Iran – Page 4 – Engaging Peace

Ban the bomb again!

Posted on August 29, 2011August 29, 2011 by kathiemm

“…the end of nuclear tests is one of the key means of achieving the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world.”

Those words are from the Preamble of the United Nations Resolution designating August 29 as International Day against Nuclear Tests.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5PRZh_C0e4

Please take the time to watch this brief dramatic video about the events leading up to the U.N. General Assembly’s unanimous decision on December 2, 2009.

It includes information and powerful images about the 2000+ nuclear tests conducted before the first test ban treaty.

Despite the significance of the August 29 commemoration, global stockpiles of nuclear weapons, as well as nuclear power production, still have the potential for ending most life on earth.

However, there are also signs of hope:

Regional treaties have led the southern hemisphere of the world to become almost entirely free of nuclear weapons.
On February 2, 2011, President Obama ratified the New START, a landmark nuclear arms treaty with Russia.
Progress has been made towards incorporating the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) into international law; however, to achieve this status, it must be ratified by the 44 “Annex 2” states that possessed nuclear research or power reactors at the time of the original treaty negotiations.

BUT, as of August 16, 2011, there were nine nations from that group that still have not ratified the CTBT: China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, and the United States.

Some strange bedfellows here? What do you make of this group?

Do you know where your representatives in Congress stands on the START treaty? On the CTBT? On nuclear power? If you don’t, shouldn’t you find out?

And don’t forget the power of one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QzjqOl2N9c&feature=related

Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology

Nobel Peace Laureates and International Women’s Day

Posted on March 7, 2011July 6, 2011 by kathiemm

In honor of International Women’s Day, celebrated March 8 of this year, we dedicate this post to the five most recent female winners of the Nobel Peace Prize.

2004: Wangari Maathai from Kenya, the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, received the award for her achievements in sustainable development, the rights of women, democracy, environmental protections, and peace. (For more on Wangari Maathai, see this video.)

2003: Shirin Ebadi from Iran was awarded the Peace Prize for her work on behalf of democracy and human rights, particularly the rights of women and children. She was the first woman in Iran to become a federal judge, a position taken from her following the Islamic Revolution of 1975. Not until 1992 was she again allowed to practice law in her home country. Much of her work is risky, focusing on human rights cases. (For more on Shirin Ebadi, see this video.)

1997: The 1997 Peace Prize was shared by Jody Williams of Putney, Vermont, USA, and the organization she co-founded, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. She has devoted her life to anti-war, anti-violence activities, and has helped to found the Nobel Women’s Initiative which works for peace with equality and justice. (For more on Jody Williams, see this article and video.)

1992: Rigoberta Menchú Tum from Guatemala grew up in an impoverished Mayan Indian family that founded the Committee for the Peasant Union, which fought for social reform and justice for native families. Following the torture and murder of her father and brother, she fled the country and dedicated her life to promoting human rights and reconciliation. (For more on Rigoberts Menchu Tum, see this video.)

1991: Aung San Suu Kyi, born in Burma (now Myanmar), has earned international recognition for her work on human rights. Despite being held under house arrest in Burma for most of the past few decades, she has been continuously outspoken on behalf of the Burmese people. (For more on Aung San Suu Kyi, see this video.)

These five women are all human beings who have devoted their lives to promoting human rights and peace. Read or listen to their stories. What characteristics do you share with them? What can you do to promote peace and human rights? Everyone can do something–you don’t have to be a Nobel Laureate to make a difference for peace.

Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology

Why vote?

Posted on October 25, 2010July 6, 2011 by kathiemm

All registered voters in the U.S. can vote without being subjected to torture and death—a fact that is largely taken for granted. This freedom, although not perfect, compares well with what is happening in many other nations.

To name just a few of the countries where elections in 2010 were preceded by torture of anti-government protesters:

In Rwanda, the ruling regime ordered arrest and torture of opposition candidates.
In Zimbabwe, torture camps reappeared to insure that Mugabe retained power.
In the Philippines, torture is a frequent tool of the Arroyo regime, conducted under the guise of support for the U.S. “war on terrorism.”
In Iran, three anti-government protesters were tortured to death in prison.

Although in many countries people risk their lives to gain the right to vote in democratic elections, in the U.S., where that right is well-established, the majority of the population often fails to vote. For example, only about 37% of the voting age population vote in mid-term elections, which can determine the well-being of not just Americans but people around the world for years to come.

Accept your responsibility as a citizen of a democracy. Get out and vote, and get out the vote. Exercising your democratic right to vote is a way to demonstrate proactive moral agency (see Engaging Peace post on October 14).

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is….make peace not war a campaign issue.

The Friends Committee on National Legislation has some suggestions about how to do this:

Contact candidates running for Congress and ask their views on issues such as nuclear disarmament, global warming, auditing the Pentagon, and ending the war in Afghanistan
Write a letter to the editor of your newspaper or online news site, responding to its coverage of the election.

We have additional suggestions:

Educate yourself. Have facts ready to support your arguments.
Find out who the anti-war candidates are.
Join together with others in the anti-war, pro-peace movement. Make your voices heard.

Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology