{"id":51625,"date":"2026-07-01T18:39:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T16:39:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/europeanpeaceproject.eu\/?p=51625"},"modified":"2026-07-02T11:54:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T09:54:05","slug":"newsletter-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/europeanpeaceproject.eu\/en\/newsletter-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Newsletter #19"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-columns stk-block-columns stk-block stk-a8e699d\" data-block-id=\"a8e699d\"><style>.stk-a8e699d-column{max-width:1200px !important;min-width:auto !important;}<\/style><div class=\"stk-row stk-inner-blocks stk-block-content stk-content-align stk-a8e699d-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-column stk-block-column stk-column stk-block stk-6cfccbc\" data-v=\"4\" data-block-id=\"6cfccbc\"><div class=\"stk-column-wrapper stk-block-column__content stk-container stk-6cfccbc-container stk--no-background stk--no-padding\"><div class=\"stk-block-content stk-inner-blocks stk-6cfccbc-inner-blocks\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-heading stk-block-heading stk-block-heading--v2 stk-block stk-739369b\" id=\"rundschreiben-19-br-02-07-2026\" data-block-id=\"739369b\"><h2 class=\"stk-block-heading__text has-text-align-left\">Newsletter #19<br\/>02-07-2026<\/h2><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-text stk-block-text stk-block stk-27864f7\" data-block-id=\"27864f7\"><p class=\"stk-block-text__text\">&#8220;In history class, we always asked ourselves: why did no one in Germany stop the rearmament, the military buildup, and the war policies that ultimately led to the two World Wars!? I am asking myself again right now \u2013 why have we learned nothing from history, and why are we doing NOTHING now, when it is happening again!? Is the matter too immense to comprehend, too threatening to even engage with, or does the internet function as something that lets all our protest and potential fizzle out in a few angry posts? Are we too hyper-individualized to even exist as a society anymore, or to want to continue existing? We must come together again and implement the lessons of the last two World Wars: NEVER AGAIN WAR! The lie of the threat is being used as a pretext, but it is really about securing raw materials and \u2013 again, unbelievably! \u2013 about German great-power aspirations. Against rearmament, against talking up and provoking the next war, after which there will be no more life on this planet, we must now rebel collectively and massively!       <\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-text stk-block-text stk-block stk-9b87ad6\" data-block-id=\"9b87ad6\"><p class=\"stk-block-text__text\">We are therefore hereby asking for help, for cooperation, and for money, so that we can peacefully shape the future of this country and this continent and avert further decline, as well as authoritarian militaristic state restructuring and war\u2014together and for the benefit of all. <a href=\"https:\/\/europeanpeaceproject.eu\/en\/donate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/europeanpeaceproject.eu\/en\/donate\/<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-text stk-block-text stk-block stk-071696c\" data-block-id=\"071696c\"><p class=\"stk-block-text__text\">We have received some donations\u2014our heartfelt thanks to all those who contributed! However, the three-figure amount is unfortunately not even enough to commission a film of all the actions from May 9th again. Furthermore, our very elaborate website with all its functions for stability and security is at risk of not surviving.  <\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-text stk-block-text stk-block stk-fca7f53\" data-block-id=\"fca7f53\"><p class=\"stk-block-text__text\">As further actions, we are participating in the large alliance of &#8220;Nie wieder Krieg&#8221; (Never Again War) and are calling for <strong>Europe-wide demonstrations on October 3rd<\/strong>. In Germany, large-scale demonstrations will again take place in Berlin and Stuttgart on that day. In addition to the general call from &#8220;Nie Wieder Krieg,&#8221; we will soon also be writing our own manifesto for a new peaceful order in Europe, including Russia, in a multipolar world that overcomes the hegemonic ambitions of individual powers and war alliances like NATO. <\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-text stk-block-text stk-block stk-1a81547\" data-block-id=\"1a81547\"><p class=\"stk-block-text__text\">EU governments have no creative potential; rather, through NATO, they remain vassals and administrators of decline and try to cover this up through military activism. This is also shown currently by Starmer&#8217;s resignation as an insignificant personnel change in a post-imperial systemic crisis, as well as Merz&#8217;s disgraceful statement that it is &#8216;much harder to change a prosperous society than to rebuild a country after war and destruction.&#8217; <\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-text stk-block-text stk-block stk-0909e18\" data-block-id=\"0909e18\"><p class=\"stk-block-text__text\">We all know phrases like &#8216;Truth is the first casualty&#8217; or about moving &#8216;from talk to action.