NSPIPeace

The United States, and the rest of the world, faces what appears to be a growing list of serious global challenges. Some of these challenges include: the rise of global terrorism, nuclear proliferation, global warming and the pending oil crisis. The response to these challenges, particularly in the United States, appears to be primarily militaristic. Consider that in the past four years the U.S. has established a pre-emptive war strategy as a major component of our foreign policy, led invasions in two wars against Afghanistan and Iraq, tortured prisoners of war as an accepted practice, pursued plans to build a new generation of nuclear weapons, and has threatened other nations, including non-nuclear nations, with the use of nuclear weapons. During the same time period, the U.S. has increased military spending by 60%. The U.S. now spends more on its military each year than the rest of the world combined. This overwhelming emphasis on military solutions to address these global challenges is also impacting the thinking of other world leaders. On January 20th, President Jacques Chirac of France, made the startling announcement the he would consider using nuclear weapons to respond to a state-backed terrorist attack against France. In addition, North Korea and Iran are now aggressively pursuing the development of nuclear weapons. Where are the voices of reason, of non-violence, of Dr. Martin Luther King and others that have come before him? On Wednesday, May 3rd, NSPI will facilitate a public forum, featuring the renowned Jesuit priest Rev. John Dear, S.J. More detailed information on this event is included in this newsletter.