Endorse "Back from the Brink"
It's Time to End the Threat of Nuclear War
Physicians for Social Responsibility, the Union of Concerned Scientists, Peace Action, and many other organizations have endorsed a new campaign called "Back from the Brink." What we need now is for local religious congregations, civic organizations, professional groups--everyone!--to endorse this campaign. With grassroots support, we can have the power together to change our nuclear war-making authority. Please ask your organization to endorse this statement:
We call on the United States to lead a global effort to prevent nuclear war by:
- renouncing the option of using nuclear weapons first
- ending the sole, unchecked authority of any President to launch a nuclear attack
- taking US nuclear weapons off hair-trigger alert
- cancelling the plan to replace its entire arsenal with enhanced weapons;
-
actively pursuing a verifiable agreement among nuclear armed states to eliminate their nuclear arsenals
If you agree with this statement, please ask your organization to endorse Back from the Brink. Then, let us know by emailing us here. Click here for additional information.
Prevent War with North Korea
It’s time to try diplomacy with North Korea without preconditions. Successful diplomacy is about open-minded dialogue, not making 
demands. Offering to come to the negotiating table does not validate North Korea’s nuclear program or condone its behavior, but it does open the possibility that we can put a pause on North Korea’s nuclear weapons development, and perhaps down the road, work towards denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula. If you'd like to read a report of our recent meetings with aides to Senators Cardin and Van Hollen and Representative Sarbanes about the North Korea crisis, click here.
Donald Trump with the Nuclear Launch Codes?
It’s crazy enough that U.S. nuclear weapons launch protocol requires the order to start a civilization-ending nuclear war from only one person, the President.
It’s absolutely insane when that one person is now Donald Trump…
The good news is, there’s something you can do about it.
Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and Representative Ted Lieu (D-CA-33) have introduced bills that would check this unrestrained authority of the President to launch a nuclear weapon. The Restricting Use of Nuclear Weapons Act (S. 200 / H.R. 669) would prohibit the President from launching nuclear weapons without a Congressional declaration of war or in response to a nuclear attack.
Click here if you want to help us pass the "no first strike" legislation.
U.S. Military Spending--Out of Sight
The Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were initially estimated to cost $200 billion – they will cost us $4-8 trillion through 2054. These wars, new weapons systems and nuclear weapons modernization will bankrupt a generation of Americans if we do not audit the Pentagon, close the Overseas Contingency Operations budget, and otherwise restrict military spending. We need to Move the Money from military spending to funding human need.
We've updated our slide show on U.S. military spending. You can view it here--feel free to download it and share it with friends!
Another Surge in Afghanistan: The Endless War
Our longest wars are not over. The war in Afghanistan is now 16 years old, and the war in Iraq is entering its 14th year. In Congress and in the press, exit plans for these wars are no longer demanded, even as new troops are deployed.
370,000 people have died due to direct war violence, not including indirect deaths from malnutrition, damaged health systems, and other impacts of war. 210,000 of these deaths have been civilians, and most experts acknowledge that number is underestimated. Over 6,800 U.S. troops have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, and over 970,000 disability claims have been registered with the VA as a result of these wars. In addition, over 6,900 U.S. contractors have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The U.S. federal price tag for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars – including an estimate for veterans’ future medical and disability costs – is about $4.4 trillion. This does not include future interest costs on borrowing for the wars. The Brown University Costs of War project estimates that the total costs of these wars – with interest payments – will be $8 trillion, and that U.S. taxpayers will be paying for these wars until 2054. If we continue our ongoing military campaigns, these costs will grow.
Diplomacy with Iran --
Or Another Catastrophic War
Since its successful implementation in January 2016, the Iran agreement has been working exactly as intended. Unfortunately, the Trump administration’s dangerous rhetoric paired with renewed efforts in Congress to sanction Iran for non-nuclear reasons threaten to unravel the agreement and put us back on a path to war. Some members of Congress and the administration even openly call for regime change in Iran. Our job now is to protect the Iran nuclear agreement from Congress and the administration, pushback against dangerous threats of military force and calls for war, and advocate for further diplomacy with Iran to address non-nuclear concerns.