military recruitment

Tue

Mar

2016

Young and Desperate? I want you to fight my wars!

New translation available

Submitted by hannah

“Don’t join the Army.”

“Don’t do what? Don’t leave here? Don’t learn new skills?”

These are the words from the new recruitment advert from the British Army to recruit new members to its ranks. It depicts a...

Tue

Aug

The Militarization of Young People in Chile

Submitted by hannah on Tue, 12/08/2014 - 10:43

When examining militarisation and young people in this country, we must necessarily look back and take into account the hundreds of years of militarism in the area's history: land occupations and violence by European colonists, construction of the 'national heroes' to motivate patriotism, legislation of obligatory military training, exponential military spending versus the social spending diet, introduction of of military training in civilian schools, and mutation of the armed forces according to the dominant economic model. All of these measures have targeted sectors of the population that are economically vulnerable but are also potentially quite strong in political terms: the boys and girls and young people of this country. The vulnerability of this sector of the population allows militarisation to settle in comfortably and then neutralize possible pockets of resistance.

Mon

Aug

Antimilitarism in Action

Submitted by hannah on Mon, 11/08/2014 - 14:51

In September 2012 an antimilitarist action week took place in Germany – an evaluation

Fri

Aug

Recruitment of and resistance by queers - example Sweden

Submitted by hannah on Fri, 08/08/2014 - 22:17

In this article we will explain how we understand in what ways politics about gender, sexuality and war are related to each other. We will also tell you about some actions Ofog (anti-militarist network) did against the Swedish Armed Forces participation in the last Pride festival (August 2011).

Fri

Aug

WRI sign letter on British 'Armed Forces Day'

Submitted by hannah on Fri, 08/08/2014 - 15:19

Photo: ssafa

Letter to The Times (see all signatories below)

On this day 100 years ago, Archduke Ferdinand of Austria and his wife were assassinated in Sarajevo in an action that led to the First World War. Unchecked militarism in Europe was also a major factor.

Today is also Armed Forces Day, one of the clearest indications of the re-militarisation of British society. Established in 2009 to increase public support for the forces, there are over 200 public events, many billed as 'family fun days'. This week also saw Uniform to Work Day promoting the reserve forces and 'Camo Day' in schools.

Fri

Jul

Cardiff recruiting office occupied

Wed

Jun

Our lives are militarised

Submitted by hannah on Wed, 25/06/2014 - 16:33

You may have seen some symptoms of an increasingly militarised society over the past few years. Soldiers on a train in uniform. The change in tone of Remembrance Day, from ‘never again’ to ‘support out troops.’ Michael Gove’s determination to get the military into schools so ‘every child can benefit from the values of a military ethos.'

I had been noticing the trend for months when I met with Emma Sangster from Forces Watch, a tiny NGO focused on the issue of unethical military recruitment. She confirmed that there is a conscious strategy for a more militarised society, outlined in a 2008 report by Quentin Davies MP and senior defence officials Bill Clark and Martin Sharp.

Wed

Jun

'Peace presence' at Armed Forces Day in Wales

Credit for all photos: V ertigogen

Mon

Jun

Webinar: Militarisation of youth and child soldiers

Submitted by hannah on Mon, 02/06/2014 - 16:06

Dereje Wordofa presents the trend of "militarisation of youth and child soldiers" in Africa, despite the international instruments for human rights.

Dereje Wordofa is Regional Director for Africa at the American Friends Service Committee. He is committed to lasting peace, sustainable development and social justice.

https://vimeo.com/96791815

Webinar: Militarisation of youth and child soldiers

Tue

May

Japan increases military recruitment with drawings of manga girls

Submitted by hannah on Tue, 06/05/2014 - 13:05

The objective: to obtain new recruits. And if to get them you have to resort to anime, you use it. The Okayama prefecture Cooperation Office, in the south west of Japan, has promoted since last July military enlistment with drawings of three manga girls by the artist Huikane Shimada. The experiment has been a success, considering that new recruits have increased by 20%, according to the Sankei Journal this Tuesday.

Japan increases military recruitment with drawings of manga girls

Wed

Apr

Campaign Against Arms Trade: Universities Network

The Universities Network is an informal collective of groups and individuals at universities across the UK - students and staff in higher education who are campaigning to break ties between their institution and arms companies. By linking campaigns across the country we can be inspired by each other, share successes and plan more effectively by pooling resources.

Pages

Languages

Countering Military Recruitment

WRI's new booklet, Countering Military Recruitment: Learning the lessons of counter-recruitment campaigns internationally, is out now. The booklet includes examples of campaigning against youth militarisation across different countries with the contribution of grassroot activists.

You can order a paperback version here.