War Resisters' Stories

en
Issue number
99

When the US military detonated the most powerful bomb they had ever tested over Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands - a hydrogen bomb code-named "Castle Bravo", with 1000 times the explosive power of the Hiroshima bomb - Lijon Eknilang and the inhabitants of Rongelap Atoll and neighbouring atolls could not have known the impact it would have.

What happens to our anti-war movements when we broaden our understanding of conflict to the extractive zones that make war possible? Can we throw more grains of sand into the machines of the military-industrial complex by beginning our analysis with the struggles of the communities whose lands and resources are exploited to materialise war?

On 28th August 2024, the Colombian government issued a decree establishing an alternative to military service, referred to as Social Service for Peace. This alternative service is part of the current government's broader policy aimed at achieving what is known as “total peace,” following the 2016 peace agreements. Check here some of the general provisions and the issues pointed out as problematic by the Observatory of Militarism in Colombia.

In October 2024, both Croatia and Serbia announced the reintroduction of military conscription. Both countries had previously abolished compulsory military service: Serbia in 2011 and Croatia in 2008. Starting in January 2025, Croatia will require young men to serve for a period of two months, while Serbia plans for conscription to last 75 days.

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