Issue: 2443

A brief round-up of May Day events from around the world.

In Israel, three conscientious objectors to military service were imprisoned during April and early May.

In Northern Ireland, Derry's political parties must find the backbone to publicly state their position on the development of an arms industry in the city, according to Patricia McKenna, Ireland's leading Green MEP. “I believe that the vast majority of people in Derry will oppose the arms trade once they are clear about what is going on in this city,” she added.

On 8 March the United Nations Development Fund for Women and International Alert awarded Women in Black, Belgrade, among others, their millennium peace prize.

The second military trial against Russian environmental journalist Grigory Pasko started in Vladivostock in March, after the Military Collegium of the Russian Supreme Court decided to overturn the original verdict.

Action by Israelis, Palestinians and internationals

Protesting at Coca-Cola

Writing from prison with an update on the experiences of US activists, John La Forge continues the debate on the law and nuclear weapons.

Franco Perna reports on the initiatives of the Quaker Peace Centre and recent political and social events affecting the "new" South Africa.

An examination of women's participation in formal and informal peace-building activities shows that in most cases women are excluded from formal peace negotiations. Anu Pillay argues that women's participation in designing strategies is essential in adding value to the process of negotiating peace, and reconstructing society after conflict.

Arguing that complex social masculinities coexist—as opposed to a biologically determined singular form of masculinity—Bob Connell believes that a strategy for peace concerned with masculinities does not demand a complete break with patterns of behaviour men are familiar with. In fact, he argues, some of the qualities in "traditional" definitions of masculinity—such as courage and steadfastness—are needed in the cause of peace.

Militarism and war have in some ways changed their nature in the last two decades. Or is it our perception of them that's changed? As women in Europe involved in groups opposing militarism and war we have found ourselves having to re-organise our resistance and re-think the alternatives we are calling for.

In October, for the first time, the UN adopted a resolution on women, peace and security. Angela Mackay looks at how this may impact current UN peacekeeping operations and the relationship peacekeepers have with local women.

It has been said that the Zapatistas had a revolution within a revolution in terms of the role of women and unique gender dynamics. Three activists from Mexico explain why they believe, as a movement, Zapatismo has more than just symbolic feminine qualities.

In her ongoing examination of how women can and do operate across borders, and create spaces for dialogue, Cynthia Cockburn reports on a recent "bi-communal" experience in Cyprus.