Editor, The Beacon:
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has moved the hands of the Doomsday Clock to 90 seconds before midnight — the closest to global catastrophe it has ever been.
They report that the threats of nuclear weapon use, climate change, biological threats and disruptive technologies combine to present a time of unprecedented global danger.
Fortunately, voices for peace in Ukraine have finally popped their timid heads up to be heard. First on the international stage, BRICS — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — have formed an alliance. Not a military alliance but an alliance to seek resolution of wars everywhere on planet Earth.
Hooray for this new movement, even if the U.S. is not a participant.
The second positive sign is a full-page ad in The New York Times on May 17. It was signed by 15 former U.S. national security officials calling for a diplomatic end to the Russia-Ukraine war before it escalates to the use of nuclear weapons.
Third is a thoughtful article in Harper’s Magazine’s June issue denouncing U.S. foreign policy’s hegemony goals. It even goes on to recommend a European coalition for security purposes without the U.S. and, further, a reconsideration of America’s role in the world.
Let’s start believing that peace does not come from war but from the avoidance of war by diplomatic means.
It could work if the U.S. assumes its role as one nation on the Earth living in concert with others. Not one nation attempting to control other nations in an effort to protect American interests abroad (the U.S. has used military forces 200 times over the past 70 years), nor in a misguided attempt to spread democracy by means of militarism or/and covert interventions. It’s time to work for peace and security.
Sheldon Skolfield
DeLeon Springs
