peace

Of War, Peace and the Christmas Truce

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:33:23 -0500

by John Nichols

This has been a year of war, not peace, when a president elected to end conflicts instead expanded the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan. So as it closes we would do well to recall an old warrior who came to see the futility of fighting. British veteran Harry Patch was the last survivor of World War I's brutal trench warfare.

Patch, who died in July at age 111, fought for a year with the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry before returning home to work as a plumber, raise a family and disappear into relative obscurity.

Keep Your Eyes on the Peace Prize

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 08:58:03 -0500

by Randall Amster

We have to give Team Obama credit for a truly historic and thoroughly incredible Nobel acceptance speech. Whereas the teachings and legacies of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mohandas Gandhi were recalled as admirable yet not "practical or possible in every circumstance," we were reminded that Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon were pragmatic peacemakers, and furthermore that America consistently strives to work both with and through the United Nations "to govern the waging of war, ...

The Nobel War Lecture

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 12:34:32 -0500

by David Krieger

In accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, President Obama, one of the world's great orators and purveyors of hope, gave a speech that must reflect the divisions within himself and his personal struggles to reconcile them. It was a surprising speech for the occasion. Rather than a speech of vision and hope, it was a speech that sought to justify war and particularly America's wars. The speech was largely an infomercial for war, touting not only its necessity but its virtues, and might well be thought of as the "Nobel War Lecture."

My Spirits of Christmas Past and Present

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:22:07 -0500

by Antonia Zerbisias

Maybe it's because the youngest kidlets in my family are Jewish and don't celebrate Christmas that I am not feeling the ho-ho-holiday spirit.

There's none of the screaming excitement that my siblings and I would feel when we were finally allowed downstairs to dive into the monster piles of presents all around the living room.

Maybe it's because even the older children, who have everything and more, are blasé about adding to their stockpiles of electronics and other goodies.

Norwegians Incensed Over Barack Obama's Snubs

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 09:41:48 -0500

by Gwladys Fouché and Ewen MacAskill

Barack Obama's trip to Oslo to pick up his Nobel peace award is in danger of being overshadowed by a row over the cancellation of a series of events normally attended by the prizewinner.

Norwegians are incensed over what they view as his shabby response to the prize by cutting short his visit.

A Hole in the Night

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:23:13 -0500

by Robert C. Koehler

It all felt wild and uncontained, like on the playground. I was the outsider kid, wrong jacket, wrong hat. Or maybe I just stepped out of my car at the wrong time. With a whoop they were on me, surrounding me, laughing. What great fun.

Path to a Peace Economy

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:57:42 -0400

by David Korten

My subject tonight is the Path to a Peace Economy, based on ideas elaborated in my most recent book, Agenda for a New Economy, and the New Economy issue of YES! Magazine.

Single-Eyed Vision

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:57:24 -0400

by Robert C. Koehler

"What is seen with one eye has no depth."

I'm thinking, as I ponder the wisdom of Ursula LeGuin, that American culture is at the end of what it can accomplish with its single-eyed vision. For all our material progress, for all our ability to dominate just about anything or anyone we encounter -- this is our history, our manifest destiny -- things are falling apart in every sector of society.

Obama's Choice: Failed War President or the Prince of Peace?

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:54:13 -0400

by Nick Turse

When the Nobel Committee awarded its annual peace prize to President Barack Obama, it afforded him a golden opportunity seldom offered to American war presidents: the possibility of success. Should he decide to go the peace-maker route, Obama stands a chance of really accomplishing something significant. On the other hand, history suggests that the path of war is a surefire loser. As president after president has discovered, especially since World War II, the U.S.

Toward a Coherent Presidency

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:10:11 -0400

by Rick Chamberlin

“We must pursue peace through peaceful means… in the final analysis, means and ends must cohere.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.; The Trumpet of Conscience

“I learned to slip back and forth between my black and white worlds, understanding that each possessed its own… structures of meaning, convinced that with a bit of translation on my part the two worlds would eventually cohere.”

Barack Obama; Dreams from My Father