Links

Our capacity to network, link together, collaborate and cooperate is one of the most hopeful and inspiring qualities of social change today. These links not only offer routes to other campaigns, publications and people, but some comment on what might develop through them.

Transition Towns – the transition movement is one that works towards the changes we need as the world has to become less dependent on oil, a finite resource, and shows that a transition from where we are now to the transformative change that is required is possible.
This process of transition is not only required for reducing dependency on fossil fuels, but could also be applied for other unsustainable activities, for example use of violence for resolving conflict or the arms trade.

Community Foundation Network – Community Foundations are a powerful example of grassroots locally run voluntary sector. Across the country they harness resources and support small charities who provide essential support to very local areas or groups of people. They are independent of local government control and so can provide a flexible, innovative and responsive service to their local area.

What is the impact of the huge global military spending?

I am working with the International Peace Bureau towards a 2016 World Congress on War Economy and Transformation: Disarmament for Development. It will be an international event focused on the issues of Global Military Spending, which doesn’t have a high profile in peace studies or political economy.

I want to set up a Network of academics who work on Global Military Spending from peace studies, which can encompass the range of impacts from climate change, post 2015 agenda, conversion, etc and alternatives to current paradigms.

I envisage the network will be able to meet, collaborate on bringing together research and organise an academic contribution to the 2016 World Congress.

International Peace Bureau set up the Global Day of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) which is April each year. The website for this iswww.demilitarize.org

If you work on issues related to Global Military Spending or on the impact it has on other social or political events please get in touch.