While unable to vigil in Central London, Women in Black are everywhere, working against militarism and war.
Solidarity at a Distance. Week 6. Women in Black London focuses the week of April 20-26 on the Global Days of Action on Military Spending sharing its infographics and supporting IPB’s petition to invest in healthcare not warfare.
The Global Days of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) 2020 bring attention to the vast opportunity costs of the current levels of military spending, 1’82 trillion US$ a year, almost $5 billion per day, $239 per person. When a minority of the global population decides to finance war preparations, we all lose the opportunity to fund policies that tackle our real security threats.
Global Days of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) will take place from April 10 to May 9.
These dates include 🗓️
– April 15: Tax Day in the U.S (postponed))
– April 27: GDAMS press conferences on the occasion of SIPRI’s release of new data on military spending (figures for 2019)
– May 1: International Workers Day
– May 9: Europe’s Day of Peace & Unity
Take action to move the money from the military to health, join GDAMS 2020!
· Join our online campaign!
· Use and share our statements and infographics.
· Sign and share IPB’s petition: Invest in Healthcare Instead of Militarization
· Organize a webinar or a national press conference on April 27. So far we have confirmed Seoul, Sydney, Berlin, Barcelona, Washington D.C, Buenos Aires, Rosario, Montevideo and Cucutá.
· Contact online your local/national representatives/congresspeople and ask them to position themselves and support demilitarization and major reductions of military spending.
· Use your social networks, stay active on social media debates, find allies, write an op-ed! How we understand and tell the story of this crisis as a society will define the measures to be taken afterwards.
The COVID-19 pandemic crisis has shown the world where humanity’s priorities should lie. This major attack on people’s security across the world shames and discredits global military expenditures and prove them an outrageous waste and loss of opportunities. What the world needs now is to focus all means on vital security threats: healthy living conditions for everyone, which necessarily entails more just, green, peaceful societies.
The Global Days of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) 2020 bring attention to the vast opportunity costs of the current levels of military spending, 1’82 trillion US$ a year, almost $5 billion per day, $239 per person. When a minority of the global population decides to finance war preparations, we all lose the opportunity to fund policies that tackle our real security threats.
The
military could not and will not stop this pandemic
Such a crisis can only be addressed by
supporting healthcare and other life-sustaining activities, not with military
equipment and personnel prepared for war. The fact that military assets are
being deployed during this crisis can be profoundly misleading: it doesn’t
justify their bloated budgets, nor does it mean that they are solving this
crisis. It shows quite the opposite: we need fewer soldiers, jets, tanks and
aircraft carriers and more doctors, ambulances and hospitals. For decades
we have been wrong about our priorities, it’s time to (re)consider how military
spending has taken a huge amount of public resources to provide a false notion
of security that has nothing to do with people’s needs and rights to
healthcare, education, and housing, among other essential social services.
It’s time
to move the military budget to human needs
Major reductions in military expenditure
would free up resources not only to provide universal healthcare, but also to
tackle climate and humanitarian emergencies, which also take thousands of lives
every year, especially in countries of the Global South, which are suffering
the worst consequences of an economic model that has been imposed upon them.
Transferring resources to fund healthcare for all and climate and humanitarian
relief would help prevent this from happening again and bail out the most
affected communities. These resources could definitively come from the military
budget, which has been given preference by decision-makers for
decades.
We must ensure that such a major health
crisis does not happen again. To do so, we must rethink international politics,
reconsider the real threats to our security and provide public civil protection
services with the funding they need to properly work. We also have to ensure
that this crisis won’t be paid for by the most vulnerable, as has happened many
times before. Reallocating defense budgets would help finance a much needed
transition toward more peaceful, just, and sustainable societies and economies.
During GDAMS 2020 (April 10 to May 9), we are rising up together, from Seoul to Toronto and from Sydney to Buenos Aires, to demand major reductions of military spending in order to fund urgent measures to confront the COVID-19 pandemic and to provide human security for everyone.
Take action to move the money from the military to health, join GDAMS 2020!
· Join our online campaign!
· Use and share our statements and infographics.
· Sign and share IPB’s petition: Invest in Healthcare Instead of Militarization
· Organize a webinar or a national press conference on April 27. So far we have confirmed Seoul, Sydney, Berlin, Rome, Barcelona and Washington D.C.
· Contact online your local/national representatives/congresspeople and ask them to position themselves and support demilitarization and major reductions of military spending.
· Use your social networks, stay active on social media debates, find allies, write an op-ed! How we understand and tell the story of this crisis as a society will define the measures to be taken afterwards.
To download this statement (pdf) click here.
Translations available in:
Spanish
Italian
Catalan
French
Korean
Share it on your social media or via cellphone!:
We’ve updated our infographic on Arms Transfer with the new data released by SIPRI in March 2020 with figures of 2019.
