Resources
WRL produces a variety of tools and resources to support grassroots organizing against war and militarism. Many resources are available on our online store, and others are available here for review and download. For updates on our No SWAT Zone campaign, Nonviolent Direct Action trainings and more, check out our organizing areas. Resources on tear gas stories & companies can be found on Facing Tear Gas. We encourage you to use our materials to build and expand your organizing. We’ve also listed resources we’ve found useful and important, available from other sources.
Solidarity Banners for Gaza
If you are requesting a banner, please be sure to fill out our online request form here The War Resisters League (WRL) is proud to offer two powerful banner designs to support activism and advocacy efforts concerning the disastrous situation in Gaza. WRL is subsidizing the production of these banners, making them available at a greatly…
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- WRL History
WRL’s 80 Years of Resistance: A Legacy and a Future
By Joanne Sheehan October 19, 2003 Founded in 1923 to support World War I resisters, the War Resisters League turns 80 this week, making it the country’s oldest secular peace group. For 80 years, it has supported those who have refused to participate in war. On this occasion, especially now as the country turns to…
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- Nonviolence
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- WRL History
- Statements and Commentaries
WRL Statement On the Capture of Saddam Hussein
The media emphasis on the capture of Saddam Hussein repeats one of the fundamental mistakes made by successive U.S. administrations: that Hussein is Iraq. Iraq — as the peace movement has been saying, and as the U.S. occupiers and media are only beginning to discover — is a vast and complex country, and Hussein’s capture…
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- Iraq
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- War
- Audio/Video
Operation No Recruits, September 8, 2007
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- Counter-Recruitment
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- Direct Action
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- Nonviolence
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- War
- Statements and Commentaries
On Gandhi’s Birthday, 2003
To Declare Independence: A Letter to People Working for Justice and Peace “When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time they may seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it —…
Topics:
- Nonviolence
- Statements and Commentaries
War, Peace, Justice, and the Elections: A WRL Statement
October 16 2008 Like many—perhaps most—advocates for peace and justice, we at the War Resisters League are of more than one mind about the upcoming elections. We come from diverse political perspectives, including varying shades of socialism, anarchism, and reform-oriented liberalism, and have concomitantly diverse opinions within the organization and our membership about whether and…
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- Militarism
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- Nonviolence
- Statements and Commentaries
Thoughts on Elections – Liz Roberts
I think between the elections and the crumbling of the major institutions of capitalism, I can’t remember a period when I was as perpetually starved for news all day every day for weeks on end, as I am now. It feels like things are so intense and there are drastic and surprising developments each day….
Topics:
- WRL History
- Statements and Commentaries
Thoughts on Elections – Clare Moen
Any time there is an election, I am reminded that voting is a privilege and not a right. The very folks whose votes many believe would be for the greatest change are the ones who are disenfranchised through incarceration, intimidation, unfair legislation (e.g., requiring citizenship documentation), and more. Some risk losing badly needed jobs if…
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- WRL History
- Statements and Commentaries
Thoughts on Elections – Matt Meyer
For those of us working for radical and lasting change, as opposed to just a change in Washington, the significance of the Barak Obama campaign has already occurred. Whatever the outcome on November 4 (and there are many of us doing more than simply hoping that a Black man will soon occupy the White House),…
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- WRL History
- Pie Chart Flyers
How the Pie Chart Figures Were Determined – FY2012
How These Figures Were Determined “Current military” includes Dept. of Defense ($707 billion) and the military portion from other departments as noted in current military box above ($162 billion). “Past military” represents veterans’ benefits plus 80% of the interest on the debt.* For further explanation, please go to www.warresisters.org. These figures are from an analysis…
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- Economy
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- War Taxes
- Statements and Commentaries
Weeping for Gaza: WRL Condemns the Latest Middle East Conflict
January 2009 The War Resisters League decries the horror of Gaza with a broken heart and a grief that only strengthens our commitment to the broken rifle, the icon of our 85-year-old organization. The rhetoric justifying violence—for Israel, for Israel’s backers in Washington, for Hamas—is deep and layered and rooted in real grievance and pain….
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- Gaza
Beyond Afghanistan: Choosing Nonviolence
WRL released the following statement on April 1. As we approach the April 4 anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s great 1967 “Beyond Vietnam” speech in New York City’s Riverside Church, the War Resisters League reiterates King’s urgent cry for nonviolence and nonviolent resistance. The parallels between the war in Afghanistan and the U.S….
Topics:
- Statements and Commentaries
Beyond Afghanistan: Choosing Nonviolence
As we approach the April 4 anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s great 1967 “Beyond Vietnam” speech in New York City’s Riverside Church, the War Resisters League reiterates King’s urgent cry for nonviolence—and nonviolent resistance. The parallels between the war in Afghanistan and the U.S. war against Vietnam fill us with foreboding. While we…
Topics:
- Afghanistan
- Statements and Commentaries
Act Now to Oppose Obama’s Escalation in Afghanistan!
NOVEMBER 2009 Help President Obama Make the Right Decision about Afghanistan! More than eight years since the War Resisters League rallied against invading Afghanistan and one month after a coalition of anti-war groups including WRL rallied in Washington DC to say “No to War in Afghanistan, No to Torture and Vengeance,” we are reaching out…
Topics:
- Afghanistan
- Pie Chart Flyers
Federal Pie Chart Flyers from Past Years
Each year, WRL analyzes federal funds outlays as presented in detailed tables in “Analytical Perspectives” of the Budget of the United States Government. For the current pie chart flyer, go to www.warresisters.org/federalpiechart. Download PDF Files of past Pie Chart Flyers: Fiscal Year 2025 (Released March 2024) Pie Chart Flyer in English, in color (pdf) in…
Topics:
- War Taxes
- Statements and Commentaries
A Letter to the President on the Escalation of War in Afghanistan
June 2010 Dear President Obama, With millions of U.S. people feeling the fear and desperation of no longer having a home; with millions feeling the terror and loss of dignity that comes with unemployment; with millions of our children slipping further into poverty and hunger, your decision to deploy thousands more troops and throw hundreds…
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- Afghanistan
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WRL’s statement on 9/11
Statement on September 11 Attack David McReynolds, WRL September 11, 2001 As we write, Manhattan feels under siege, with all bridges, tunnels, and subways closed, and tens of thousands of people walking slowly north from Lower Manhattan. As we sit in our offices here at War Resisters League, our most immediate thoughts are of…
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