June 2002

Views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of the AFSC.

From the editor's desk

Well, we know that Memorial Day has been and gone--we spent part of it at our computer trying to get this issue done--but its lessons and its imperatives linger, so we've started out with it. The greatest honor to war's dead surely is the education of active peacemakers, and the Peace Movement Directory reviewed here should be one useful tool. Its author, Dick Bennett, gave a talk in Fayetteville, AR on Memorial Day about a new way of honoring, one that understands that all the soldiers, whatever flag they fought under, and all the dead, not simply the soldiers, but also the many more civilians who inevitably perish, are victims of war.

"The nuclear bomb is the most anti-democratic, anti-national, anti-human, outright evil thing that man has ever made," said Arundhati Roy, the wonderful writer and troublemaker. "If you are religious, then remember that this bomb is Man's challenge to God. It's worded quite simply: We have the power to destroy everything that You have created."

Twenty years ago, a million people marched in New York on June 12 to demand nuclear disarmament. William Hartung makes clear that the charade that was the ballyhooed US-Russian agreement is nothing more than "unilateral assured destruction, American-style." What to do in the face of terrifying discouragement? Organize. A coalition in Rhode Island provides us a model of unromantic but effective strategy.

We have to pray that powerful organizers are at work in Pakistan and India where nuclearization has provided those uneasy neighbors neither status nor safety.

Praful Bidwai's assessment that the Indian sub-continent remains the world's most dangerous place is only reinforced by Rajiv Rawat's agonized reflection on the inter-communal carnage in India. A Boston-based activist, he wrote to us that "from a distance, the worst thing about the 'riots' has been the silence from Indians here. In fact, the Hindu right has made such major inroads in the communities, that I fear any strong response has been effectively muted. Most Hindus have developed such strong prejudices against Muslims that the poison will take years to eliminate."

The nuclear shadow and ethnic conflict take center stage in the Middle East as well. In Iraq children continue to die from the effects of depleted uranium used by US forces during the Gulf War. And of course continue to die from the effects of sanctions, "smart" or not. Israel has not used its nuclear weapons yet, but it's chilling to think that Ariel Sharon, faithful advocate for the use of force, has access to them.

It's an old adage in publishing that if you manage to push buttons on both ends of the spectrum, you must be doing something right. We might look at this month's Peacework mailbag (see page 16) this way. Instead, with the carnage unrelenting, we find the letters deeply troubling reminders of the profound difficulty of any discourse in the face of such deep wounds. There's much work to do. Dedrick Muhammad and his colleagues in the International Solidarity Movement are making an encouraging beginning with their mission of accompaniment. People of good will bear deep responsibility to stand with statements such as the one on racism, Islamaphobia, and anti-Semitism which Amnesty International has issued.

"Some Are Guilty; All Are Responsible," Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel told us. We remembered his admonition as we read Breai Mason's account of a gathering of women of color and their allies. We stand in awe of those powerful women, glad of the generosity that builds "allies" into their alliance.

AFSC's Roberta Spivek, who has been providing Peacework with updates on so-called Welfare Reform all spring, sent us her final bulletin: "Last Chance to Influence Welfare Bill." So listen up.

Old Havana, February 2001 © Richard Wood (see related story and pictures, page 20)

With Jimmy Carter returned from his thoughtful visit to Cuba and a dubiously-elected George Bush preaching democracy and courting votes in Miami, we are glad that several friends who have journeyed to the island were willing to share their reflections. Exhausted, overwhelmed by each day's new disaster, we particularly welcomed Richard Wood's images as a vibrant gift.

Wally Nelson died last Thursday, surrounded by people who loved him and for whom he remains a beacon of courage, integrity, and deep joy of living. Our hastily assembled memorial notice on the back page can't begin to flesh out the contours of Wally's rich life (as the snapshot doesn't capture the man), and we know that others will reminisce with eloquence and delight about Wally in the coming days. But we wanted to let his friends who might not yet have heard the news know of his passing.

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