Take Action During the Week of Memorial Day
A Time to Remember the Costs of War
This week WILPFers can take action to support peaceful diplomacy and stop war!
WILPF US endorses the Global People's Movement special days of action to end sanctions and build global solidarity to end war, May 24-31.
- Ending US economic sanctions
- Supporting the global ceasefire
End Crippling and Destructive US Economic Sanctions!
Just this past weekend, the administration made clear how far it might go to enforce sanctions. On May 20, as oil tankers left Iran to deliver much-needed fuel to Venezuela, Trump declared: "We've got it [Venezuela] surrounded, it's surrounded at a level that nobody even knows but they know. We are watching to see what happens."
If the US had blocked or even seized the tankers, an act of international piracy, it could have led to a military confrontation: Russia had warned against such US action. As the tankers were safely escorted through Venezuelan waters to port, the inability of the US to enforce sanctions was exposed. What will the US do next?
Please join us now to end the unilateral sanctions that the US has imposed on 39 countries.
Rarely discussed is the way the US has used over many decades and continues to use a wide variety of US administration-approved sanctions to impose economic "attacks", previously possible only through military actions. (See #2 below for more about this aspect of sanctions.)
Economic sanctions punish the civilian population, rather than the governments of their countries. Therefore, the unilateral US economic sanctions are tantamount to illegal "collective punishment" against a population.
See below for more resources and actions around stopping sanctions!
Support the United Nations Call for a Ceasefire during the Pandemic!
On March 23, UN Secretary General António Guterres called for an immediate global ceasefire in all corners of the world to end the sickness of war, urging warring parties worldwide to lay down their weapons. Declaring that, "The fury of the virus illustrates the folly of war," he stressed that conflict and war make it more difficult to address the challenge of dealing with COVID-19, and that "The most vulnerable...pay the highest price."
- Sign on to the global ceasefire here!
- Listen here to the Secretary General's compelling, articulate, and passionate plea for a global ceasefire, including questions from reporters. Guterres emphasizes the need for "intense solidarity and cooperation -- for warring parties to pull back from hostilities, put aside mistrust" and to "silence the guns; stop the artillery; end the airstrikes, to help create corridors for life-saving aid, open windows for diplomacy and bring hope to places among the most vulnerable to COVOD-19."
In these precarious times, how urgent is it for all nations, including the US, to join WILPF in endorsing the UN Secretary's call
and supporting inclusive peace negotiations -- with women equally represented at the peace table?
In a further appeal on April 6, Secretary Guterres addresses an issue so pertinent to WILPF values: violence against women. He emphasizes that "peace is not just the absence of war... many women under lockdown for COVID-19 face violence where they should be safest: in their own homes." He urged all governments to put women's safety first as they respond to the pandemic.
To date, the United States has blocked every effort in the Security Council to endorse and support the ceasefire.
What else can you do about stopping sanctions?
- Listen to the May 9 webinar
This webinar features representatives of Cuba, Nicaragua, Syria, Venezuela, Iran, and Zimbabwe giving detailed reports on how sanctions have harmed all sectors of the society and economy in their countries. It's hosted by UNAC (United Antiwar Coalition), a co-founder of the Sanctions Kill coalition, and highlights how sanctions cripple public health and heath care systems, making it impossible to provide care during this pandemic. Register for Sunday, May 31 webinar at 1:00 pm EDT with speakers from Palestine, Yemen, Iran, Venezuela, and Korea DPRK.
- Read United States Imposed Economic Sanctions -- The Big Heist
Lauren Smith describes how, since the start of the 2008 Great Recession, the U.S. has increasingly used unilateral economic for its policy objectives. Present US sanctions affect one-third of all countries, causing death and devastation.
- Use these resources
Inform yourself with these references and act to oppose sanctions with these banners, stickers, handouts, and placards. Make your own sign with a message and the wilpfus.org website address. Have someone take a picture and post it to your Facebook page or the WILPF US Facebook page.
- Write a Letter to the Editor to your local paper.
Thank you for taking action!
Peace,
Nancy Price, WILPF US At Large Board Member
Darien De Lu, President, WILPF US
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