This infographic uses data from SIPRI’s Arms Transfers Database, and displays arms trade through bubbles on a world map representing proportionally the 15 largest importers and exporters of major arms.
It seemed relevant to us how the biggest exporters (in turquoise) are mostly in Northern countries and how importers (in red) are mainly in the South. Weapons flow therefore from North to South, which proves the the responsibility of Northern exporters in tensions and conflicts around the world, that ultimately generate enormous suffering and instability.
This intends to show connections among countries and to point fingers at those states selling weapons to others involved in conflicts, tensions and/or systematically violating human rights.
International transfers of major arms during the five-year period 2015–19 increased by 5.5 per cent compared with 2010–14. According to new data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the largest exporters of arms during the past five years were the United States, Russia, France, Germany and China. The new data shows that the flow of arms to the Middle East has increased, with Saudi Arabia clearly being the world’s largest importer.
See the infographics with 2018 figures here
This article was originally published at the website of the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee. You can find it here.
Ruth Benn
February 27th, 2020
There are a lot of reasons to be discouraged these days. I mean really, that divisive, crude president hosted by a divisive, nationalist prime minister visiting Gandhi’s ashram. It’s just too grotesque for words.
So, needing some uplift, I thought about all the grassroots organizing that goes on all the time, around the world, on so many issues. One campaign that war tax resisters have been and should continue to be linked to is the Global Campaign on Military Spending (GCOMS). They are gearing up for the Global Days of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) from April 10 to May 9, 2020, and their nicely redesigned website has excellent background information on military spending and related topics.
The Global Campaign on Military Spending is a year-round international campaign founded in December 2014 with the aim of raising awareness on the excessive amount of public money spent year after year on the military system all over the world and the need to reallocate that money to human and environmental needs.
GCOMS is run by a steering group of peace activists from all over the world, coordinated by the Centre Delàs of Peace Studies in Barcelona (Spain), which works as a decentralized office of the International Peace Bureau. NWTRCC is one of about 150 partner organizations from around the world — all named and linked on the About page of the website if you are looking for a good list of international peace organizations.
The spring actions encompass tax day in the U.S.; the April 29 release of SIPRI’s annual updated data on military spending; and ending on Europe’s Day of Peace & Unity on May 9. The campaign in the U.S. is coordinated by Joseph Gerson, with the American Friends Service Committee office in Cambridge. The U.S. planning committee is setting up some briefing calls on the U.S. military budget. The first one is planned for March 19, 8 – 9 pm Eastern time, with Lindsay Koshgarian (National Priorities Project) and Bill Hartung, among other things, author of Prophets of War: Lockheed Martin and the Making of the Military-Industrial Complex. You must register to access the call (click on this link) .
If you are planning a tax day action, or actions around tax day, try to link up with GCOMS to be part of this wider network. Local and regional groups can list their actions on the GCOMS website, which has lots of resources, including a whole handbook on How to plan your campaign, along with photos and reports from previous years’ actions. The infographics page is fun and useful. If you use social media, grab some of those and use them in your posts.
Ruth Benn
On the occasion of GDAMS 2019 we prepared 2 infographics, one about the biggest military spenders and another one about arms transfers.
Please feel free to use them and share them so we can get the word out on the nonsense of militarization and warmongering!
The first one draws data from SIPRI’s Military Expenditure Database and shows through bubbles on a world map the 30 states with the highest military expenditure. It also displays military expenditure by regions, adding also NATO and the EU. On the upper side, a bar graphic shows the world total (1,82 trillion USD for 2017), and the proportion of this represented by the U.S. (649$b –more than a third), the 7 next biggest spenders (another third) and everyone else (the last third).
Also in Spanish, French, Italian, Catalan and Finnish.
This infographic was first created with figures for the year 2017, and was updated with figures for 2018 after SIPRI released the new data on April 29 2019.
You can download the infographic with data for the year 2017 here.
The second infographic uses data from SIPRI’s Arms Transfers Database, updated in March 2019. It displays through bubbles on a world map representing proportionally the 15 largest importers and exporters of major arms.
It seemed relevant to us how the biggest exporters (in turquoise) are mostly in Northern countries and how importers (in red) are mainly in the South. Weapons flow therefore from North to South, which proves the the responsibility of Northern exporters in tensions and conflicts around the world, that ultimately generate enormous suffering and instability.
The infographic also displays in a bar below the name of each country its 3 main clients/suppliers, in relation to the total. This intends to show connections among countries and to point fingers at those states selling weapons to others involved in conflicts, tensions and/or systematically violating human rights.
