I summarized two proposals posted in March 2021 which I believe are fresh, feasible and authentic regarding converting 'guns to butter' for a better future.
1. Close all USA military bases
The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft (QI), has been brave enough to tell the world that some 750 US military bases around the world appear to have little or no usefulness in keeping the country safe and prosperous.
In a one-hour webinar 'Taps for America's Empire of Bases?', QI president Andrew Bacevich moderated David Vine, Christine Ahn, and John Glaser.
These 3 experts agreed:
- There are NO exaggerated threats to the USA from the Middle East and elsewhere.
- The greatest threat to peace is the military-industrial complex.
- All bases abroad should be closed and the troops sent home. Open Letter to President Biden, March 4, 2021.
- Funding for peace diplomacy and domestic infrastructure (health care, transportation, education, clean water, housing, etc.) should be greatly increased.
2. Putin's 'open system'
Matthew Ehret, Senior Fellow at the American University in Moscow and editor-in-chief of the Canadian Patriot Review explains global 'win-win cooperation' for the future in 'Putin's Vision for an Anti-Fascist/ Open System Future and You' (The Canadian Patriot, March 10, 2021).
Ehret reports that President Putin speaks about an 'open system' of international behaviour that would avoid wars and instead would focus on cooperative efforts of multi world nations for joint security and development, such as the following:
Ehret reports that President Putin speaks about an 'open system' of international behaviour that would avoid wars and instead would focus on cooperative efforts of multi world nations for joint security and development, such as the following:
- Space diplomacy among Russia, USA, and China. Increase working together to explore space.
- Asteroid defense. Implement a proposal by the Chief of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin, nick named the 'Strategic Defense of Earth'. by aiming US President Reagan's 'Star Wars' Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) away from targets on earth to aim for incoming meteors and asteroids.
- Arctic and Far East Development. By further expanding the 'Silk Road' on rails as proposed 150 years ago, but from South America, north across the Bering Strait, to Europe. Ships are now crossing the thawed Arctic Circle. Development of new cities, mining, transport corridors and energy benefits all nations connected.
- 'Guns to butter' in an 'open system' world. If all nations cooperate to divert military spending to social needs, poverty can end and global warming stopped.
Ehret concludes: 'If Russia, America, China and other nations of the UN Security Council and BRICS were to apply their best minds to solving these problems rather than fall into a new arms race, then not only would either country benefit immensely, but so too would humanity more broadly.' Agreed! Let's hope it becomes a reality.
This means that we all need to look inward and have the moral courage to make this happen. Peace starts with us. Yes, 'Guns to butter' for a better future!
This means that we all need to look inward and have the moral courage to make this happen. Peace starts with us. Yes, 'Guns to butter' for a better future!
More
Peace Quest, Rideau Institute, World Federalists. Webinar: 'Peace Prospects in the Biden Era (Thursday, April 1, 2021, 6:30 PM ET). — Free webinar on Zoom. Featuring Douglas Roche.
Peace Quest, Rideau Institute, World Federalists. Webinar: 'Peace Prospects in the Biden Era (Thursday, April 1, 2021, 6:30 PM ET). — Free webinar on Zoom. Featuring Douglas Roche.
Canadian Foreign Policy Institute and World Beyond War Canada. Free webinar on Zoom: 'Why Canada Should Leave NATO'. Saturday, April 3, 2021, 3 PM ET. — Free webinar on Zoom.
New Hampshire Peace Action. 'Peace & Justice Conversations:Is Russia truly our enemy? Should we risk nuclear war?' April 12, 2021, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm ET. — Free webinar on Zoom.
Escobar, Pepe. Welcome to shocked & awed 21st century geopolitics. In Information Clearing House, March 23, 2021.
Fry, Stephen. The Terrifying $1.2 Trillion Plan That Could Kill 90% of Humanity, March 16, 2021. YouTube, 11.16 minutes.
O’Connor, Taylor. 10 Global Peacebuilding Networks. In Transcend Media Service, March 15, 2021. [We can add to this list many others, such as: Center for Global Nonkilling, World Beyond War, Project Ploughshares, Center for Citizen Initiatives, Coalition to Oppose Arms Trade, Voice of Women for Peace, and PeaceQuest. For alternative news sources see Honest World News.]
Zuesse, Eric. Why It’s Especially Necessary to End NATO Now. In Modern Diplomacy, March 15, 2021.
Benjamin, Medea and Nicolas J.S. Davies. Biden’s Foreign Policy — Ten Problems, One Solution. In The Progressive, March 13, 2021.
Healy, Hazel. 10 Steps to World Peace. In New Internationalist, September 18, 2018.
Glaser, John. 'Withdrawing from Overseas Bases: Why a Forward ‐ Deployed Military Posture Is Unnecessary, Outdated, and Dangerous'. Cato Institute, Policy Analysis No. 816, July 18, 2017.
