Lawrence Wittner's blog

National Illusions and Global Realities

Lawrence Wittner — Sun, 11 Jun 2017 21:22:35 +0000

For as long as they have existed, nations have clung to the illusion that their military strength guarantees their security.

The problem with this kind of thinking is that the military power that one nation considers vital to its security fosters other nations’ sense of insecurity. In this climate of suspicion, an arms race ensues, often culminating in military conflict. Also, sometimes the very military strength that a nation intended for protection ends up emboldening it to engage in reckless, aggressive behavior, leading to war.

How Business "Partnerships" Flopped at America's Largest University

Lawrence Wittner — Mon, 29 May 2017 01:16:31 +0000

The State University of New York (SUNY)―the largest university in the United States, with nearly 600,000 students located in 64 publicly-funded higher education institutions―has served an important educational function for the people of New York and of the United States. But its recent “partnerships” with private businesses have been far less productive.

Why Is There So Little Popular Protest Against Today's Threats of Nuclear War?

Lawrence Wittner — Sat, 22 Apr 2017 03:09:52 +0000

In recent weeks, the people of the world have been treated to yet another display of the kind of nuclear insanity that has broken out periodically ever since 1945 and the dawn of the nuclear era.

Can Our Social Institutions Catch Up With Advances in Science and Technology?

Lawrence Wittner — Mon, 27 Mar 2017 01:38:25 +0000

H.G. Wells, one of the most prolific and prominent novelists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, consistently warned his contemporaries that social institutions were not evolving fast enough to cope with rapid changes in science and technology.

Why Should Trump--or Anyone--Be Able to Launch a Nuclear War?

Lawrence Wittner — Sun, 26 Feb 2017 23:03:56 +0000

The accession of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency brings us face-to-face with a question that many have tried to avoid since 1945: Should anyone have the right to plunge the world into a nuclear holocaust?

Should We Keep Wasting Money on Missile Defense--or Invest in Something Useful?

Lawrence Wittner — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 03:17:00 +0000

When Americans criticize wasteful government spending, they often fail to realize that the biggest sinkhole for public funds is what’s described as “national defense”―a program that, all too often, does little or nothing to defend them.

A Peace Agenda for the New Administration

Lawrence Wittner — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 04:25:31 +0000

The looming advent of the Trump administration in Washington threatens to worsen an already deeply troubling international situation. Bitter wars are raging, tens of millions of refugees have taken flight, relations among the great powers are deteriorating, and a new nuclear arms race is underway. Resources that could be used to fight unemployment, poverty, and climate change are being lavished on the military might of nations around the world―$1.7 trillion in 2015 alone. The United States accounts for 36 percent of that global total.

Given this grim reality, let us consider an alternative agenda for the new administration―an agenda for peace.

The Scandal of Vast Inequality in Retirement Pay

Lawrence Wittner — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 18:37:50 +0000

Cato the Elder, a Roman senator and historian, once remarked: “Cessation of work is not accompanied by cessation of expenses.” For centuries, retirees have been aware of this unfortunate fact, which led them to demand and, in many cases, secure old age pensions to help provide financial security during their “golden years.” But as indicated in a recently-released report by the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), the financial security of retiring corporate CEOs is far, far greater than the financial security of average Americans.

Scapegoating by the Political Right: A Mask for Privilege

Lawrence Wittner — Mon, 12 Dec 2016 03:10:10 +0000

Recently, many commentators have expressed surprise at the romance between the incoming Trump administration and the hate-filled ranks of racial, religious, and nativist bigots.

Let's Reduce the U.S. Nuclear Arsenal

Lawrence Wittner — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 00:03:47 +0000

At present, nuclear disarmament seems to have ground to a halt. Nine nations have a total of approximately 15,500 nuclear warheads in their arsenals, including 7,300 possessed by Russia and 7,100 possessed by the United States. A Russian-American treaty to further reduce their nuclear forces has been difficult to secure thanks to Russian disinterest and Republican resistance.

Yet nuclear disarmament remains vital, for, as long as nuclear weapons exist, it is likely that they will be used. Wars have been fought for thousands of years, with the most powerful weaponry often brought into play. Nuclear weapons were used with little hesitation by the U.S. government in 1945 and, although they have not been employed in war since then, how long can we expect to go on without their being pressed into service again by hostile governments?