Articles by: Lawrence S Wittner

Peace protest at the White House - Photo credit: iacenter.org

There Is an Alternative to War

The war in Ukraine provides us with yet another opportunity to consider what might be done about the wars that continue to ravage the world. The current Russian war of aggression is particularly horrific, featuring a massive military invasion of a smaller, weaker nation, threats of nuclear war, widespread war crimes, and imperial annexation.  But, alas, this terrible war is[Read More…]

by — 10/10/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World
 Military and Economic Power Once Again Fail to Produce Happiness

 Military and Economic Power Once Again Fail to Produce Happiness

Although the rulers of the world’s major military and economic powers have repeatedly claimed that they are making their nations great again, their policies have not resulted in widespread happiness among their citizens. That conclusion emerges from the recent World Happiness Report-2022, published by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.  Based on Gallup World Polls conducted from 2019 through 2021,[Read More…]

by — 17/04/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World
The Imperialist Roots of Putin’s Policy

The Imperialist Roots of Putin’s Policy

A key factor that explains Vladimir Putin’s military invasion of Ukraine is traditional Russian imperialism. Throughout the world’s long and bloody history, other powerful territories (and, later, nations) expanded their lands through imperial conquest, including Rome, China, Spain, France, Britain, Germany, Japan, and the United States. Russia was no exception.  Beginning with the small principality of Moscow in 1300, Russia[Read More…]

by — 10/03/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World
What the Cuban Missile Crisis Can Teach Us About Today’s Ukraine Crisis

What the Cuban Missile Crisis Can Teach Us About Today’s Ukraine Crisis

Commentators on the current Ukraine crisis have sometimes compared it to the Cuban missile crisis.  This is a good comparison―and not only because they both involve a dangerous U.S.-Russian confrontation capable of leading to a nuclear war. During the 1962 Cuban crisis, the situation was remarkably similar to that in today’s Eastern Europe, although the great power roles were reversed.[Read More…]

by — 08/02/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World
Let’s Not Allow the Great Powers to Destroy the World

Let’s Not Allow the Great Powers to Destroy the World

The vast destruction wrought by the atomic bombing of Japan in August 1945 should have been enough to convince national governments that the game of war was over. Wars have had a long run among rival territories and, later, nations, with fierce conflicts between Athens and Sparta, Rome and Carthage, Spain and Britain, and the combatants of World Wars I and II[Read More…]

by — 29/01/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World
Why Is U.S. Military Spending Increasing to New, Outlandish Levels?

Why Is U.S. Military Spending Increasing to New, Outlandish Levels?

Although critics of the Biden administration’s Build Back Better plan to increase funding for U.S. education, healthcare, and action against climate catastrophe say the United States can’t afford it, there are no such qualms about ramping up funding for the U.S. military. This May, the Pentagon asked Congress to fund a $715 billion budget for Fiscal 2022—an increase of $10[Read More…]

by — 25/10/2021 — Comments are Disabled — World
Imagine a World with U.S.-China Cooperation

Imagine a World with U.S.-China Cooperation

On September 10, 2021, during an important diplomatic meeting that occurred by telephone, U.S. President Joseph Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping affirmed the necessity of a better relationship between their two nations.  According to the official Chinese summary, Xi said that “when China and the United States cooperate, the two countries and the world will benefit; when China and[Read More…]

by — 11/10/2021 — Comments are Disabled — World