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In This Issue
A note from Kathie
Terrorism: weapon of the power elite?
Arms for children
Imperialism by any other name...
Torture quiz
Featured comment on Engaging Peace
Children and youth peace corner: Planting peace
  
Kathie Malley-Morrison Sketch

Greetings! 

 

Throughout June, Engaging Peace has recognized Torture Awareness Month in a series of posts.

This newsletter provides a sample, including the Torture Quiz and a view of "terrorism," a term used to justify the use of torture.

We also feature the longstanding impacts of imperialism on our world today, and the growing challenges of guns in the hands of children.

Yet children can be such a source of hope for a world of peace, as seen in this month's Children and Youth Peace Corner.

Please join the dialogue on  
-- Kathie
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-- More on imperialism by Dahlia Wasfi
-- International research on peace perspectives
-- Solitary confinement in prisons   
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The Newsletter of Engaging Peace                           June 2013
   
Terrorism: weapon of the power elite?

By Dr. Kathie Malley-Morrison

Assata Shakur.
Assata Shakur. Photo in public domain.

  

Terrorism is defined as the "systematic use of violence to create a general climate of fear in a population and thereby to bring about a particular political objective.... Although usually thought of as a means of destabilizing or overthrowing existing political institutions, terror also has been employed by governments against their own people to suppress dissent." (Merriam-Webster online dictionary)

 

You are already aware that in contrast with most other "mass murderers," the accused Boston Marathon bombers were triumphantly identified as Muslims and gleefully labeled as terrorists.

Now, for the first time in history, a woman-- Assata Olugbala Shakur, whom the FBI calls by her former married name, Joanne Chesimard--has been put on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorist list, with a $2 million bounty... Read more... 

Arms for children

By guest author Luciana Karine de Souza

Graffiti child with gun
Used under CC license.

 

What does a society do when its children kill? This question became intensely personal in Brazil with the recent shooting death of a college student in S�o Paulo. The victim was 19 years old; the shooter was 17.

 

Child and adolescent psychologists teach us that emotional stability, autonomy, and independence come with time and flourish when children develop secure attachments to the adults who care for them. But what happens when the adults providing children and adolescents with reciprocity, sensibility, monitoring, and so on, do so not for a humane... Read more... 

Imperialism by any other name...still stinks

By guest author Dr. Dahlia Wasfi 

 

Imperialism is defined as the policy of extending a nation's authority by territorial acquisition or by the establishment of economic and political hegemony over other nations.

 

The British Empire's reign expanded through the invasion of 90% of the countries on Planet Earth, including those of Western Asia (the "Middle East"). This region remains riddled with violent strife.

 

Duplicity by the Allies during the World War I era is the root of the injustice and accompanying conflict that continue between Western Asia and Western powers. Today, the imperialist drives of the United States and NATO are continuing the bloodshed... Read more... 

Torture quiz
By Dr. Kathie Malley-Morrison
Guantanamo detainees
Guantanamo detainees. Image in public domain.

     

Question: What is the significance of June? Answer: June is Torture Awareness Month.

 

Question: What is the significance of Guantanamo? Answer: Guantanamo is the symbol of American shame and self-degradation.

 

Fact: Our government has physically and psychologically tortured innocent men, and has kept them locked in a hellhole to the point that they are starving themselves.

 

Question: Why? Answer: The government fears that after the treatment those men have received at the hands of American henchmen, they may become terrorists if they return...  Read more...  

Laptop computerFeatured comment on Engaging Peace
By Max Munchow

One can look at the actions of Tamerlan and Dzhokhar in the way Moghaddam describes in his article "The Staircase to Terrorism." The first step is to perceive some injustice or deprivation. In the cases of the Tsarnaev brothers, one could guess that it was the injustice they saw that was happening to their people in Chechnya, and the perceived complicity... Read more... 

Children and youth peace corner
Planting peace Tree sapling

By Krista Lee Berardi   

 

Planting Peace is a non-profit organization that--quite literally--plants peace around the world. One of the organization's many projects involves planting trees around the world, particularly in areas suffering from deforestation or malnutrition. Over one million seeds have been donated for these causes.

The organization promotes "the power of one" person to spread peace and goodwill through initiatives such as anti-bullying, equality, rainforest conservation, and more. The website offers a way to become a volunteer based on your areas of interest. Check out Planting Peace to see which project you would like to get involved in!
Join the dialogue about Choosing Peace for Good!  Just go to the Engaging Peace blog and post a comment. Please also invite others by clicking "Forward email" below.
 
Sincerely,
Kathie Malley-Morrison, Principal Author
Pat Daniel, Managing Editor
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