Vigils by Women in Black London at the Edith Cavell statue in St. Martin’s square, Charing Cross, at 6pm. WiB encouraged passersby to reflect on military spending and to think of alternatives to rechannel the $ 1’82 trillion allocated to global military spending last year with the help of banners and infographics. Besides informing people, participants were invited to wrote their own alternatives to allocate funds to instead of the military sector and to take a picture with it.
Our message is now as necessary as it’ll ever be, as we face the consequences of spending trillions in the military for decades while slashing funds and privatising the sectors that truly provide human and common security. We call on civil society and the media to push for major reductions of military expenditures. We demand that governments reduce their military spending, and commit funding to covering the true needs of the people and the planet to build a just and sustainable peace.
1. Take action online: use your social media to get a buzz going in your own network; help spread the word on demilitarization and disarmament by sharing news, materials and actions;
2. Prepare a press conference.
We organise press conferences all around the world the day that SIPRI releases new data on military spending in order to get our message on the media: we demand major reductions on defence budgets and the refunneling of those funds to protect people and the environment! If you want to prepare one, reach to us and we’ll help you plan it.
3. Prepare a webinar or participate in them:
Check out our action’s agenda to find online events and inspiraton.
4. Use your own networks to spread the word on demilitarization and the need to cut military spending. Find allies: reach out to groups in your country and to other civil society organizations and social movements with common approaches and values;
#GivePeaceABudget CAMPAIGN
WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH 2 TRILLION USD?
Join our online campaign by proposing alternatives to the 2 trillion dollars the world dedicates to the military.
1. Download the banner (by clicking in the image below), print it and fill it in with your proposal for that money to be reallocated to.
Or if you prefer it, prepare you own banner. If you’re with kids at home they can surely prepare nicer ones and would have great ideas for the 2,11 trillion $
2. Take a picture with the banner. The more people, the merrier!
3. Once you have the picture, publish it in your own social media, tagging us:
@DemilitarizeDay
@DemilitarizeDay 
@gcoms
You can also tag @IntlPeaceBureau and partner organizations.
If you prefer us to post the picture for you, send it to us on a private message on our social media or to our email: coordination@gcoms.ipb.org
4. Lastly, use some of the hashtags of the campaign:
#GivePeaceABudget
#GDAMS2022
#WelfareNotWarfare
#MoveTheMoney
Download it as a pdf here.
You can also download this image in Spanish and Catalan.
Should governments give a budget to tackling climate and environmental emergencies? To granting quality education for everyone? To ensuring healthcare to all citizens? To cooperation and development… or to humanitarian aid?
Due to the war in Ukraine, militarism is being boosted all around the world and many countries have This year, the world reaped the horrors of its investments in tools of war. The violence being perpetrated on people around the world at the hands of militarized states has had devastating impacts on humanity and the environment. The $1.98 trillion spent on militaries in 2020 did not provide true security— instead, these bloated budgets for weapons and war kept us mired in cycles of violence. It is time for us to join together and call on governments around the world to cut military spending, and to instead invest in common and human security. We need to give peace a budget.
1. Take action online: use your social media to get a buzz going in your own network; help spread the word on demilitarization and disarmament by sharing news, materials and actions;
2. Prepare a press conference or a press release.
On April 25 we’ll analyse the new data on military spending released that day by SIPRI and get our message on the media: we demand major reductions on defence budgets, instead of the increases expected and announced in many countries. So far we have confirmed press conferences in Seoul, Berlin, Barcelona and Manila. We’ll prepare a common press release too, if you want to send it to your media list, please reach out to us in our email.
3. Prepare a webinar or participate in them:
Participate in the online events of the campaign, as the webinars organised by IPB, Scrap Weapons of AFSC.
4. Use your own networks to spread the word on alternative budget priorites and on the need to drastically reduce military spending. Find allies: reach out to groups in your country and to other civil society organizations and movements with common causes and values;
#MOVETHEMONEY CAMPAIGN – INSTAGRAM FILTER
WHERE WOULD YOU MOVE THE MILITARY SPENDING MONEY TO?
For this year’s Global Days of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS), that will take place from April 10 to May 17, we are re-launching our Selfie Campaign, but this time we’ll be using an Istagram Filter, which incorporates the ‘#MoveTheMoney’ banner and randomly assigns alternatives.
1. Find our filter here (AVAILABLE FROM APRIL 26 ONWARDS)
2. Once you have the short video, publish it on Instagram and other social media, tagging us: @DemilitarizeDay @DemilitarizeDay @gcoms
You can also tag @IntlPeaceBureau and partner organizations.
If you prefer us to post the picture for you, send it to us on a private message on social media or to our email: coordination@gcoms.ipb.org
You can also tag @IntlPeaceBureau and partner organizations.
