Zara Zimbardo's blog

We have just returned to Medellin after days in the countryside and jungle region of Uraba, where the peace community lives in different settlements.  Traveling back and forth from urban to rural environments and hearing people's stories of suffering and resistance is a powerful illustration of different facets of state violence, which seems to always effectively hide behind the mask of justification of attributing all violence to the guerrilla.  It is clear how the War on Terror and War on Drugs discourse in both of our countries mirror and legitimize each other.

We are exploring many interconnected facets of impunity and strategies of nonviolent resistance.  Deeping understanding of the tremendous power and bleakness of the forces that create and maintain impunity is overwhelming, and in this context the spaces of hope, courage, persistence, solidarity, inspiration and community shine all the more brightly.  As U.S. citizens we are keeping an eye on the role of the U.S. in the Colombian conflict, and two examples in particular struck me - the flower and banana trades.

Attention to all people who are engaged in resisting the US’ drive to war with Iran: there is an excellent film that has recently been released, titled “IRAN (Is Not The Problem)”. I have watched it twice, and am deeply impressed with how much crucial historical context it provides in an engaging and accessible manner, combining archival footage with incisive analysis from interviews by US-based activists and scholars. Different perspectives are presented, and yet all are united in coming from a committed anti-war stance.

Here's the trailer: