10 Ways We Pretend War Is Not a Crime and How to Change Them by David Swanson

10 Ways We Pretend War Is Not a Crime and How to Change Them by David Swanson, Journalism as Art, https://denniscambly.wordpress.com/, 27 Oct 21

The U.N. Charter not only makes war a crime, but it makes the threat of war, including the long-standing White House mantra “All options are on the table” a crime. It does something else, though. It gives the U.N. the power to impose economic sanctions. This often brutal tool has led to massive death and suffering and laid the groundwork for wars. However, the Fourth Geneva Convention — which, for whatever it’s worth, came after the U.N. Charter — bans the use of collective penalties. That law is apparently not hard to ignore, and the Geneva Conventions in general may be the most frequently ignored laws in the world.

via 10 Ways We Pretend War Is Not a Crime and How to Change Them by David Swanson

October 26, 2021 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Even the mind of Dante could not imagine the inferno a nuclear war will plunge us in

The first step in the direction of a world rule of law is the recognition that peace is no longer an unattainable ideal but a necessary condition of continued human existence.

Our civilisation will, through wars, be plunged into the abyss of annihilation, and our earthly habitat could be transformed into an inferno that even the mind of Dante could not imagine.

We must refuse to accept the cynical notion that nation after nation must spiral down a militaristic stairway into the hell of nuclear annihilation.

Because deterrence sets no limits on the size and composition of military forces, tens of thousands of nuclear weapons were created.

Even the mind of Dante could not imagine the inferno a nuclear war will plunge us into https://mg.co.za/opinion/2021-10-25-even-the-mind-of-dante-could-not-imagine-the-inferno-a-nuclear-war-will-plunge-us-into/Farouk Araie25 Oct 2021  n commemoration of the International Day for The Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, which was celebrated on 26 September, humanity must urgently strive to halt the escalating nuclear arms race. 

North Korea’s testing of a submarine-launched missile and her recent launch of a hypersonic missile  and associated high technology systems will trigger off a nuclear arms race in Asia. As deadly global events unfold, many aspiring  nuclear nations will go the nuclear route. Pakistan will probably increase her nuclear might, which could enable it to have the third largest nuclear arsenal.

The volatile situation in the Middle East  could prompt nations in that area to acquire nuclear weapons. World War II ended with the historic understanding that recourse to war between states could no longer be treated as a matter of national discretion, but must be regulated to the extent possible through rules administered by international institutions.

The pursuit of peace and progress cannot end in a few years in either victory or defeat. The pursuit of peace and progress, with its trial and errors, its success and setbacks, can never be relaxed and never abandoned. Humanity is still at the far stage of maturity needed for the realisations of its aspirations, for the construction of a harmonious and peaceful society and the elimination of wars. People are not yet ready to shape their own destinies, to control and direct world events, of which, instead, they become the victims.

The first step in the direction of a world rule of law is the recognition that peace is no longer an unattainable ideal but a necessary condition of continued human existence. One problem that we face is simply that we must find an alternative to war and bloodshed. Anyone who feels that there are still a lot of people who believe that war can solve problems facing humankind is sleeping through a great revolution.

Our civilisation will, through wars, be plunged into the abyss of annihilation, and our earthly habitat could be transformed into an inferno that even the mind of Dante could not imagine. We must refuse to accept the cynical notion that nation after nation must spiral down a militaristic stairway into the hell of nuclear annihilation.

If the ultimate goal of national security is to ensure the survival of any nation, then the pursuit of this goal through nuclear deterrence should be viewed as an utter failure. Because deterrence sets no limits on the size and composition of military forces, tens of thousands of nuclear weapons were created.

Thus the consequences of a single failure of deterrence could be the end of human history. Leaders who choose to “defend” their nation with nuclear weapons must face the fact that nuclear war is suicidal and not an option if their citizens are to survive. Suicide is not a defence.

Should we choose to accept the assertion that “there is no realistic path to a world free of nuclear weapons”, then we sentence the children of the world to a dark future. We must instead reject the 21st century mindset, which is still driving us towards the abyss, through an understanding that nuclear weapons pose a threat to the human species. 

Those who see utility and legitimacy in the perpetual maintenance of nuclear weaponry often tend to regard nuclear abolition as a “destabilising” goal, and apparently assume that deterrence will forever prevent a nuclear war. Their long-term optimism is supported neither by logic nor history.

October 26, 2021 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Fear of ‘devastating’ nuclear war as world’s major powers enter a new arms race

experts have called into question the reasons why nuclear-armed states are spending billions on weapons they are saying will never be used.

”The enmity created by nations threatening each other with indiscriminate, mid-20th century weapons of mass destruction prevents development of global solidarity and trust we so desperately need to address critical 21st century challenges like the climate crisis and pandemics,”

Fear of ‘devastating’ nuclear war as world’s major powers enter a new arms race

Countries including the UK have entered a new arms race, with growing stockpiles of more advanced weapons   

By Taz Ali  i news UK,  October 24, 2021   Since the end of the Cold War, major powers across the globe made huge efforts to reduce their nuclear arsenals in efforts to ensure the world is safer from weapons of mass destruction that could wipe out entire cities.

But now, those countries including the UK have entered a new arms race, with growing stockpiles of more advanced weapons and smarter technology allowing missiles to evade defence systems, all of which experts fear could lead to a nuclear war.

“We’re in a new, multipolar nuclear arms and strategic technologies race, including the rush to weaponise space,” Lyndon Burford, a visiting research associate in the Centre for Science and Security Studies at King’s College London, told i.

He said there were multiple new risk factors, with technologies such as artificial intelligence and increasing political instability in major nuclear-armed countries.

“That could lead to nuclear war, with devastating global humanitarian, economic and ecological effects,” Dr Burford warned.

The nuclear arms race has accelerated in recent years, with the US, Russia, North Korea and China testing nuclear-capable hypersonic missiles which can potentially evade early warning systems and are harder to track.

Last month, the US and UK announced they will help Australia build a new fleet of nuclear submarines, as part of a trilateral alliance known as Aukus to counteract the influence of China.

It prompted warnings from the UN’s nuclear watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that Aukus may spark off another race for nuclear submarines by other states, and that a team has been established to explore the deal’s safety and legal implications.

Matt Korda, a senior research associate for the nuclear information project at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), told i that campaigns to modernise weapons were driven by a “global competitive environment that is being embraced by all of these nuclear arms states”………………..

Even as the pandemic devastated lives and economies around the world, the world’s nine nuclear states continued to increase spending on such weapons to a total of $72.6bn in 2020, an increase of $1.4bn from the previous year.

“This is a massive drain on public resources globally and a massive threat,” Kate Hudson, general secretary of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) told i.

“The very dangerous thing is that nuclear strategies have moved beyond the idea that we’d never use them, that they only exist as a deterrent. Now so-called ‘usable nukes’ are being developed and use postures outlined.”…………

“The US identifies China as a threat to its pre-eminence. What we are seeing now is the intensification of US militarisation in the Pacific.

“I assume that with the kind of build up against them, having not wanted to go into massive military spending, China will be doing more because of this intensification of activity by other great powers in what can essentially be seen as their backyard.”   

Earlier this year, world-renowned naturalist Sir David Attenborough told the UN Security Council that climate change is “the biggest threat to security that modern humans have ever faced”, and few major powers would disagree with him.

Consequently, experts have called into question the reasons why nuclear-armed states are spending billions on weapons they are saying will never be used.

“The enmity created by nations threatening each other with indiscriminate, mid-20th century weapons of mass destruction prevents development of global solidarity and trust we so desperately need to address critical 21st century challenges like the climate crisis and pandemics,” said Dr Burford  https://inews.co.uk/news/world/fear-of-devastating-nuclear-war-as-worlds-major-powers-enter-a-new-arms-race-1263713

October 26, 2021 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, weapons and war | Leave a comment