&#8217; We need to go out, become visible, and take responsibility. Yet that is not so easy, because you cannot simply take responsibility for more than your own life; you have to be given it. Going out, acting, and becoming visible will only be effective if it happens within a large community or gathering; otherwise, much of it dissipates without effect, and you exhaust yourself without being able to achieve anything. I had another sleepless night with the question: &#8216;Can what we currently have in terms of a peace movement in Germany\/Europe actually prevent a major, even nuclear war? Has a peace movement ever prevented a war? With whom would it have to cooperate to be able to do so? Probably it is like in politics. There, I have learned, the secret is that &#8216;you have to talk to those you least want to talk to.&#8217;       <\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-text stk-block-text stk-block stk-43391f2\" data-block-id=\"43391f2\"><p class=\"stk-block-text__text\">Doesn&#8217;t the peace movement also have to cooperate with those it (seemingly) least wants to? With the few oligarchs who have understood that war is not just business, but ultimately means the annihilation of everything \u2013 including profit? With the nationalists or those labeled as &#8216;right-wing&#8217; (how far right they are must be examined case by case) who also do not want to see their homeland reduced to rubble and ashes, or who only want to continue administering decline?   <\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-text stk-block-text stk-block stk-7c19a6b\" data-block-id=\"7c19a6b\"><p class=\"stk-block-text__text\">Why we cannot continue as before:<br\/>Firstly, even among peace activists, awareness or insight does not seem to be nearly as advanced as one might hope. Many still seem not to have understood how serious the situation is, how much the enemy-image propaganda influences them, and that they no longer live in a democracy, because the government is not interested in the majority opinion or the well-being of the population.  <br\/>I know that preventing a major, possibly nuclear war is a huge task and so difficult because many simply do not grasp what such a war means, because in its dimensions and effects it is unprecedented and therefore hardly comprehensible. Understanding and grasping are two different things. You can only grasp that the stove plate is hot once you touch it. Almost all the people in our country, in Europe, who still knew what war meant are dead. The majority of the population does not want to grasp war either, naturally recoils from this monstrosity and wants nothing to do with it as long as it does not affect them personally \u2013 but then it would be too late. Many are not even aware of how much our freedom of opinion and democratic rights have already been restricted. As always, war preparation goes hand in hand with the authoritarian-militaristic transformation of the state \u2013 more quietly and insidiously than in the 1930s. Resist the beginnings! We still have the chance and the duty to avert catastrophe. This time we must not mess it up and must urgently oppose this now. Please listen to and share this video: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=6J_68IkjNPg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=6J_68IkjNPg<\/a>          <\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-text stk-block-text stk-block stk-96cd162\" data-block-id=\"96cd162\"><p class=\"stk-block-text__text\">And this in musical form: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=WjEZjoctbSw\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=WjEZjoctbSw<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-text stk-block-text stk-block stk-be52703\" data-block-id=\"be52703\"><p class=\"stk-block-text__text\">The second major problem besides ignorance is hyper-individualization, isolation, and the ego-driven need for recognition of individuals. We are barely a society anymore, and even in the peace movement, everyone would rather found their own new initiative than join an existing one. On the one hand, every commitment is of course welcome, and small local initiatives are wonderful if they are willing to come together as one large whole when necessary. But exactly that latter part does not happen, because for many their &#8216;own organization&#8217; or their own visibility is more important than real effectiveness through pooling strength, even if they themselves or their own contribution are not visible or recognized in it. Organizations are means to an end; they can be reorganized, renamed, even abandoned \u2013 only the purpose \u2013 fighting for peace \u2013 must remain paramount and must never get lost behind petty demarcations. Apparently, the &#8216;divide and rule&#8217; principle of the rulers works better than ever, especially in Western society \ud83d\ude41.     <\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-text stk-block-text stk-block stk-bf95a0a\" data-block-id=\"bf95a0a\"><p class=\"stk-block-text__text\">The third problem is money \u2013 that is, the lack of money on the side of those who stand for peace, justice, social security, etc., in contrast to the insane concentrations of capital among the few who profit from war and the dismantling of democracy (tech-feudalism). Ulrike Gu\u00e9rot put it so beautifully: it is hard to save the world on a volunteer basis when it is being destroyed with billion-euro budgets. Money also means visibility, effectiveness, etc. That means the few of us who are not too afraid to be visible, to take responsibility, who are ready to do everything to steer the current fatal development into better channels, are simply worn down. Ulrike was dismissed because of her courageous, visible advocacy of her political positions; I never had the chance to make a good career at all, because I began my journalistic work with a factual report from a Middle East trip, which by its very nature was very critical of Israel. H\u00fcsein Dogru is faring even worse \u2013 so even &#8216;becoming visible&#8217; must be carefully considered and coordinated so that it becomes effective in the right direction rather than leading to ruin. Of course, it is clear that these things are done to frighten and deter people. That is why all of this must be thought through together.