Editorial

Javier Gárate

Recently WRI started using the Twitter hashtag #EverydayMilitarism. Inspired by the popular #EverydaySexism trend, we encourage others to post about how militarism and military propaganda is present in their lives, as well as posting example of this ourselves. When you start to look for it, you can see military values infiltrating public and private lives in more ways than you could initially imagine. The publication of our book “Sowing Seeds: The Militarisation of Youth and How to Counter it” is in the same vein, denouncing the military presence and influence in education, in our social behaviour, in the entertainment industry, etc. The book also highlights how spaces are being militarised - such as with war memorials or other symbolism of war. There are also spaces whose primary motive for existence is to perpetuate the war machinery - these spaces are the focus of this issue of The Broken Rifle.

Military bases are the clearest example of militarised spaces. In this issue we have stories of bases in Okinawa, Colombia, Diego Garcia and Sicily. Military bases have strategic importance for launching war operations, and the big superpowers go to all lengths to make sure they have bases in all regions from where they may launch attacks. WRI has always argued that as well as foreign military bases, national bases are a problem too. They contribute to making military presence seem normal and necessary – but it is not!

Establishments where weapons are produced are key in the war machinery chain. Here Angie Zelter reports on the latest campaign against nuclear weapons in the UK, targeting both AWE Aldermaston and AWE Burghfield.

Finally, Igor Seke reminds us of how state borders are part of #EverydayMilitarism, and what more dramatic example can we give than the Mexico–US border.

It is not enough knowing about how spaces are being militarised, it is also important to resist them, and in this issue you will read about how groups take on different forms of resistance against war and the preparation for war.