The Broken Rifle

What should we name as “threats”? What criteria should we use to analyse threats? How do we come to perceive something as threatening? How can we decipher language aimed at public opinion concerning real risks? Many questions confront anyone seeking to draw up an inventory of threats.

Since conflict broke out in Sudan in April 2023, between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, WRI members in the country have faced enormous challenges. In this interview, a Sudanese activist and organiser share his firsthand experiences and reflections. To understand his reflections, we also look at Sudan’s recent history and wider conflict.

For the last few weeks Turkey has been experiencing one of the most significant and widespread socio-political upheavals in recent years. The detention of Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul, on 19th March triggered an outpouring of anger in Turkey against the government, President Erdoğan and the discomfort caused by the ongoing socio-political-economic crisis. The protests turned into a street mobilisation not seen in Turkey for a long time.

South Koreans reversed a martial law decree in just six hours, showing how ordinary citizens and politicians can take fast action to uphold democracy.

Far from representing the agenda of a single party or ideological constellation, Mexico’s militarisation over the last few years is part of a phenomenon that has constantly developed over decades, unimpeded by the succession of governments of different political shades and orientations.

Invitation to an international Peace Camp and Conference at a major UK airbase used by the US Air Force, for conventional and potentially nuclear weapons stationing.

This quick overview of my impressions, following a twelve-day stay in Kosovo, does not claim to be a detailed analysis of the situation in this country. I was not in Kosovo for political or journalistic reasons, but as a volunteer for the NGO "The Ideas Partnership". This non-profit organization, founded in 2009, tries to fill the gap in education, health care, and school and social support suffered by the most deprived communities in Kosovo (Roma, Ashkali, and other marginalized communities).

In the vast, silent expanse of the Algerian Sahara lies an enduring legacy of destruction, a shadow cast by French nuclear testing that continues to harm lives and the environment decades later.

In December 2024, WRI staff member Andrew Metheven met with Khem Rogaly, a Senior Research Fellow at Common Wealth, a think tank that sets out to “reimagine ownership to repair past harms and secure a future of sustainable and shared prosperity”.

Palestinians have been able to steadfastly face Israeli attempts at obliterating the knowledge and skills that Palestinians draw on to maintain a sustainable attachment to the land. I call this the act of eco-sumud, meaning eco-steadfastness.

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?

Australia’s largest weapons expo, Land Forces, was held in the city of Melbourne from September 11 to 13 last week, with several thousands of us showing up to protest and disrupt the event as much as possible.