United Nations. Dept. of Economic and Social Affairs. Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Adopted September 25, 2015. Preamble: This Agenda is a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity. It also seeks to strengthen universal peace in larger freedom….The 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 targets which we are announcing today demonstrate the scale and ambition of this new universal Agenda….'
World Beyond War.org. A global movement to end all wars.
Center for Global Nonkilling. Promoting change toward the measurable goal of a killing-free world.
Fry, Stephen. The Terrifying $1.2 Trillion Plan That Could Kill 90% of Humanity, March 16, 2021. YouTube, 11.16 minutes.
O’Connor, Taylor. 10 Global Peacebuilding Networks. In Transcend Media Service, March 15, 2021. [We can add to this list many others, such as: Center for Global Nonkilling, World Beyond War, Project Ploughshares, Center for Citizen Initiatives, Coalition to Oppose Arms Trade, Voice of Women for Peace, and PeaceQuest. For alternative news sources see Honest World News.]
Zuesse, Eric. Why It’s Especially Necessary to End NATO Now. In Modern Diplomacy, March 15, 2021.
Benjamin, Medea and Nicolas J.S. Davies. Biden’s Foreign Policy — Ten Problems, One Solution. In The Progressive, March 13, 2021.
Healy, Hazel. 10 Steps to World Peace. In New Internationalist, September 18, 2018.
Glaser, John. 'Withdrawing from Overseas Bases: Why a Forward ‐ Deployed Military Posture Is Unnecessary, Outdated, and Dangerous'. Cato Institute, Policy Analysis No. 816, July 18, 2017.
United Nations. Dept. of Economic and Social Affairs. Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Adopted September 25, 2015. Preamble: This Agenda is a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity. It also seeks to strengthen universal peace in larger freedom….The 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 targets which we are announcing today demonstrate the scale and ambition of this new universal Agenda….'
World Beyond War.org. A global movement to end all wars.
Center for Global Nonkilling. Promoting change toward the measurable goal of a killing-free world.
Updates
Sahiounie, Steven. US-NATO provocation in Ukraine to stop Russian pipeline. The Duran, April 7, 2021.
Paul, Ron. Why Is the Biden Administration Pushing Ukraine to Attack Russia? OpEdNews Op Eds, April 5, 2021.
Lavelle, Peter, CrossTalk, RT, April 2021. The End of Ukraine? YouTube, 25 minutes. — Lavelle hosts three panelists: Mary Dejevsky, Independent columnist, London; Earl Rasmussen, Executive Vice-President, The Eurasia Centre, Washington, DC; and Gabriel Gavin, journalist, policy consultant, Moscow, Russia.
Baldwin, Natylie. The Situation in the Donbass, In Natylie's Place: Understanding Russia, April 3, 2021. — The situation in the Ukraine is extremely dangerous. Heavily armed Ukrainian soldiers with USA weapons are threatening the Russian Republic, as Russian soldiers stand by ready to respond if attacked.
I don't believe their is a new weapons race...the China, Russia, USA tension is more theatre than fact. The weapons
ReplyDeleteindustry is a gold mine for the multinationals in all the G8 countries, maybe even the G20.
The elephant in the room is the One World Government under the title of "The Great Reset" (World Economic Forum) and Agenda 2030 (The UN) which is trying to rally everyone to agree to a One World Government based on saving us from Climate Chaos.
In fact the Mega Corporations are poisoning our:
air (geo engineering metals, factories, factory farming, unsafe mining practices, coal mines, auto exhaust and more).
poisoning our water (pesticides, prescription drugs, fluoride, and fracking chemicals, radioactive waste, city dumps, and more)
poisoning our soil and food...
mining waste, factory farms, dumps, pesticides, genetically modified food,
glyphosate, deforestation, non biodegradable products, and more.
The Great Reset has crashed the World Economy using the pretext of the COVID
PLAN-Demic so that the majority of the working class will be completely dependent on government to live and using a social credit score like China, the model, will have to do what you are told like take a vaccine or you will not get your guaranteed annual income or if a cashless society is successfully implemented will just take money out of your account.
This is a move by the Technocracy and Eugenics fanatics to track, trace and control all of society. They are pushing everyone onto computer screens as the norm, killing off seniors with the JAB, isolation and lack of medical care due to COVID restrictions and targeting our children with child abuse measures like masks, distancing, computer training brainwashing and fear.
If we don't stand up for our freedoms, our children will be doomed to a society run by the Technocrats who will get rid of 95% of us as the robotic capabilities take over.
FREEDOM VS SLAVERY
LOVE over FEAR
One solution - Get rid of your Cel Phone and they cannot trace you and dictate your life.
The Artificial Intelligence needs DATA,
like phones and smart cities to gain total control.
Hope people wake up in time...
Peace, love, education and action
Ken Billings
editor
DIGILEAKcanada.weebly.com
NEWS Not Noise
You state: ‘I don’t believe there is a new weapons race...the China, Russia, USA tension is more theatre than fact….’
