Pope Francis and the US bishops are correct: We cannot engage in a new nuclear arms race

David Cortright, director of policy studies at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, examines the Trump administration’s nuclear disarmament policy and its potential repercussions in an America op-ed.

“For decades, the United States maintained a de facto freeze on the production of new nuclear bombs, but the White House is now moving ahead with funding for so-called low-yield nuclear warheads, which are designed to be more usable in military hostilities.”

Originally published at americamagazine.org on April 16, 2020.

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US is already fighting a conflict with Iran–an economic war that is hurting the wrong people

Keough School Director of Policy Studies David Cortright condemned the United States’ economic war on Iran in an op-ed for The Conversation:

“Many are worried about the risk of war with Iran after the Trump administration leaked discussions of a troop deployment in response to claimed threats to U.S/ warships in the region.

And in recent days, the rhetoric has only gotten more heated, with President Donald Trump saying a war would be “the official end of Iran.” Iranian officials responded in kind.

But the truth is, the US has been fighting a war with Iran for decades — an economic war fought via sanctions that has intensified over the past year and has already been devastating to innocent civilians in the country.

Not only that, it’s also undermining long-accepted principles of international cooperation and diplomacy, a topic I’ve been researching for the past 25 years.”

Originally published at theconversation.com on May 23, 2019.

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California synagogue latest target of violence at place of worship

Jeremy Hobson of NPR’s “Here & Now” speaks with Atalia Omer, associate professor of religion, conflict, and peace studies at the Keough School’s Kroc Institute.

The gunman who carried out a deadly attack at a synagogue in Southern California over the weekend is also being investigated in connection with an arson attack last month at a nearby mosque. The shooting at Chabad of Poway follows separate attacks on places of worship around the world, including New Zealand and Sri Lanka.

Why are these attacks happening now and how do communities of faith carry on?

This segment aired on WBUR on April 29, 2019.

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