GLOBAL DAY of ACTION

on MILITARY SPENDING

2011
http://demilitarize.org/
No. 4 ! March 2011

Four Weeks to Go! Organizers:

12 April, 2011 The!International Peace
Bureau ( I P B) !is
dedicated to the vision of
We're a month away from April 12, our first-ever Global Day of Action on a World Without War.
Military Spending, and groups are signing on at a rapid pace. There will be We are a
Nobel Peace Laureate (1910); over
actions in multiple cities in Australia and New Zealand. New groups have
the years, 13 of our officers have
signed up in Thailand, Cameroon, Norway, Nepal, and Brazil. And we're been recipients of the Nobel Peace
partnering with the New Priorities Network for a series of Tax Day events Prize. Our 320 member
around the United States. organisations in 70 countries,
together with individual members
from a global network, bring
On April 11, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute will
together expertise and campaigning
release its report on global military expenditures. And we want to be out in experience in a common cause. Our
the streets, in the parks, in parliaments on April 12 to tell our leaders and current main programme centres on
our media that we are wasting unbelievable amounts of money on the Sustainable Disarmament for
military. In 2009, the world spent over $1.5 trillion on the military. For that Sustainable Development.
amount of money, we could fund the United Nations for 700 years!

This newsletter will focus on the Middle East, where civic movements have Institute for Policy
been protesting against autocrats and demanding democracy. We'll also Studies (IPS) is a
community of public
highlight a number of planned actions around the world for GDAMS in
scholars and organizers
case you'd like to follow their model. And we'll give you a peek inside our linking peace, justice,
Tax Day organizers packet for groups preparing actions in the United and the environment in
States. the U.S. and globally.
We work with social movements to
promote true democracy and
challenge concentrated wealth,
corporate influence, and military
The Failures of Militarization in power. As Washington’s first
progressive multi-issue think tank,

the Middle East the IPS has served as a policy and

research resource for visionary
social justice movements for over
Nobody can now escape or deny the news that repressive military regimes four decades.!
everywhere are being shaken to their foundations by a surge of popular
revolutions. Tunisia was first to fall, then Egypt; who will fall next is
anyone’s guess. But one thing is certain: the days of military strongmen
determining people’s political, social, and economic lives are over.
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MeetUp!

Organizing an event? Be sure to

register it at our MeetUp page at
m e e t u p . c o m / g d a m s . This is an
excellent tool to spread the word about
the concrete details of your event. The
more, the better! Let’s show the world
how global this day really is.

The region’s most populous country is Egypt, which controls the Suez
Canal and has been a key U.S. ally. The Mubarak regime, whose downfall
cost some 365 Egyptians their lives, was given $1.3 billion in annual military
aid. Despite the initial refusal of the Egyptian army to fire on protesters, the
military has been very reluctant to cede power and has violently dispersed
demonstrators from Tahrir Square on numerous occasions since Mubarak’s
ouster. Egypt ranks second only to Israel (set to receive $2.75 billion this
year) among U.S. military aid recipients.

Other major recipients in the region include Jordan (over $300 million in
2010), Yemen ($155 million in 2010), and Bahrain ($19.5 million in 2010).
To enlist the support of the Jordanian and Yemeni governments in the war
on al-Qaeda, the United States has turned a blind eye to the widespread
torture of political prisoners there. Meanwhile Bahrain, host of the U.S.
Navy's Fifth Fleet, has stepped up its brutal crackdown on peaceful
protesters as the media paints the popular democratic uprising as sectarian
strife.

But the United States doesn’t support military regimes in the region only
through foreign aid. Recently President Obama green-lighted the largest
arms sale in U.S. history, worth some $60 billion, to Saudi Arabia, home to
repressive laws against women and minorities. Also, the U.S. and its
European allies have sold billions of dollars worth of weapons to Libyan
Muamar Gaddafi since he agreed to dismantle his nuclear program in 2004.

The link between military spending and anti-democratic repression is clear.

