Peace Train: The popularity of war
War entails a prodigal destruction of human life and welfare. The death toll for 20th century wars was well over 100 million. Moreover, our world is currently threatened by catastrophic...
All Stories
Peace Train: The military blame game
If political elites want war, they can usually find a way of mobilizing public opinion to support military aggression. This typically happens by first demonizing a designated enemy, then blaming...
Peace Train: American empire produces imperialist hubris
Most Americans do not believe that our country has an empire. This idea contradicts the comforting anodyne that the USA acts in the world mainly to create freedom and democracy....
Peace Train: Yemen’s tragedy and U.S. crimes
Yemen is a country of 29 million people located at the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula and bordered on the north by Saudi Arabia. It is also the site...
Peace Train: Fear is a powerful motivator
I despise war, but I nevertheless admire the cooperative spirit and willingness to sacrifice (even to the point of sacrificing one's own life) that warfare sometimes induces among participants.
Peace Train: Distinguish between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism
As a progressive Jew, a strong supporter of Palestinian rights, and a lifelong advocate of economic and social equality, I am delighted by the presence of two bold, progressive and...
Peace Train: Imperialism’s 12-step program
The witty Chinese revolutionary Zhou Enlai once said, "One of the delightful things about Americans is that they have absolutely no historical memory." I am reminded of this statement by...
Peace Train: Democracy is in trouble
Democracy is in trouble. Authoritarian government and violation of civil liberties are both on the rise in a host of nominally democratic countries including Austria, Brazil, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary,...
Peace Train: Inequality is a matter of life and death
The New Year's holiday is essentially a celebration of life and its continuation. Life is a miracle that is well worth celebrating. But it is also a good time to...
Peace Train: Julian Assange and the defense of democracy
Effective democracy requires well-informed citizens. One of the greatest threats to effective democracy in modern capitalist societies is government secrecy. This prevents citizens from knowing about and attempting to control...