World BEYOND War

Contact:

Greta Zarro greta@worldbeyondwar.org

Allied Groups or Campaigns:

Mission:

Founded in 2014, World BEYOND War is a global grassroots network of volunteers, activists, and allied organizations advocating for the abolition of war. We work to advance the idea of not just preventing any particular war but abolishing the entire institution. Instead, we call for an alternative global security system based on peace, nonviolence, and demilitarization.

While public opinion has moved against war, we intend to seize this moment to crystallize that opinion into a movement that spreads awareness that war can be ended, that its ending is hugely popular, that war should be ended as it endangers rather than protects, and that there are steps we can and must take to move toward war’s reduction and abolition.

Our work debunks the myths that war is inevitable, just, necessary, or beneficial. Our peace education program lays out the strategies needed to demilitarize security, manage conflict nonviolently, and cultivate a culture of peace. World BEYOND War’s grassroots-led activist campaigns are centered around weapons divestment and closing military bases around the world. Our offerings include books, online courses, webinars, podcasts, mapping militarism charts, the peace almanac, Study War No More study & action guide, fact sheets, conferences, trainings, and much more.

People in 175 countries have signed World BEYOND War’s Declaration of Peace. Add your name. Find a local chapter near you, or start your own. Follow us on TwitterFacebook, and Instagram.

Our success is driven by a people-powered movement. Sign up as a monthly sustainer to support our work for a culture of peace.

After you have read this introduction, click the blue “View Coming Events” calendar button and you may find opportunities to participate in saving our world. If your group is planning a relevant event, we welcome your contribution to the calendar.

And join the discussion! Please wait a few seconds for the comments to load at the bottom of this page. Then read the ideas other people have shared and reply or add your own knowledge. Thanks!

8 comments on “World BEYOND War

  • Project Save The World says:

    Is World Beyond War an “anti-War movement” or a “peace movement”?

    I wasn’t aware that there was any difference between anti-war and peace movements until I read the Wikipedia article on ‘anti-war movements.’ Here’s what they say:

    “An anti-war movement (also antiwar) is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation’s decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term anti-war can also refer to Pacifism”, which is the opposition to all use of military force during conflicts, or to anti-war books, paintings, and other works of art. Many activists distinguish between anti-war movements and peace movements. Anti-war activists work through protest and other grassroots means to attempt to pressure a government (or governments) to put an end to a particular war or conflict or to prevent it in advance.”

    Presumably a peace movement has big aspirations — to abolish ALL wars, not just the one that is of concern in that immediate situation. I think I’d rather think big than small, but of course, it is hard to think through all the changes that would be required to make war absolutely obsolete.

    Reply
    • Hi Beverly,

      At World BEYOND War, we call ourselves an anti-war movement – our mission is to abolish the entire institution of war and to establish a just and sustainable peace. We were founded because we saw a need for an organization that tackled the whole institution of war, not just opposing one war, or one type of weapon, but the entire thing. We also are completely nonviolent in our work. Our work is both pro-peace and anti-war, and we try to consciously use both terms in our work, so that we emphasize that we are not only working to dismantle the war machine but to promote a positive vision for a culture of peace.

      -Greta

      Reply
  • Project Save The World says:

    One of your speakers on the podcast about war and the environment indicated that there is more and more a trend toward emphasizing arguments about the cost of militarism. That seems to be a more promising solution than just appealing to people on moral grounds to stop killing. Money, it seems, is what people care about. If they could maintain a huge army without paying a huge cost, they would do so. Therefore, it makes sense to point out just how much they are paying for war, and how many other things they are going without in order to pay for that army.

    Reply
  • Ruth Needham says:

    Good for those Irish activists!

    Fascinating to learn from your new podcast that peace activists in Ireland are protesting against the Irish government’s policy of letting the US stop off in Shannon Airport when transporting troops to war zones. That’s a brilliant way of blocking war: just don’t let the warriors use your airport! Good thinking, friends in Ireland. Carry on!

    Reply

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