://www.huffpost.com/highline/article/sanctions/?ncid=newsltushpmgpolitics        

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Biden plans to appoint a board member of a giant military weapons manufacturer to be Secretary of Defense!

December 8, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

The federal government’s corrupt “revolving door” is continuing under Joe Biden. Biden has a long history of supporting wars and big business.  He is reportedly planning to appoint a member of one of the U.S.’s biggest corporations manufacturing military weapons to be Secretary of Defense. We need to “drain the swamp,” not make it swampier, as Trump has been doing. We need to make peace, not grease the skids for the military-industrial complex to continue ripping us off to build big, expensive military weapons. See this article: https://truthout.org/articles/biden-picks-raytheon-board-member-lloyd-austin-as-pentagon-chief/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=f5dddb03-ca45-47c0-89fe-1e8854aaece5                      

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International Declaration of Human Rights passed the U.N. General Assembly December 10, 1948

December 7, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

I’m posting this to my blog a few days before International Human Rights Day, December 10.  This day celebrates when the U.N. General Assembly passed the International Declaration on Human Rights on December 10, 1948.  It’s good to re-read the International Declaration on Human Rights every few years. Information and the text are at this link: https://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/ A .pdf with a simple, readable font is at this link: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Documents/UDHR_Translations/eng.pdf Thanks to Eleanor Roosevelt who had worked skillfully to create and pass this landmark document. Bonus questions:  (1) How many of these internationally recognized human rights has the U.S. (and/or states […]

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Video (shorter than 2 minutes) shows worldwide movement to abolish death penalty

December 2, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

Progress toward abolishing the death penalty was slow starting in 1828 and then increased, especially in the past few decades.  This video shows progress on a world map during these past two centuries. The short video ends by saying that dozens of the nations that still retain the death penalty in their laws have imposed moratoria on actually conducting executions. Watch this video, which covers a lot in less than 2 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFz48GINnto If you want more information about the death penalty, I invite you to ether phone or e-mail me. Also, see the relevant part of my blog:  http://parallaxperspectives.org/category/death-penalty […]

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For decades, U.S. nuclear weapons testing has hurt people in the U.S. and on Pacific islands

December 2, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

75 Years Later, Victims of Nuclear Bomb Tests on U.S. Soil Still Seek Justice: https://truthout.org/articles/75-years-later-victims-of-nuclear-bomb-tests-on-u-s-soil-still-seek-justice/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=17b6baa2-7daf-41ba-bf24-c9b99a94ac97     Nuclear testing in Pacific islands Kiribati (UK) and Marshall Islands (US) were racist colonialism: https://beyondnuclearinternational.org/2020/11/01/losing-paradise/     Lilly Adams’ website focuses on indigenous and frontline experiences with nuclear dangers: When I started the Olympia Coalition to Abolish Nuclear Weapons in May 2017, Lilly Adams was working for Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility (www.wpsr) and she performed excellent work in organizing WPSR’s new coalition, Washington Against Nuclear Weapons (www.wanwcoalition.org).  After a while she moved to the East Coast and has been working for the […]

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URGENT! Urge Congress to ELIMINATE the NDAA’s funding for nuclear weapons testing.

December 2, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

The federal budget process includes many steps.  Right now the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a crucial congressional part of funding the U.S.’s military budget, is in Conference Committee to resolve differences between the House and the Senate. Urge a prominent member of the Conference Committee to ELIMINATE the NDAA’s funding for nuclear weapons testing!  This action alert came out today (Wed. Dec. 2, 2020).  I sent my message immediately and notified a number of friends who also oppose nuclear weapons.  One replied with the unconfirmed news that $10 million was likely to be already eliminated. In any case, let’s […]

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Let’s recognize November 11’s original meaning as ARMISTICE DAY, a day of peace

November 20, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

November 11 became a holiday because it was the day when World War I ended in 1918 with an armistice.  It was called “Armistice Day,” a holiday DEDICATED TO SUPPORTING PEACE. Later it got hijacked into a day to CELEBRATE WAR in the guise of celebrating military veterans.  But the subtext is really intended to glorify war. It’s OK to recognize veterans, but the emphasis on people who have worked in the military seems disproportionate, when many other kinds of workers — health care workers, teachers, artists, social service workers, etc. — do useful work and deserve appreciation too. My brother […]

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Here are more things Biden should do promptly after taking office

November 12, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

Two days ago I posted a list of some things that a variety of good organizations and smart individuals are urging Biden to do as soon as he takes office.  Here is that blog post:  http://parallaxperspectives.org/good-organizations-urge-biden-to-take-these-good-actions-promptly   More organizations are urging additional actions, so I am listing some of them here:   Americans United for the Separation of Church and State (www.au.org) wrote: The Biden-Harris administration has the opportunity and the moral obligation to right the wrongs of the Trump administration and build a better future – one that values religious freedom and equality for all.  That’s why AU has announced a […]

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This clever diagram can help us strategize how to change to a peaceful foreign policy.

November 12, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

For a very long time the U.S. had a “War Department,” but we conducted very few foreign wars. In 1947 Congress changed it to the “Department of Defense,” and we have conducted many, many wars since then, including our 2-decades-long Endless War against “terrorism.” Sensible people want to replace the U.S.’s chronically aggressive and violently militaristic foreign policy. The diagram linked here can help us figure out strategies for doing that.  It is fun to bring a few friends together to work through this exercise together.  Also, it can be useful for you to work with it alone.  Creative insights […]

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Good organizations urge Biden to take these good actions promptly

November 10, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

Throughout the past four years Trump has done many, many bad things.  Some of Trump’s damage is irreversible (lives lost by his incompetent mismanagement of the pandemic, ecosystems destroyed and cancers caused by his environmental deregulations, families broken apart by cruelty to immigrants, and much, much more). But Biden can REVERSE many of Trump’s cruel and corrupt actions — especially those Trump accomplished by executive actions and by “reinterpretations” of federal laws and regulations. A variety of good organizations are recommending good actions that Biden should take promptly.  Here are just a few.  I might compile more recommendations for Biden […]

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50 nations ratified the U.N. treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons! See these great statements!

October 31, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

Now that the 50th nation has ratified the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (Honduras on October 24, 2020), the Treaty will go into effect 90 days after the date of the 50th ratification (on January 22, 2021) and become International Law: https://treaties.un.org/pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-9&chapter=26   The International Campaign for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons (www.icanw.org) — the global organization that organized the United Nations General Assembly to pass the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear weapons in July 2017 and won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize — issued this statement: https://www.icanw.org/historic_milestone_un_treaty_on_the_prohibition_of_nuclear_weapons_reaches_50_ratifications_needed_for_entry_into_force?utm_campaign=50_audience_news&utm_medium=email&utm_source=ican     Nuclear Weapons Will Soon Be […]

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GOOD NEWS!!! The 50th nation has ratified the U.N. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons!!!

October 24, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

The U.S. Constitution specifies that international treaties become the law of the land. NOW SEE THIS: The 50th nation (Honduras) ratified the U.N. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).  The Treaty’s wording specifies that in 90 days NUCLEAR WEAPONS WILL BECOME ILLEGAL UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW! See more information in previous posts on my blog’s “Nuclear Weapons” section, and see www.icanw.org