If you prefer us to post the picture for you, send it to us on a private message on our social media or to our email: coordination@gcoms.ipb.org
4. Lastly, use some of the hashtags of the campaign:
#MoveTheMoney #Demilitarize #GDAMS #GCOMS
#HealthcareNotWarfare #MilitarySpendingCostsUsTheEarth
#DivestFromWar #PeaceNotWar #WelfareNotWarfare #FundPeaceNotWar #CutMilex #BuildPeaceNotWalls #FundHumanNeeds #StopTheWarOnLife
To find inspiration on how to plan your actions, check out the GCOMS Handbook.
The first part of the Handbook includes an introduction to the problem of military spending. Recent global data are presented to underline the magnitude of the problem, the connection between military spending and the military-industrial complex and the basic dichotomy between military spending and human needs. Military spending is also discussed in a framework of security models.
In the second part, some precise definitions of military spending (Milex) are presented and discussed. It is shown that military spending is always greater than the figures presented by national states and alliances like NATO, because of hidden budget items. In any case, there is no universal accepted definition of Milex, and this is a fact that makes very difficult to undertake reliable analysis on its evolution, structure and trends.
The third part of the Handbook presents the GCOMS campaign. Including some advice, ideas and inspiration in order to campaign for the reduction of military spending in the framework of GCOMS, by presenting a compendium of several strategies, related to public-awareness actions, lobbying to politicians and other key stakeholders, online campaigning, media coverage and networking.
The Handbook was presented during a Webinar on February 27, 2018. It included presentations from Rete Disarmo and the GCOMS Coordination team.
Last September 29-30, the Asia Europe People’s Forum made visible the forces undermining participatory democracy, peoples’ rights and fundamental freedoms across Asia and Europe, trying to think on how to create opportunities to build solidarity across countries, cultures, struggles, issues and sectors; come up with collective strategies and actions to reclaim peoples’ rights and freedoms, and rebuild more participatory democracies.
At the Forum, Jordi Calvo observed that Governments don’t work on the Human Security framework because the security they prioritize is the security of States, meaning in most of the cases not to question political, social or economical status quo, and elites refusing the possibility of loosing privileges. The old idea of deterrence and security doctrines based on an increase of military capabilities as a way to get more security has been proven false.
Instead, militarization and armamentism have created an arms race in the world, having also decreased human security: It’s crystal clear that terrorist threats are much higher nowadays than when the Global War On Terror started, in 2001. Military budgets militarize relations between countries, and more militarization means bigger armies, easier to mobilize, to be sent anywhere in the world. High rates of military spending makes more likely the use of military instead of diplomacy. As a result, cooperation, multilateralism and preventive diplomacy are in risk of being totally ineffective.
According to Jordi Calvo, Military spending serves mainly to militarize societies and politics but also economics. Public military budgets are the only relevant source of incomes for military industry. Despite doubts of efficiency of military response to security threats, military companies are able to get from governments public contracts, grants for military research, and support from foreign affairs services of a country, from Ministry of Defence, and even from Heads of States. This is achieved because of the influence and lobby of the so-called military-industrial complex. Which includes not only arms businessmen, middlemen, but also militaries and politicians. It’s possible, thanks to a phenomenon known as “revolving doors” which allows an easy transition of key people from arms business to government high responsibilities in Defence and even militaries that become CEOs of military industries. In addition military companies have a complete network of think tanks and management organizations physically based close to the main centers of political decision-making. As an example we can mention hundreds of military lobbyists in Brussels, that “help”, “give support” and “help to reflect” on security matters European parliamentarians, members of the European Commission and civil servants, through publications, reports, conferences, congresses and recommendations about defense and security in Europe. We can explain one of the main successes of this lobby, which is related to securitization of refugees and all kinds of migrants’ arrivals to Europe. What should have been a humanitarian crisis that needs a humanitarian response, has become a security problem for Europe, and the reaction has been to increasing miltarisation of the Union that includes a new and costly military budget to help military companies to develop new weapons and military equipment to manage migrants movements. Securitization is not done only in relation to migration policies, but also to some of the main challenges for humanity, like climate change. If everything is placed under a securitization perspective, military responses will be more likely. Securitization, or what is the same, considers all social, human or environmental aspects as military threats and militarized solutions, which is definitely the best marketing for the arms industry.
The growing militarisation of international relations in the last few years are characteristic of an armed peace, which together with the rise of populist nationalisms all around the world is creating a dangerous prewar scenario. Changing this trend is a common responsibility. Regarding military and security, it seems we cannot rely in our governments; changes are not likely to come from the top. A strong social movement against Military Spending is needed to reduce militarization and armamentism worldwide. A strong movement is needed to avoid war and its preparation. GCOMS helps national campaigning on military spending creating dissemination materials such as infographics, selfie campaign for social networks, a handbook on campaigning about military spending, among other actions of coordination.