<br\/>How can we develop effectiveness without becoming arbitrary, without becoming isolated and overlooked, without being held back? We are doing nothing other than &#8216;trial and error,&#8217; but we try to learn from experience rather than always doing the same thing and expecting a different result.         <\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-text stk-block-text stk-block stk-e8fa2a8\" data-block-id=\"e8fa2a8\"><p class=\"stk-block-text__text\">Last year, for example, the European Peace Project was very successful with its Europe-wide decentralized and artistic actions, which is why we continued it. Unfortunately, participation was lower this year, and it is not easy to determine why. Nevertheless, we need to consider what we should do differently. This year, we are now focusing on an international conference to discuss the crucial questions for a peaceful future with international thought leaders and actors from Europe and BRICS. We do all of this on a voluntary basis and are almost at our wits&#8217; end because everyone says it is a good thing at the right time, but only makes demands instead of helping\u2014whether with work or money\u2026     <\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-text stk-block-text stk-block stk-dbcd8b5\" data-block-id=\"dbcd8b5\"><p class=\"stk-block-text__text\">So what can we do? We apparently cannot get the masses out onto the streets; engagement often fizzles out in an angry social media post, and even the big peace conference in London with good speeches\/speakers remains just that\u2014without further impact. You meet among like-minded people, go home feeling reaffirmed, organize small actions with 50 people, get bogged down in tiny groups and working groups, are overlooked, ignored, etc. We lack power and money for visibility and effectiveness, in contrast to, for example, the Soros-funded or state-funded NGOs and conferences, or those who keep buying out more governments, after Ukraine (Maidan coup) now also in Albania, Georgia, Armenia, etc., to drag them into war as well\u2026<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-text stk-block-text stk-block stk-c146af1\" data-block-id=\"c146af1\"><p class=\"stk-block-text__text\">We are therefore hereby asking for help, for cooperation, and for money.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-text stk-block-text stk-block stk-82cf544\" data-block-id=\"82cf544\"><p class=\"stk-block-text__text\">Fortunately, the youth are smarter than the political establishment and do not want their future to be sacrificed in a war! Since January, Boris Pistorius has been writing to 18-year-olds: &#8220;Will you join the Bundeswehr voluntarily?&#8221; The initial response numbers from the questionnaire campaign are sobering: 298,200 letters were sent to all young men and women who come of age this year. Men must fill out the accompanying questionnaire; women may do so without obligation. From this pool, about 530 have been recruited so far who will begin their military service this year. That is 0.18 percent of those contacted. Keep it up\u2014and strike against compulsory conscription, arms buildup, and war preparations! <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/shorts\/a_2re5YJjOM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/shorts\/a_2re5YJjOM<\/a>      <\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-text stk-block-text stk-block stk-0cd4c23\" data-block-id=\"0cd4c23\"><p class=\"stk-block-text__text\">Since those in power are not committed to peace and diplomatic solutions to conflicts through mutual compromise, we will do it!<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-text stk-block-text stk-block stk-45127d5\" data-block-id=\"45127d5\"><p class=\"stk-block-text__text\">Russia expressed deep disappointment over an apparent shift in Donald Trump&#8217;s approach to the Ukraine conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that the United States had &#8220;apparently withdrawn from its role as an objective mediator,&#8221; while accusing Washington of having &#8220;forgotten&#8221; earlier political statements. Austrian Colonel Markus Reisner suspects that Trump has instructed influential representatives of the American tech industry to continue supporting Ukraine behind the scenes. Named are Palantir CEO Alex Karp and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.   <\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-text stk-block-text stk-block stk-a37a45d\" data-block-id=\"a37a45d\"><p class=\"stk-block-text__text\">US companies are supplying software, satellite communications, artificial intelligence, and drone technology for the continuation of the war. Palantir systems support the evaluation of reconnaissance data, the detection of Russian air defense, and the planning of long-range strikes. New drone systems can now be controlled from great distances.  <\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-text stk-block-text stk-block stk-7750339\" data-block-id=\"7750339\"><p class=\"stk-block-text__text\">&#8220;For American companies, Ukraine has long been a testing ground of almost incalculable value. New systems are tested there not in simulations, but against Russian air defense, electronic warfare, and real enemy adaptations. Every deployment generates data. Mistakes are corrected, algorithms are retrained, and products are further developed under combat conditions. What proves successful can then be patented, standardized, and sold to the Pentagon, NATO, and other armies. Thus, the war generates not only military insights but also intellectual property, competitive advantages, and new markets.