War Profiteers News

This is the 10th issue of War Profiteers' News, and also the last one for the year 2007.

By Joanne Sheehan

If our goal is to close down weapons production and military bases, we need to consider what happens to the workers, the facilities, the land and the economy of the community. Economic conversion also called defense, conversion, arms conversion or peace conversion, is the planned redirection of resources from military to socially useful civilian activities, primarily new product development. It is a participatory process involving business, government, labor, and the community.

During the first two weeks of December, a state of emergency was declared in the Orellana Province in the Amazon region of Ecuador.

This state of emergency is carried out through the militarisation of Orellana which took place after representatives of the town of Dayuma (area in the country that brings in more resources to the nation) started protesting about the complete abandonment from the government in which they live, as they have almost no access to any public services.

What is the main reason behind for the

Brussels 6 November:Activists from the Belgian and International Coalitions to Ban Uranium Weapons, Netwerk Vlaanderen and Friends of the Earth organised a “radioactive buffet” for staff in the entrance hall of the Brussels offices of The Bank of New York Mellon. The buffet was organised to oppose the involvement of the bank in funding the production of controversial depleted uranium weapons.

The Center for Public Integrity is releasing their latest investigative report. Following up the Center's highly acclaimed 2003 Windfalls of War, which profiled U.S. contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan, their staff have worked to expose further information about what's behind those contracts:

KBR, Inc., the global engineering and construction giant, won more than $16 billion in U.S.

New report on universities funding from the arms trade in the UK

This new report reveals that 26 top UK universities have received contracts for at
least £725 million over six years from arms companies and public military bodies. The report, Study War No More, is published jointly by the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FoR) and CAAT.

To read the full report go to:

New report reveals alarming investment practices by financial groups

December 11, the financial watchdog Netwerk Vlaanderen NGO (B) launches the report ‘Bank Secrets'. The dossier details the investments by 121 financial groups in companies violating fundamental human rights.

The Arms and Security Initiative offers a regular E-Newsletter covering the arms trade, military budget developments and foreign policy issues. It is punchy -- informative and stimulating without being too wonky or too gloomy. It will also include their new feature: “What's Good,” which will highlight successes, victories and great ideas.

If you're interested, sign up at:

http://groups.google.com/group/arms-and-security-updates

On the 15th of November 2007, Rio Tinto Canada Holding, an indirect owned subsidiary of Rio Tinto – one of the biggest mining corporation in the world – acquired all of the common shares of Alcan world leading producer of aluminium.

For the last four years, activists and socially responsible investors have targeted the annual Caterpillar shareholder meeting in downtown Chicago to attempt to hold the company accountable for human rights abuses and war crimes committed with their equipment. The campaign has been successful in educating about the illegal and unjust uses of CAT equipment and putting pressure on the company to change its business practices.

Resist Military Globalisation!

Five years after the Iraq war started: an international action weekend at NATO's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.

Followed by the seminar organised by Bombspotting and War Resisters' International "Military globalisation and nonviolent resistance in Europe"

Interested?