Editorial

This issue of The Broken Rifle provides updates as to the situation for conscientious objectors in certain states, gives examples of useful instances to learn from in past campaigns, and supplies some suggestions in response to the question 'what next' for conscientious objection.

An introductory article teases out the topics that arise in this edition, then Laura Pollecutt's piece on the End Conscription Campaign reminds us of the role they had in the anti-apartheid movement, and warns that in South Africa there are often signals that conscription may
return.

Carlos Pérez Barranco's article on los insumisos, along with Eva Aneiros' review of Insumisión. Una forma de vida. ('Disobedience. A form of life') by Rosario Domínguez, explore experiences of the end of conscription in the state of Spain, proceeding Kaj Raninen, who looks towards the same process in Finland. George Karatzas then provides an update as to the situation for COs in Greece.

We include a review of COnscription - a film installation focused on Turkey showing in London this month - by Albert Beale, and are pleased to reprint a joint statement from Egyptian and Israeli CO movements.

Moving beyond a focus on conscription, Hans Lammerant outlines the development of militarism in many areas towards professional armies and 'remote control wars' in his article 'The end of conscription and the transformation of war'.

Bob Meola looks back at the decade since the invasion of Iraq, and particularly the experiences of COs who had voluntarily joined the armed forces.

Gayle Kinkead's work with the 'conscience' peace tax campaign in Britain highlights one of the many ways in which the concept of conscientious objection is taken beyond military service. You can learn about the work of WRI's Right to Refuse to Kill programme in short pieces on the just-launched CO Guide, and on the Countering the Militarisation of Youth work, which next month sees the publication of 'Sowing Seeds: The Militarisation of Youth and How to Counter it'. We are glad to publish two truncated versions of work that will be published in this book from Sahar Vardi (looking at Israel) and Rafael Uzcátegui (in Venezuela).

Hannah Brock