&#8221; \u2014 global_affairs_byelena<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-text stk-block-text stk-block stk-97f5c2b\" data-block-id=\"97f5c2b\"><p class=\"stk-block-text__text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/apolut.net\/auf-der-eskalationsrolltreppe-in-den-grossen-krieg-von-tilo-graser\/?fbclid=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/apolut.net\/auf-der-eskalationsrolltreppe-in-den-grossen-krieg-von-tilo-graser\/?fbclid=<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-text stk-block-text stk-block stk-66a0fca\" data-block-id=\"66a0fca\"><p class=\"stk-block-text__text\">Michael von der Schulenburg has advocated in Moscow for a peace dialogue below the government level. Because the federal government is unable to find a way out of the war, there is a need for dialogue at a level below that, von der Schulenburg said in a speech at the Europe Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. <\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-text stk-block-text stk-block stk-67eed75\" data-block-id=\"67eed75\"><p class=\"stk-block-text__text\">&#8220;For us, it is important to find a way out. The dialogue must not be secret; it must be public. There is an urgent need for de-escalation initiatives. Only then will it be possible to regain trust and, taking mutual security interests into account, achieve a lasting peace settlement for Europe,&#8221; said von der Schulenburg. He warned against further escalation of the war and criticized the federal government&#8217;s new military strategy, which sees Russia only as an enemy and is focused solely on rearmament, without including any steps toward de-escalation. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=KOWRPaEd_4k\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=KOWRPaEd_4k<\/a>    <\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-text stk-block-text stk-block stk-85c5610\" data-block-id=\"85c5610\"><p class=\"stk-block-text__text\">Here are some seasoned assessments of the latest (shaky) attempts at understanding between Iran and the US, the torpedoing of a peace solution by the Israeli government with its dangerous &#8220;Greater Israel&#8221; delusions and their consequences:<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-text stk-block-text stk-block stk-ec3ff0c\" data-block-id=\"ec3ff0c\"><p class=\"stk-block-text__text\">by Karin Leukefeld <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=rYGbnOe9i-E\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=rYGbnOe9i-E<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-text stk-block-text stk-block stk-99ec638\" data-block-id=\"99ec638\"><p class=\"stk-block-text__text\">Michael L\u00fcders <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=TKuV9Cp5Ylo&amp;t=1007s\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=TKuV9Cp5Ylo&amp;t=1007s<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-text stk-block-text stk-block stk-203923d\" data-block-id=\"203923d\"><p class=\"stk-block-text__text\">and Jeffrey Sachs: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9nKTHLrFKS0\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9nKTHLrFKS0<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-text stk-block-text stk-block stk-328b971\" data-block-id=\"328b971\"><p class=\"stk-block-text__text\">A reinterpretation of &#8220;Comfortably Numb&#8221;\u2014a collaboration between Roger Waters and Palestinian artist Mona Miari. Through newly written verses in English and Arabic, the work places the song in a new context and addresses displacement, memory, loss, and the persistent pursuit of justice and human dignity. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=WBmrT3uqmeM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=WBmrT3uqmeM<\/a> <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Newsletter #1902-07-2026 &#8220;In history class, we always asked ourselves: why did no one in Germany stop the rearmament, the military buildup, and the war policies that ultimately led to the two World Wars!? I am asking myself again right now \u2013 why have we learned nothing from history, and why are we doing NOTHING now, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pgc_sgb_lightbox_settings":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-newsletter","category-nicht-kategorisiert"],"mb":[],"mfb_rest_fields":["title"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/europeanpeaceproject.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/europeanpeaceproject.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/europeanpeaceproject.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/europeanpeaceproject.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/europeanpeaceproject.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51625"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/europeanpeaceproject.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51625\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51635,"href":"https:\/\/europeanpeaceproject.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51625\/revisions\/51635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/europeanpeaceproject.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/europeanpeaceproject.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/europeanpeaceproject.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}