World Beyond War

Last updated
World Beyond War's original logo World-beyond-war-logo.jpg
World Beyond War's original logo

World Beyond War (distinct from Beyond War) is an anti-war organization with chapters and affiliates in about two dozen countries. The organization bills itself as "a global nonviolent movement to end war and establish a just and sustainable peace." It is opposed to the very institution of war and not just individual wars. World Beyond War pursues the abolition of war through regional organizing along with global campaigns to close military bases and divest from corporations that profit from war and weapon sales.

Contents

The organization was founded in January 2014 by David Swanson, Leah Bolger and David Hartsough. The global organization is headquartered in Chartlottesville, Virginia. World Beyond War is a grassroots organization funded by small donors. The nonprofit organization is a fiscal affiliate of Alliance for Global Justice.[ citation needed ]

World Beyond War publishes books, maintains a speakers bureau, funds the installation of billboards, hosts conferences, organizes protests, and produces webinars. Its book, A Global Security System: An Alternative to War, has been updated and published annually since 2015.

Leadership

Board of directors [1]

CountryName
Flag of the United States.svg  United States David Swanson
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia Alison Broinowski
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Sakura Saunders
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand Liz Remmerswaal Hughes
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Leah Bolger
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Odile Hugonot Haber
Flag of Ireland.svg  Ireland Barry Sweeney
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Gar Smith
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Donnal Walter
Flag of the United States.svg  United States John Reuwer
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Foad Izadi
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Agneta Norberg
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Alice Slater

Advisory board [1]

CountryName
Flag of Norway.svg  Norway Johan Galtung
Flag of Colombia.svg  Colombia Angelo Cardona
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia Helen Caldicott
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Yves Engler
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Tamara Lorincz
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Medea Benjamin
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Christine Ahn
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Dennis Kucinich
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Nina Turner
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Ann Wright
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Kathy Kelly
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Gareth Porter
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Maria Santelli
Flag of the United States.svg  United States David Hartsough
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Patrick Hiller
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Matthew Hoh
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Rivera Sun
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Tony Jenkins
Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka Salma Yusuf
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya Christine Achieng Odera
Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand Rey Ty
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom Mairead Maguire
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom Donna-Marie Fry

Staff [1]

CountryName
Flag of the United States.svg  United States David Swanson
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Greta Zarro
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Rachel Small
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom Phill Gittins
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Marc Eliot Stein
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Alex McAdams
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Alessandra Granelli

Activities

A World Beyond War billboard Peace-08.jpg
A World Beyond War billboard

World Beyond War hosts a global peace conference that gathers hundreds of activists every year. #NoWar2020 was scheduled for Ottawa, Canada, and will now take place online. #NoWar2019 was in Limerick, Ireland. #NoWar2018 was in Toronto, Canada. Previous annual conferences were in Washington, DC.

World Beyond War promotes peace education programs and runs online courses in war abolition and peace activism. The organization also produces frequent webinars and other online events that are then made available for free on video. The "World Beyond War" podcast launched in January 2019 and has featured interviews with peace activists in Vietnam, Bolivia, Iran, Venezuela, Cyprus, Japan, US, England, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, Italy.

Publications and coverage

World Beyond War has gotten coverage by the Cato Institute, [2] Scientific American , [3] Truthdig, [4] Common Dreams, [5] and Catholic Sentinel . [6]

In 2020, Milwaukee congresswoman Gwen Moore referred to US military budget as a "feeding frenzy" at an event featuring World Beyond War's billboard in Milwaukee, which read "3% of US military spending could end starvation on earth." This was covered in Urban Milwaukee. [7]

World Beyond War initiated a letter-writing campaign for the cancellation of Canada's annual weapons expo, CANSEC, which was scheduled to take place in Ottawa, Canada in May, 2020 despite the coronavirus pandemic. This campaign was eventually credited with helping to force the decision to cancel. [8]

World Beyond War alternates global organizing activity with regional events, such as an April 2020 webinar on military bases in Guam. [9]

World Beyond War has gotten coverage for its campaigns in Democracy Now, [10] Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, [11] The New Zealand Herald, [12] TV New Zealand, [13] and Arkansas Online. [14]

Controversy

In June 2019, World Beyond War "was refused permission to place advertisements featuring the slogan 'US troops out of Shannon' on billboards in Limerick during Donald Trump's visit to Ireland." [15] These billboards would have supplemented World Beyond War's three-day annual #NoWar2019 conference in Limerick, Ireland, which focused on calls by Irish activists and leaders to end the use of Shannon Airport as a military base for foreign aircraft. [16]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Who We Are". World Beyond War . . . Retrieved 2021-05-30.
  2. "Requiring the Pentagon to be Transparent about US Overseas Bases", retrieved 14 January, 2020
  3. Horgan, John. "War Is Our Most Urgent Problem--Let's Solve It". Scientific American Blog Network.
  4. "Is MSNBC Now the Most Dangerous Warmonger Network?". Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists. 2 March 2018.
  5. "In Open Letter, Scholars and Activists Call on Bernie Sanders to Embrace Foreign Policy That Rejects US Militarism, Bloated Pentagon Budget". Common Dreams.
  6. "NATO military alliance incompatible with Gospel nonviolence". catholicsentinel.org.
  7. Christofferson, Bill. "Op Ed: Milwaukee Pays High Price for War". Urban Milwaukee.
  8. "WAIT 'TIL NEXT YEAR: CANSEC 2020 equipment show cancelled over COVID-19". ottawasun.
  9. Sablan, Jerick (April 30, 2020). "World BEYOND War hosts webinar on military impact on Guam". guampdn.com.
  10. "As Yemenis Protest U.S. Blacklisting of Houthis, Canadians Act to Halt Saudi Arms Sales". Democracy Now!.
  11. "Protesters block trucks at Hamilton company, want Canada to stop selling arms used in Yemen"
  12. "Hawke's Bay peace group marks 75th anniversary of Hiroshima". NZ Herald. 8 June 2023.
  13. "Peace group says Government should have bought Air NZ planes instead of $1.5b Hercules". 1 News.
  14. "Arkansans rally against war with Iran". Arkansas Online. January 5, 2020.
  15. McCarthy, Justine (8 June 2023). "World Beyond War campaign against troops at Shannon 'blocked' during Trump visit" via www.thetimes.co.uk.
  16. "Anti-War conference in Limerick followed by peace march in Shannon". www.limerickleader.ie.