“A House of Dynamite” Film Highlights the Dangers of Nuclear Weapons

“A House of Dynamite,” the gripping new thriller directed by Academy Award-winner Kathryn Bigelow, explores the potential consequences if our political and military leaders were suddenly alerted to an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) heading for a major US city. The film underscores the everyday risks of living in a world with over 12,000 nuclear weapons and how quickly life as we know it could change. It is available for streaming on Netflix. We encourage you to organize a watch party and distribute our updated brochure, “End the Whole Nuclear Era.”

“A House of Dynamite” reveals the rigid, secretive systems in place, always prepared to wage nuclear war. Our leaders ask us to place unwarranted trust in these systems to ensure our safety. However, our world is incredibly fragile. Even when these systems operate as intended and our leaders “do everything right”, as depicted in the movie, they cannot protect us from the threat of nuclear conflict. Humanity cannot coexist with nuclear weapons indefinitely, and therefore, we must abolish them as soon as possible.

Act Now to End Nuclear Weapons: Contact Your Elected Officials

We often hear that our Congressional Representatives do not receive frequent feedback from constituents regarding nuclear weapons issues, making them hesitant to co-sponsor bills and resolutions aimed at changing US nuclear policies, supporting new arms control agreements, and reducing nuclear expenditure. Therefore, we urge you to reach out to your elected representatives and ask them to co-sponsor HR 1888, H.Res 317, S.Res 323, H.Res 100, and S.Res 61. To contact your House Representative, call 202-225-3121, and for your senators, call 202-224-3121. Encourage them to watch “A House of Dynamite.”

Two of our DISARM Committee co-chairs, Dianne Blais and Cherrill Spencer, visited 18 Senate offices in Washington, D.C., in October to advocate against renewed nuclear weapons testing in Nevada, as suggested in Project 2025. They also called for negotiations with Russia to create a new arms control treaty following the impending expiration of the New START treaty. A report on their trip will be included in the December eNEWS. You can use this toolkit to educate yourself about the New START treaty.

WILPF US Writes to Nobel Peace Prize Committee: “We Know What Peace Is… and What Peace Is Not.”

Shortly after the announcement of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, Darien De Lu sent an email to all WILPF members titled “Peace Prize Travesty in Machado Selection.” Many other WILPF US members also expressed their horror and disappointment about the Oct. 10 announcement. Mary Bricker-Jenkins (DISARM/End Wars Committee member) and Leni Villagomez Reeves (co-chair of the Cuba and the Bolivarian Alliance committee) penned a letter, approved by their respective committees and the WILPF US board. They then sent it to the Nobel Peace Prize Committee. Here are some excerpts from our letter:

“Jane Addams co-founded the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom in 1915 and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 193. Emily Greene Balch served as WILPF’s international secretary from 1919 to 1922 and from 1934 to 1935, and as honorary president from 1935 to 1939. She received the prize in 1946.

“We, today’s members of the US Section of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, are their daughters and sons. We know and walk the paths to peace and have walked them for 110 years. We know all too well the markers of authoritarianism, aggression, and war.

“We know what Peace is… and what Peace is not.

“Peace is not…

• Participation in the 2002 coup attempt to overthrow elected Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez
• Calls for foreign military intervention in Venezuela in a 2018 letter to leaders of Israel and Argentina

“Peace is…

• inclusive dialog in search of consensus
• nonviolent conflict resolution

“It is clear to us that the selection of María Corina Machado as the 2025 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize is a travesty, and we repudiate it.”

WILPF International Launches Move the Money Campaign—Take Action Now!

WILPF International has launched a global campaign calling for governments to divest from militarization and reinvest in feminist peace, care, and equality. Rooted in our long-standing advocacy, our “Move the Money” campaign will bring together communication and political action under one unifying message: STOP FUNDING WAR, START BUILDING PEACE. WILPF’s Move The Money Toolkit contains more information about the campaign, including actions you can take to get involved. WILPF US’s DISARM/End Wars Committee will be participating in this campaign.

Join the DISARM/End Wars Issue Committee

We welcome new members to the DISARM/End Wars Issue Committee! We meet by Zoom on the second and last Sundays of each month at 4:30 p.m. PT/6:30 p.m. CT/7:30 p.m. ET. To receive the Zoom link and request to join the DISARM listserv, write to disarmchair@wilpfus.org.