As the climate collapses and wars sweep the Middle East, Ukraine and beyond, Diana Francis and Andrew Rigby, two of the founders of Rethinking Security a decade ago, make the urgent case for far more radical action to end the death-grip of militarised security on our politics, economy, environment and imaginations. Rethinking Security began when … Continue reading The Absolute Insanity of Militarised Security
Military Climate Action Swamped by Spending Rises
Some militaries have strategies to reduce their carbon emissions – but the latest data shows these are being dwarfed by the effects of spiralling arms spending. Stuart Parkinson investigates. The recent NATO Summit in Türkiye ended with its usual declaration of “ironclad” military unity. The price exacted by President Trump for this unity was that … Continue reading Military Climate Action Swamped by Spending Rises
Peaceful Alternatives to the Military-Industrial Complex: Arms conversion beyond the Lucas Plan
Half-a-century since the workers of Lucas Aerospace proposed to shift from military to socially useful production, the idea of converting arms industries is increasingly touted. Steven Schofield argues that both the nature of military industries and the challenge of climate breakdown have changed dramatically since the 1970s and calls for a more radical, decentralised and sustainable approach to industrial and economic strategy.
The Lucas Plan Showed the Way to an Alternative Security Strategy
With political commitment to increase military spending, military production is thriving in the UK. But do these heavily subsidised industries meet the British people’s security needs, or the state’s desire to dominate abroad? Khem Rogaly argues for a new approach to industrial strategy that centres the needs of workers, people and planet.
Scrutinising UK Arms Exports: Dissolving the CAEC is pie in the sky thinking
For 25 years parliamentary scrutiny of UK arms exports was conducted by a unique and often dysfunctional combination of departmental select committees: the CAEC. Suddenly, it’s only a matter for Business and Trade. Anna Stavrianakis analyses what’s gone wrong with parliamentary oversight and how, when it is most needed, it can be put right.
Visualising Security: Reflecting on the symbols and emotions that define security
Last week we held a launch event for our Visualising Security project. The aim of the project is, over the next 4 months, to build a collection of images and stories that challenge the conventional narrative of ‘security’ and provide evidence for our Alternative Security Review. Joanna Frew shares some reflections on the event
Bargaining NATO’s tank fixation for peace
As the Ukrainian winter largely freezes positions on both sides of the grinding war there, temperatures in NATO have been rising over the idea that Germany is obstructing critical supply of battle tanks to Kyiv. Ian Davis poses four larger questions around this tank fixation and how it might best support negotiations to end the war.
Reflections on advocating for peace and security in Ukraine
Rethinking Security has seen an increase in interest in its resources since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began. We hope that sharing experiences from some of our members might help those who are looking to understand and share alternative perspectives on security. Joanna Frew asked members of the Rethinking Security network about the kind of issues and queries that members of the public have raised in their response to the war in Ukraine.
Engineers’ Choices: Disarmament by design
Designing weapons is a lucrative career choice for many engineers, but comes with deadly and destabilising consequences. Roger Orpwood argues for an ethical approach to engineering and explores some options for dis-incentivising the development of new weapons technologies.
Missing in Action: UK arms export controls during war and armed conflict
UK arms supplies to Ukraine are unusual in not favouring an aggressive, abusive state. Anna Stavrianakis argues that ethical arms export controls remain a convenient fiction and proposes four things Britain could do to shift from managing controversy to reducing harm.
Killer Robots: Moving beyond the UN process
Autonomous weapons systems pose a tremendous physical and ethical threat to humanity. While the majority of countries want them prohibited, a few powerful states are blocking progress. Richard Moyes and Uldduz Sohrabi argue that the time is right for a process that moves beyond the deadlocked UN process.
Making a Noise about the Quiet Return of Arms Fairs
After a year of cancellations due to the COVID pandemic, thousands of arms dealers and military representatives from across the world once again travelled to the UK to attend a string of arms fairs in the autumn. Kirsten Bayes from CAAT, was part of supporting the resistance to them and argues that now more than ever we need to highlight the insecurity they breed.