War or Peace for North Korea: A call for Action by Historians for Peace and Democracy

Of all the dangers the reactionary Trump administration poses, the most immediately devastating would be another war with North Korea. Such a war would almost certainly go nuclear, with catastrophic loss of life. President Trump’s bluster and instability, matching that of the North Korean president, pose a constant risk of a tense situation getting completely out of control. The public needs to weigh in on the need for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict. Peaceful options exist, and they need to be brought to the forefront of public discussion.

Historians for Peace and Democracy (H-PAD) has joined a large coalition of national peace and justice organizations in calling for a multi-faceted campaign of teach-ins, forums, debates, roundtables, film showings, and political actions—on campus and in the community—to raise consciousness about the danger of war and the options for peace.. We want these events to raise the question “Korea: What Are the Options?”

The fact that the Winter Olympics (February 9-25) and the Paralympics (March 9-16) are to be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea, offers a unique opportunity to use the ancient tradition of an Olympic Truce to achieve peaceful resolution of the U.S.-North Korean confrontation. Already the occasion of the Olympics has reduced tensions, as North and South Korea have reinstituted dialogue, and planned US-South Korean military exercises are suspended. However, without public awareness and pressure, these steps will become just a short-lived peaceful interlude.

WE CAN’T LET THIS MOMENT PASS: WE MUST ORGANIZE!

To facilitate H-PAD organizing:

● Here is a list of speakers who are willing to appear at H-PAD and coalition organized events (to be updated periodically)

● Here is a list of recent articles to bring folks up to speed on the current Korean crisis (to be updated periodically)

● Here is a google doc on which we can communicate around current campaign efforts.

● Here are some templates for flyers and posters to use in our campaign

Nearly fifty regional national groups have signed on to Olympics Truce Campaign including Peace Action, United for Peace and Justice, Women Against War, Veterans for Peace, and Code Pink. We encourage H-PAD activists to contact local antiwar-oriented groups, including local chapters of national groups to work together on this campaign. Local affiliates of national groups can be found on the web-for example, local Peace Action groupings can be found at https://www.peaceaction.org/who-we-are/find-a-local-affiliate/.