World Beyond War

World Beyond War (distinct from Beyond War) is an anti-war organization with chapters and affiliates in about two dozen countries. The organization bills itself as "a global nonviolent movement to end war and establish a just and sustainable peace." It is opposed to the very institution of war and not just individual wars. World Beyond War pursues the abolition of war through regional organizing along with global campaigns to close military bases and divest from corporations that profit from war and weapon sales.

World Beyond War's original logo

The organization was founded in January 2014 by David Swanson, Leah Bolger and David Hartsough. The global organization is headquartered in Chartlottesville, Virginia. World Beyond War is a grassroots organization funded by small donors. The nonprofit organization is a fiscal affiliate of Alliance for Global Justice.

World Beyond War publishes books, maintains a speakers bureau, funds the installation of billboards, hosts conferences, organizes protests, and produces webinars. Its book, A Global Security System: An Alternative to War, has been updated and published annually since 2015.

Leadership

Board of directors[1]
Country Name
 United States David Swanson
 Australia Alison Broinowski
 United States Sakura Saunders
 New Zealand Liz Remmerswaal Hughes
 United States Leah Bolger
 United States Odile Hugonot Haber
 Ireland Barry Sweeney
 United States Gar Smith
 United States Donnal Walter
 United States John Reuwer
 United States Foad Izadi
 United States Agneta Norberg
 United States Alice Slater

Advisory board[1]
Country Name
 Norway Johan Galtung
 Colombia Angelo Cardona
 Australia Helen Caldicott
 Canada Yves Engler
 Canada Tamara Lorincz
 United States Medea Benjamin
 United States Christine Ahn
 United States Dennis Kucinich
 United States Nina Turner
 United States Ann Wright
 United States Kathy Kelly
 United States Gareth Porter
 United States Maria Santelli
 United States David Hartsough
 United States Patrick Hiller
 United States Matthew Hoh
 United States Rivera Sun
 United States Tony Jenkins
 Sri Lanka Salma Yusuf
 Kenya Christine Achieng Odera
 Thailand Rey Ty
 United Kingdom Mairead Maguire
 United Kingdom Donna-Marie Fry

Staff[1]
Country Name
 United States David Swanson
 United States Greta Zarro
 Canada Rachel Small
 United Kingdom Phill Gittins
 United States Marc Eliot Stein
 United States Alex McAdams
 United States Alessandra Granelli

Activities
A World Beyond War billboard

World Beyond War hosts a global peace conference that gathers hundreds of activists every year. #NoWar2020 was scheduled for Ottawa, Canada, and will now take place online. #NoWar2019 was in Limerick, Ireland. #NoWar2018 was in Toronto, Canada. Previous annual conferences were in Washington, DC.

World Beyond War promotes peace education programs and runs online courses in war abolition and peace activism. The organization also produces frequent webinars and other online events that are then made available for free on video. The "World Beyond War" podcast launched in January 2019 and has featured interviews with peace activists in Vietnam, Bolivia, Iran, Venezuela, Cyprus, Japan, US, England, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, Italy.

Publications and coverage

World Beyond War has gotten coverage by the Cato Institute,[2] Scientific American,[3] Truthdig,[4] Common Dreams,[5] and Catholic Sentinel.[6]

In 2020, Milwaukee congresswoman Gwen Moore referred to US military budget as a "feeding frenzy" at an event featuring World Beyond War's billboard in Milwaukee, which read "3% of US military spending could end starvation on earth." This was covered in Urban Milwaukee.[7]

World Beyond War initiated a letter-writing campaign for the cancellation of Canada's annual weapons expo, CANSEC, which was scheduled to take place in Ottawa, Canada in May, 2020 despite the coronavirus pandemic. This campaign was eventually credited with helping to force the decision to cancel.[8]

World Beyond War alternates global organizing activity with regional events, such as an April 2020 webinar on military bases in Guam.[9]

World Beyond War has gotten coverage for its campaigns in Democracy Now,[10] Canadian Broadcasting Corporation,[11] The New Zealand Herald,[12] TV New Zealand,[13] and Arkansas Online.[14]

Controversy

In June 2019, World Beyond War "was refused permission to place advertisements featuring the slogan 'US troops out of Shannon' on billboards in Limerick during Donald Trump's visit to Ireland."[15] These billboards would have supplemented World Beyond War's three-day annual #NoWar2019 conference in Limerick, Island, which focused on calls by Irish activists and leaders to end the use of Shannon Airport as a military base for foreign aircraft.[16]

References
  1. "Who We Are". World Beyond War . . . Retrieved 2021-05-30.
  2. "Requiring the Pentagon to be Transparent about US Overseas Bases", retrieved 14 January, 2020
  3. Horgan, John. "War Is Our Most Urgent Problem--Let's Solve It". Scientific American Blog Network.
  4. "Is MSNBC Now the Most Dangerous Warmonger Network?". Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists. 2 March 2018.
  5. "In Open Letter, Scholars and Activists Call on Bernie Sanders to Embrace Foreign Policy That Rejects US Militarism, Bloated Pentagon Budget". Common Dreams.
  6. "NATO military alliance incompatible with Gospel nonviolence". catholicsentinel.org.
  7. Christofferson, Bill. "Op Ed: Milwaukee Pays High Price for War". Urban Milwaukee.
  8. "WAIT 'TIL NEXT YEAR: CANSEC 2020 equipment show cancelled over COVID-19". ottawasun.
  9. Sablan, Jerick (April 30, 2020). "World BEYOND War hosts webinar on military impact on Guam". guampdn.com.
  10. "As Yemenis Protest U.S. Blacklisting of Houthis, Canadians Act to Halt Saudi Arms Sales". Democracy Now!.
  11. "Protesters block trucks at Hamilton company, want Canada to stop selling arms used in Yemen"
  12. "Hawke's Bay peace group marks 75th anniversary of Hiroshima". NZ Herald. 8 June 2023.
  13. "Peace group says Government should have bought Air NZ planes instead of $1.5b Hercules". 1 News.
  14. "Arkansans rally against war with Iran". Arkansas Online. January 5, 2020.
  15. McCarthy, Justine (8 June 2023). "World Beyond War campaign against troops at Shannon 'blocked' during Trump visit" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
  16. "Anti-War conference in Limerick followed by peace march in Shannon". www.limerickleader.ie.
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