8/7/2019 GDAMS Newsletter Vol. 3

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8/7/2019 GDAMS Newsletter Vol. 3

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GDAMS Website

Our website is up and running athttp://www.demilitarize.org . Hereyou can find out where actions are

being planned around the world. Youcan watch videos that can give youideas of what you can do on April 12.And you can download informationabout global military spending andrelated topics such military bases.Here, for instance, is a comparisoncompiled by A. Dueck of theInternational Peace Bureau of theestimated costs of fulfilling theMillennium Development Goals (incolors) versus what we’re spending on

the military (in black).

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Civil society efforts are already underway in the region to close bases,

demilitarize U.S. regional policy , and abolish nuclear weapons. But few 

regions in the world have suffered as much at the hands of military-first

policies as Latin America. As the new wave of militarization accelerates, the

issue of military spending will require evermore agitation.

Organizers Packet

 Want to participate in April 12 but don't know where to begin? With our

GDAMS Organizers Packet, we give you all the information you need to

hold an event on April 12 and connect with an international movement that

is saying no to the enormous waste of money on global military spending.

Inside, you'll find a sample press release, fact sheets, and suggestions of 

 what kind of highly visible action you can organize for April 12.

 The United States’ renewed interest in power projection in Latin America

has driven the militarization of other states in the region. Citing "the threat

posed by the empire and its allies," Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has

taken a $4 billion loan from Russia to purchase new armaments. Brazil,seeking to secure its regional preeminence, is making massive new 

investments in naval technology despite its ongoing problems with poverty 

and urban development. Perhaps reacting to Brazil’s maneuvers, Argentina

has announced an enormous 50 percent increase in its military budget and

expressed its renewed interest in nuclear technology.

SOA Watch in Colombia:

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Photo Wall

We need more submissions to ourPhoto Wall! Get creative – show us

with a sign or a graphic what youwould do with $1.6 trillion, andencourage your networks to do thesame. It only takes a few minutes tomake a powerful statement!

 The Military-Industrial-

 Academic Complex As researcher Subrata Ghoshroy explains in our new one-pager on the

Pentagon's influence on campus, the United States spends nearly $80 billion

annually on defense research and development (R&D) alone. This line item

exceeds the total spending on defense – not just R&D – by the UK, France,

Russia, and other spending giants. Every year, approximately the Pentagon

provides $4 billion to support university research in the United States. You

can read more about where this money goes in the full fact sheet.

Poster Power

 The United States spends more on the military than virtually all the rest of 

the countries of the world combined. You've probably heard this before.

But how do you convey this fact to people simply and visually?

Here's an idea for your April 12 event. Create signs that represent thecountries and their military spending. Include the flag and the amount of 

money the country spends on its military.

But here's the twist: each of the signs is sized proportionate to the spending.

So, the U.S. sign would be huge, the Chinese sign about one-tenth the size,

and all the other signs proportionately smaller. That would have an

immediate visual impact.!Here's a ratio chart that you can use if you start with a U.S. figure of 10 feet:

United States: 10 ft South Korea: 4.9 in

China: 1 ft, 5.9 in Brazil: 4.9 in

United Kingdom: 1 ft, 0.5 in Canada: 3.7 in

France: 1 ft Australia: 3.6 in

Russia: 11 in Spain: 3.5 in

Germany: 8.6 in Turkey: 3.4 in

 Japan: 8.5 in Israel: 2.6 in

Saudi Arabia: 7.1 in Greece: 2.5 in

Italy: 6.7 in United Arab Emirates: 2.4 in

India: 6.6 in Netherlands: 2.3

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Don’t Forget

•  Let us know if you’re planningan event for April 12

(gdams2011@gmai l . com) –share your ideas with othersaround the world!

•  Sign up on our Facebook page

•  Follow us on Twitter

Of course, you can use these same ratios to suit your circumstances. Here’s

a desktop example from the IPS office taking the top ten countries. It puts

the U.S. at 2 feet and divides the remaining sides by 5:

Properly blown up, the visual impact can be astounding. This can also be an

excellent participatory activity if you turn the bars into signs for ten or

twenty people to hold.

GGGLLLOOOBBB A A ALLL  DDD A A A Y  Y  Y ooof f f   A A ACCC T T TIIIOOONNN ooonnn MMMIIILLLIII T T T A A AR R R  Y  Y  Y   SSSPPPEEENNNDDDIIINNNGGG