New: curriculum resources for 11-14 year-olds “Do We Need To Rethink Security?”
In partnership with our colleagues at Quaker Peace and Social Witness and Forces Watch, we have produced a curriculum resource pack for use with children in lower secondary school or similar educational settings. The resource pack is available to download from the TES website. Please have a look, and do share this information with any teachers / educators whom you think might be interested. Reviews on the website would also be most welcome.
New leaflet: A New Place for the UK in the World?
As part of our new project on Brexit, Global Britain, and the UK’s place in the world, our Outreach Group has produced the attached leaflet Brexit peace security parliamentary briefing final Brexit Global Britain outreach leaflet (1). Again, please feel free to share the leaflet and do get in touch if you would like us to send you multiple copies. We also encourage activists and supporters on this mailing list to consider organising an event to discuss the ideas contained in the leaflet. The leaflet complements our recent parliamentary briefing, which provides more detailed policy recommendations for a change in the UK’s international orientation.
London event: Trouble Ahead: UK Nuclear Weapons Programme – Tuesday 30th April
I will be chairing the launch of a new report by colleagues at Nuclear Information Service in the Palace of Westminster at 2pm on Tuesday 30th April. Speakers include Fabian Hamilton MP, Douglas Chapman MP and Dr Michelle Bentley. All are welcome and further details and registration information can be found on Eventbrite.
Sheffield Rethinking Security event at the Festival of Debate – Tuesday 7th May
Conflict Resolution Education in Schools (CRESST) and Sheffield Creative Action for Peace (SCRAP) are organising a Rethinking Security event at the Sheffield Festival of Debate from 7-9pm on Tuesday 7th May at the Scotia Works. All are welcome. Again, further information and registration details can be found on Eventbrite.
Showcasing work on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 16
Colleagues at Saferworld and Peace Direct have asked me to draw a collective campaign to your attention. They are working with the International Peace Institute, the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict, Namati, the Civil Society Platform for Peacebuilding and Statebuilding, and the TAP Network on a new campaign to showcase the best examples of work from around the world to implement aspects of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals related to peace, justice and inclusion (SDG16+). The campaign is asking people to submit a short video to explain how they are using SDG16+ or working on issues related to SDG16+. It might be very local work or a national initiative – whatever it does to build a peaceful, just and inclusive society. The best videos will be showcased at the UN High Level Political Forum – the space where governments review progress to achieving the SDGs – in New York this July. To submit a video, please visit
There is no need to make a professional video – it can be shot on a smart phone. If you are interested in getting involved, please submit a video before 15th May 2019. Videos can be submitted in English/Spanish/French/Chinese/Arabic/Russian.
New Rethinking Security affiliate
We are delighted to welcome United Nations Association-UK and War on Want as organisational affiliates of Rethinking Security and look forward to continuing to work with them in future. Both organisations do excellent work – do have a look at their websites if you are not already familiar with their areas of action. If your organisation would like to become affiliated to Rethinking Security, please do get in touch: https://rethinkingsecurity.org.uk/
Frequently asked questions
Why rethink ‘security’?
- Why is change needed?
- How could the problem be approached differently?
- What could a different security policy look like?
- Is Rethinking Security a pacifist idea?
- We’re not so badly off, so why fix what’s not broken?
- War and poverty have been the historical norm, so can anything really be changed?
- Isn’t this kind of approach too utopian for the real world?
Some hard questions
- How can abusive governments and armed groups be stopped?
- How can acts of terror be prevented?
- How much of a threat is Russia?
- Many jobs depend on the current approach to security—what would change mean for them?
- How viable is security cooperation when the UN is deadlocked?
- Does deterrence have a role in peace and security?
- Doesn’t the UK-US ‘special relationship’ bring benefits to the world?
- Wouldn’t the UK be at risk if its armed forces were smaller?
- Are refugees and asylum-seekers a security risk to the UK?
- What difference will Brexit make?