DeleteIt is true that large Mega Corporations and corrupt governments are poisoning the air, food and water, and generally moving to control all of society. However, I think there are some facts that need to be raised about the relation of the West to Russia, China and other countries in the world — which is in real danger of a nuclear war destroying life on Planet Earth.
NATO’s encircling the Russian Federation is a real threat to the country and the world. It is a fact that Russian citizens are forced to defend themselves with nuclear weapons. NATO, essentially backed by the USA with over 800 military bases around the world, with many of them around Russia, is the greatest threat to world peace today.
Since the 1800s, the West has sought to break up the rising Slavic and European nation Russia. Then, in the early 1900s, the USA, Britain, Canada and other western countries did not recognize the world’s first constitutionally socialist state, the Soviet Union, for almost 16 years. The Western ntent was to eliminate competition by breaking up the country largely for economic gain.
The West supported Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltson because these presidents allowed oligarchs at home and abroad to rob local resources from the Soviet state and make the Russian citizens very poor, bringing the country to misery and destruction. But thanks to the new president and world statesman, Vladimir Putin, the Russian people turned the tide, rebuilt the country, and created a new democratic republic worthy of being a peaceful neighbour in the world community.
The People's Republic of China (PRC) in Beijing is threatened with Western nukes from military bases and aircraft carriers in the ocean nearby. Like Russia, the people of PRC must defend themselves.
North Koreans continue to increase their nuclear military might so as to stop the rise of Western imperialism.
The current situation in Ukraine is a potential flashpoint for war.
All of the facts above show that the danger of nuclear war is real and not ‘a theatre’. At the same time I agree with you that there is another dangerous situation in the world spearheaded by ‘Technocracy and Eugenic fanatics to track, trace, and control all of society’.
Ken, you claim that one solution to stop becoming slaves of corruption is to ‘get rid of the Cell Phone’ so that the powers cannot trace you and dictate your life. My wife has a Cell Phone, but I refuse to have one. Does this mean that I am ahead of the curve?
Mr. Tarasoff - (Greetings) -What I feel concerned about today, is the intent presently of Canada to procure 15 Surface Combatant destroyers. It is asserted at the navy-marine.forces gov Canada website) that they shall be of "effective warfare capability" -and each one, is a "war ship at it's core." Joseph Trevithick - writer for the warzone site/the drive dot com - titles his article, "Canada's New Frigate Will Be Brimming With Missiles." They will carry variants of the Tomahawk cruise missile /a weapon that United States is involved in, & provided import of them to the UK. We do not have to be party to this? These 15 warships are to replace 12 Halifax class frigates -the first which entered service in the early 1990's. Because of past gov't policy, they exist now.. and I suppose I understand their use, for patrolling -and one can grasp this seeming need to be a 'presence.. and monitor waters off of the coast.. Yet the new mission is beyond that, beyond the duties to: protect from over-fishing, environmental degradation, and as safe harbour if there is a sea-faring incident. These are commendable assignments, with meaningful purpose - but the added Offence features for these new ships - they are mislaid plans. I do not know if you have written an Opinion Piece quite recently Mr. Tarasoff such as, perhaps for the Ottawa Citizen - It would be an informing letter of note and hopefully could raise consciousness. I wish the warship building would be cancelled.
ReplyDeleteLinks to articles mentioned above
DeleteCanadian surface combatant, Department of National Defence Canada.
Canada's New Frigate Will Be Brimming With Missiles by Joseph Trevithick, The War Zone, TheDrive.com, November 13, 2020.
Dear Nena,
DeleteThe issue of protesting the purchase of new Canadian warships is alive and well. On January 3, 2013, the Spirit Wrestlers Blog featured a story on ‘Halifax Warship Protestor at Parliament Hill’. See http://spirit-wrestlers.blogspot.com/2013/01/halifax-warship-protester-at-parliament.html.
Tamara Lorincz stood, January 25th, in front of the eternal flame of Canada’s Parliament with signs ‘No Warships, Green Jobs Now’ and ‘Action on Poverty and Climate Change, No Warships’. See my photos.
Tamara Lorincz, now living in Toronto, is active in raising this issue with Voice of Women for Peace, Canada Wide Peace and Justice Network, NoCansecOttawa, World Beyond War, and PeaceQuest Canada, along with other issues such as no fighter jets coalition. ZOOM meetings are held regularly and I am part of this network. When the opportunity arises, I take photos of peace events, as I have done with the last 13 Ottawa Peace Festivals.
I no longer subscribe to Ottawa Citizen, but go to the world wide network for alternative news on world affairs. My sense is that much of the mainstream Western media work closely with the military industrial complex and are often slanted to a policy of militarism and perpetual war. As a critical observer of world news, I am forced to go to other sources around the world (see ‘Honest World News’ on my Blog: http://spirit-wrestlers.blogspot.com/2015/02/honest-world-news.html).
Yes, I fully agree with you that Canada should stop building warships and finance instead diplomacy training and the rebuilding of human infracture for a nonkilling future.