Ending the Ukraine War: Can there by solidarity within the peace movement?

Deep divisions within the movement over how to respond to the Ukraine war have vexed the peace activists. Cleveland Peace Action board members Terry Lodge and Mark Weber present contrasting views. Then, with the audience, they grapple with differences and search for points of agreement. Moderator: Francis Chiappa

[self_taught_cleveland_artist]

I'm saddened by how so many former anti-war activists have turned into neo-lib hawks over Ukraine. In fact, one side of this debate between peace(?) activists seems to be arguing from that position himself. There's no national liberation or self determination of peoples on a dead planet, and any comparison that some other ex-antiwar activists make of the present situation in Ukraine to Munich 1938 is not just totally specious, but wildly irresponsible to the point of insanity. Hitler didn't have thousands of atom bombs when he marched into Czechoslovakia. Yes, Putin is a war criminal and Russian troops have to get out of Ukraine. What we can do to achieve that end I do not know. But fanning the flames of war and sending more Ukrainians off to die in a nonstop meat grinder can't be the answer. The Peace movement should take a position of demanding negotiations no matter how long it takes for the parties to get the table, and at the very least president Biden should be reminded again and again and again of his earlier position that there'd be no long range missiles for Ukraine or U.S. boots on the ground there. He can be messaged through the White House's web site, which isn't hard to find on Google. If you want to send tangible Humanitarian aid the people of Ukraine, the International Rescue Committee is a good group to contribute to.