Peacekeeping
A band featuring Gritty, the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team mascot, plays across the street from where ballots are being counted in Philadelphia on Nov. 6, 2020. REUTERS / Mark Makela
As this uncertain post-election period continues in the United States, we must be prepared to help calm communities, prevent violence, and protect each other through disciplined and strategic nonviolent action.
Image via Josep Casas / Flickr
Since the U.N. mission in Congo launched in 1999, almost 300 peacekeepers have been killed, with the presence of rebel groups becoming commonplace.
Each year, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) publishes a study on the amount world governments spend on their militaries. The 2011 report was released this week, showing that all countries together spent $1.7 trillion. The Guardian has a helpful country-by-country data page and interactive map. The top 5 in the world last year, totaling $1.05 trillion, were:
U. S. - $711 billion
China - $143 billion
Russia - $72 billion
Britain - $63 billion
France - $62 billion
In contrast, the budget for UN Peacekeeping operations for fiscal year July 2011-30 June 2012 is about $7.84 billion. That’s 0.5 percent of what the world spends on its militaries.
It’s a stark example of the world’s misguided priorities.
Several hundred people marched through Greensboro, North Carolina, to mark the 25th anniversary of the Greensboro Massacre and to complete the 1979 anti-Klan march that was cut short when Klansmen
An interview with Palestinian leader Hanan Ashrawi on feminism, faith, and the future of the Palestinian cause.
An interview with Palestinian leader Hanan Ashrawi on feminism, faith, and the future of the Palestinian cause.
When desperate victims in distant conflicts plead for help, can America do more than save its own?