Features in issue 2447

Neither cowards nor heroes

by Bojan Aleksov

Most antimilitarists like to imagine deserters and COs as heroic - if desperate - young men who stand up for what they believe and refuse to bear arms. But in reality they are as flawed as young men everywhere. Bojan Aleskov recalls the challenges of organising with deserters from former Yugoslavia, including the arguments about the washing-up!

Speaking out against violence

by Ryan Amundson

The dominant image of the US response to the events of 11 September 2001 has been one of a people wanting vengeance, of an inevitable cycle of "justified" violence - manifesting as the "war on terror". Being visible against war and violence is not a popular position and may get you labelled as "unpatriotic" or as a "traitor". But what about when the people calling for a halt to the violence are those who lost the most - the families of the 11 September victims? Peace News talks with Ryan Amundson from the Peaceful Tomorrows group about turning grief into action.

Operation "Self-Interest?"

by Bobi

In recent years militaries have tried to carve out a new role for themselves by engaging in "peacekeeping" duties in conflict areas around the world. This is the acceptable face of militarism. PN spoke with Bobi from the Group for Anti-Militarist Action in Macedonia about life with NATO.

The home front: a white woman against apartheid and conscription

by Kathryn Mathers

Conscientious objection and the support of COs is vital work in itself, but often one of the reasons people choose to become COs is not that they have a fundamental objection to militarism, but that they have a deep opposition to the type of activities the military engage in on behalf of the state. In this article Kathryn Mathers offers a good example by locating the struggle against conscription in 1980s South Africa in the wider struggle against apartheid.

Pacified into fighting: How Israeli Jewish men are manipulated

by Lothan Raz

From the cradle to the grave... Lothan Raz explains how ideals of heroism, strength and security, conspire to create an "inhumanly" militarised existence for Israeli men.

What does it mean to be an antimilitarist?

by Martin Rodriguez

Colombian conscientious objector Martin Rodriguez shares his experience of life in a heavily militarised society.

Peace, progress and private armies

by Naeem Sadiq

Armed groups who operate outside of the "national armed forces" model - be they guerrillas engaged in "liberation" struggles, mercenaries or private armies - present specific challenges to antimilitarist activists, as this article by Naeem Sadiq suggests.

Yesh Gvul: a uniquely Israeli innovation in the culture of protest

by Peretz Kidron

In this article looking at the development of the "selective refusal" (to military service) movement, Peretz Kidron argues that the Israeli experience proves it to be a valuable tool of protest.