How can nuclear weapons states, like the United States of America, legitimately demand that other states, like North Korea, cease their research and production of nuclear weapons, when they themselves continue to maintain and upgrade their own arsenals? Developing, producing and maintaining nuclear weapons are
Activists assert the universality of human rights to demand that governments respect everyone’s rights and duties universally. Embodied by treaties, covenants and declarations, human rights enforcement appears to provide an antidote to ongoing violence and inequality in the world. Has the demand for respect of
As the number of refugees, stateless and displaced persons has increased to the highest percentage on record, the world’s failure to deal with this plight has come to the forefront of national and global politics. Besides the 22 million refugees, 41 million internally displaced within
War is state-sponsored terrorism. Or if not “terrorism,” then legally condoned killing. War-time killing is not considered to be a crime of “murder” because states claim a power (currently considered legal) to wage war. Under humanitarian law, war is meant to be used for self-defense.
More than 65 million people have become refugees (15 million), stateless (10 million), or forcibly displaced (40 Million) due to armed conflict, persecution and natural disasters. This population figure is larger than that of more than 210 countries and dependent territories. In other words, only
What if the citizens of the state of Texas decide to leave the United States? What if they have a referendum on whether to exit the Union, to once again become an independent Republic of Texas? Forty-nine other states could easily maintain the Union, along
In the style of Garry Davis’ blogs in which he “interviewed” water, space and sleep, for this New Year’s blog, I interview time. Me: Hey, Time, wait up! Slow down! (running out of breath) Time: Sorry, no can do. There’s no time like the present.
“Disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of humankind.” Although this statement appears in the Preamble of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), it could easily apply to the current plight of the people
“The most important question that faces each one of us in the world today is ‘who are you?’” For sixty-five years, Garry Davis asked this question directly or indirectly of everyone he spoke with. Whether he was speaking before the war-weary crowds of thousands after
Close to four thousand refugees and immigrants, from Africa, the Middle East and Asia, have attempted to cross into England from France in the past few days. Nearly forty-thousand people have tried to cross through the “Chunnel” since January 2015. In their attempt to achieve
