FOR's disarmament program seeks to create a world
free of weapons, and to abolish all institutions that conduct,
support, and profit from warmaking. We envision a time when
nuclear weapons (and all weapons of mass destruction) are abolished
from the earth, landmines are outlawed, and armies no longer march.
Further, we will work for both national and global economic transformation
bringing an end to the corrupt and wasteful epoch of destructive
military spending, and replaces it with earth-friendly and sustainable
economic interrelationships based upon the principles of economic
justice and the satisfaction of human needs before the pursuit
of profit.
This work will not be easy, and the struggle
will be a long one. But we are animated by the spirit of Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr., and his vision of a beloved, nonviolent community
transcending cultural and national boundaries.
With this vision in mind, we will broadly
seek to:
- give active support to, and participate
in, the Decade for a Culture of Peace
and Nonviolence and its national and international programs
and initiatives
- educate members of diverse faith communities
about the real magnitude of militarism in our society
- expose the linkages between militarism
and all other forms of interpersonal and societal violence
- expose the true economic cost, and
economic waste, of military spending, and its relationship
to poverty and economic injustice
- bring relief and support to communities
and peoples who suffer from the effects of U.S. military violence
- build common cause and mutuality with all
movements for social justice and transformation, both within
this society and throughout the world
Specifically, we will call for:
- An immediate reversal of the trend
for increased military spending, and no less than a 50 percent
reduction in military spending in the first decade of the new
millennium. Our goal is the total elimination of military spending
and the eventual dismantling of all military institutions.
- The global abolition of nuclear weapons,
first through the ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban
Treaty by the U.S. Senate, and then through U.S. leadership and
support for a Nuclear Weapons Convention to conclude an international
treaty for total nuclear disarmament.
- The eradication of the global arms
trade, and broad economic conversion to a peace-centered national
and global economy
- Full U.S. compliance with
all the provisions of the Panama Canal Treaty, including both
complete military withdrawal from Panama by December 31, 1999,
and compliance with the responsibility to clean up hazardous
waste and dangerous ordnance. Further, the U.S. government
must disclose to the government of Panama all pertinent information
pertaining to chemical weapons storage and testing on Panamanian
territory.
- Ratification of the Optional Protocol
on the Rights of the Child, with an end to the military recruitment
of children under the age of 18, and the dismantling of
all school-based military training programs.
- Strong measures to stop violence against
women in the military.
- Closing the School of the Americas
- An immediate end to economic sanctions and
military strikes against the Iraqi people, and the pursuit of
nonviolent and diplomatic solutions to the unresolved issues
between the Iraqi and U.S. governments.
We believe in the unity of the vision of Dr.
King in our opposition not only to military violence, but to racial
and economic injustice as well. Further, we believe that peace
and justice, and ultimately the Beloved Community of humankind,
will ultimately be realized only when the institution of war is
totally abolished. It is not just a human right to refuse war
and work for peace: it is a human imperative.
Our work for disarmament is
a call to re-energize this vision, to amplify it, and to rededicate
it to the ultimate goal of total disarmament as a necessary cornerstone
in the building of the Kingdom of God.
Truly, the God of Peace calls us, in the prophetic
spirit of Isaiah, to beat our swords into plowshares, and study
war no more.
For more information about the FOR
Peace and Disarmament Program, contact the program's
coordinator Ibrahim Ramey at the FOR National Office, e-mail disarm@forusa.org.