As people unite against military rule, let us stand with them on April 12th
and demand that military spending be shifted toward financing sustainable
development and the creation of democratic institutions.
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Questions from Japan Photo Wall
As Japan groans and the world holds its breath in the aftermath of the
We need more submissions to our
earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear power plant explosions, many Photo Wall! Get creative – show us
questions are being asked: with a sign or a graphic what you
would do with $1.6 trillion, and
- Who will pay for the rescue, reconstruction, and decontamination? encourage your networks to do the
same. It only takes a few minutes to
- What will be the short and longer term effects on the Japanese, and make a powerful statement!
indeed the world, economy?

- Can we use this traumatic experience to move once and for all firmly
in the direction of truly renewable energy?

And finally,

- Isnt it time that states and international institutions invested in

fully equipped emergency teams staffed by civilian professionals,
rather than always relying on the military to step in? Just 5% of
global military spending (US $ 76 billion) would go a long way.

Tax Day Actions

More than half of all discretionary spending in the U.S. federal budget –
the funds that Congress can allocate each year as opposed to mandatory
programs such as Social Security – goes to the military. Most Americans
don't realize that so much of their taxes go to the military.

When given a chance to make their own cuts in discretionary spending,

respondents in a January 2011 poll by WorldPublicOpinion.org cut $121
billion from the military out of $146 billion in overall cuts.

The reality is that U.S. military spending is not freezing or going down.
The Obama administration has proposed a 3 percent increase in
baseline spending for 2012.

April 18 is the deadline for filing tax returns in the United States. So, on
April 12, we'll be hitting the streets all over the United States with Tax
Day Actions. We're teaming up with the New Priorities Network, a
coalition of peace, human needs, and budget priorities organizations.
We've put together an organizers' packet for the Tax Day actions that
includes a how-to guide, hand-outs, a sample press release, and a guide
to the U.S. budget from the Coalition on Human Needs. We’ll also soon
release a video documenting a sample Tax Day action.
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Actions around the World
Don’t Forget
Need some inspiration!? Check out our Action Events page for information on
GDAMS events happening all over the world. Here’s a small sampling from Let us know if you’re planning an
the more than 75 actions worldwide that are currently scheduled... event for April 12 -- share your ideas
with others around the world!
In Brisbane, Australia, Just Peace Qld will hold a demonstration outside
Sign up on our Facebook page
the Department of Foreign Affairs and deliver a letter to Minister Kevin
Rudd that highlights the immorality and injustice of spending taxes on war. Follow us on Twitter

In Dhaka, Bangladesh, the Central Ganounnayan Sangstha will hold a

street demonstration complete with a documentary screening and a speaker.
Meanwhile, Changemaker will host a discussion meeting with Bangaldeshi
journalists and parliamentarians.

In Yaoundé, Cameroon, NDH will hold a panel discussion followed by a

press campaign with TV stations and journalists. They will also initiate a
parliamentary campaign to reconsider military spending.

In Dublin, Ireland, PANA will hold a picket outside the Irish Departments
of Defense and Trade, Enterprise, and Employment.

In Geneva, Switzerland, the International Peace Bureau, the Group for a

Switzerland without an Army, and the Swiss-Burma Association will hold a
photo op at the UN, a lunch briefing on military spending, and a
documentary screening about the nuclear program in Burma.

In Kampala, Uganda, New Idea for Citizenship will hold a 2 km march

followed by a public event with guest speakers and photo exhibits.

In London, England, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament will host a

public meeting on «!Welfare or Warfare!» with several notable speakers.

In Corvalis, Oregon, USA, Veterans for Peace will hold a sit-in at a public
facility closed for lack of funds even as the military budget balloons.

In San Francisco, California, USA, Tri-Valley CAREs, U.S. Labor

Against the War, and a few other partners will leaflet transit stations with
information about military spending.

In New York City, the entire Church Center for the United Nations will be
open for GDAMS-related events.

In Washington, DC, the Institute for Policy Studies and its partners will
host a gathering outside the White House for photos, poetry, and speakers.
We will also set up our flags on the national mall.

From pickets to leaflets to sit-ins to seminars, there are dozens of ways to

get the message out that military spending must be cut!! If you’re moving
along with your plans, DON’T FORGET to email us about them! You
should also add your event to our new MeetUp page, which is an excellent
tool to set the concrete details of your events for anyone to find.