United States of America

Binary gender, white supremacy, heteronormativity and heteropatriarchy are the inevitable outgrowths of capitalism and colonization. For these reasons, it is a mistake to look at inclusion in the military as a milestone of what our movements can achieve.

Unionised bus drivers in Minneapolis have pledged not to drive buses taking protesters to jail or police officers, in solidarity with the thousands of people in the city who have taken part in protests following the murder of George Floyd by a member of the Minneapolis police force.

The Canadian government has invested an additional US$70m to remain one of the nine partner countries in the development of the F35 fighter jet, despite not yet committing to purchase any of the planes.

The Pentagon has begun to put pressure on suppliers of components for weapons in Mexico, to reopen factories and restart exports to the US.

New York City Council is considering divesting its pension fund from nuclear weapons producers. On 28th January, councillors heard hours of public testimony in support of two bills which call for NYC to divest public employee pension funds from companies involved in nuclear weapons production and maintenance.

Donald Trump has lifted restrictions on the use of anti-personnel landmines by the US military.

Shares in some of the world’s biggest arms companies rose to a combined total of nearly $14bn in the wake of the US assassination of the Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani, with investors expecting a wave of fresh orders.

This statement was originally published by War Resisters League, one of WRI's affiliates in the USA, and endorsed by WRI Executive Committee.

Wednesday, January 8th, 2020

Dear friends,

The American company American Outdoor Brands has has announced a decision to separate the firearms manufacturing arm of its company - Smith and Wesson - from its outdoor products business.

A new report published by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), called “Schools of Mass Destruction: American Universities in the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Complex,” details nearly fifty universities and educational establishments in the USA with links to nuclear weapons development.

Trump outlined a strategy for securing the Southern Border that included peddling the idea that as president, he would build a large wall to keep out dangerous migrants (read: poor and of color) from the United States. This strategy of building border walls, which was significantly expanded under Presidents Bush, Clinton, and Bush Jr., has created a human rights disaster that barely gets any reasonable attention in United States media.

Seven peace activists from USA were convicted for their protest on the Kings Bay nuclear submarine base in Georgia (USA) last year. The date for their sentencing hearing has not been set yet. The peace activists may face up to 25 years in jail. To support them via a global petition and get more information see here: https://kingsbayplowshares7.org