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5 Transnational Activism in the Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign

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Coalitions and Political Movements
This chapter is in the book Coalitions and Political Movements
5 Transnational Activism in the Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign DAVID CORTRIGHT & RON PAGNUCCO The Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign (NWFC) is best known for its largely successful efforts to develop a grassroots constituency across the United States to end the testing, production, and deployment of nuclear weapons by the two superpowers. The original sponsors of the proposal for a bilateral freeze believed that its evenhanded focus would have broad appeal among the American people and would allow the peace movement to reach beyond its traditional and relatively small constituency. Although the NWFC's efforts to mobilize the American people to put pressure on Congress and the president were central to its strategy, it also engaged in transnational activities that are less well known. In this essay we review several of these activities: NWFC lobbying at the United Nations in 1982, its cooperation with peace groups in Western Europe, its relations with offi-cial and unofficial peace groups in the Soviet Union, and its involvement in the transnational movement against U.S. military involvement in Central America. Historically, transnational activism has been common in the U.S. peace movement. The liberal-internationalist wing of the movement has orga-nized international peace conferences and organizations; worked for the establishment of the World Court, the League of Nations, and the United Nations; sent peace delegations to the capitals of nations in conflict; and brought together the citizens of different nations in the hopes of promoting mutual understanding (Chatfield with Kleidman 1992; Marullo, Pagnucco, and Smith 1996). As will be seen, however, the sociopolitical environment in the United States and the bilateral focus of the NWFC shaped and in some ways limited its transnational efforts. The founders of the NWFC recognized the importance of transnational contacts and established an International Task Force in 1981. Terry Provance of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) was the first chair of the task force. Provance already had experience with transnational 81
© 1997, Lynne Rienner Publishers, Boulder, USA

5 Transnational Activism in the Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign DAVID CORTRIGHT & RON PAGNUCCO The Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign (NWFC) is best known for its largely successful efforts to develop a grassroots constituency across the United States to end the testing, production, and deployment of nuclear weapons by the two superpowers. The original sponsors of the proposal for a bilateral freeze believed that its evenhanded focus would have broad appeal among the American people and would allow the peace movement to reach beyond its traditional and relatively small constituency. Although the NWFC's efforts to mobilize the American people to put pressure on Congress and the president were central to its strategy, it also engaged in transnational activities that are less well known. In this essay we review several of these activities: NWFC lobbying at the United Nations in 1982, its cooperation with peace groups in Western Europe, its relations with offi-cial and unofficial peace groups in the Soviet Union, and its involvement in the transnational movement against U.S. military involvement in Central America. Historically, transnational activism has been common in the U.S. peace movement. The liberal-internationalist wing of the movement has orga-nized international peace conferences and organizations; worked for the establishment of the World Court, the League of Nations, and the United Nations; sent peace delegations to the capitals of nations in conflict; and brought together the citizens of different nations in the hopes of promoting mutual understanding (Chatfield with Kleidman 1992; Marullo, Pagnucco, and Smith 1996). As will be seen, however, the sociopolitical environment in the United States and the bilateral focus of the NWFC shaped and in some ways limited its transnational efforts. The founders of the NWFC recognized the importance of transnational contacts and established an International Task Force in 1981. Terry Provance of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) was the first chair of the task force. Provance already had experience with transnational 81
© 1997, Lynne Rienner Publishers, Boulder, USA

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. CONTENTS VII
  3. List of Tables and Figures IX
  4. 1 Introduction: The Nuclear Freeze in Theory and Action 1
  5. Part 1 Development of the Freeze Coalition
  6. 2 Yodeling in the Echo Chamber: Public Opinion and the Nuclear Freeze 25
  7. 3 Dilemmas of Organization in Peace Campaigns 47
  8. 4 Competition and Cooperation in Movement Coalitions: Lobbying for Peace in the 1980s 61
  9. 5 Transnational Activism in the Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign 81
  10. Part 2 The Social and Political Impact of the Freeze
  11. 6 Freeze Frame: News Coverage of the Freeze Movement 97
  12. 7 The Nuclear Freeze Movement's Effect on Policy 127
  13. 8 Three Faces of the Freeze: Arenas of Success and Failure 163
  14. Part 3 Demobilization and Movement Transition
  15. 9 Persevering for Peace: Organizational Survival and Transformation of the U.S. Peace Movement, 1988-1992 181
  16. 10 Peace Movement Adaptation at the State Level: The Case of Maine 203
  17. 11 The Development and Maintenance of Activism in Anti-Nuclear Weapons Movements 219
  18. Part 4 Conclusion
  19. 12 Toward a Coalitional Theory of Social and Political Movements 237
  20. References 253
  21. List of Contributors 269
  22. Index 271
  23. About the Book 278
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https://doi.org/10.1515/9781685858179-006

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. CONTENTS VII
  3. List of Tables and Figures IX
  4. 1 Introduction: The Nuclear Freeze in Theory and Action 1
  5. Part 1 Development of the Freeze Coalition
  6. 2 Yodeling in the Echo Chamber: Public Opinion and the Nuclear Freeze 25
  7. 3 Dilemmas of Organization in Peace Campaigns 47
  8. 4 Competition and Cooperation in Movement Coalitions: Lobbying for Peace in the 1980s 61
  9. 5 Transnational Activism in the Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign 81
  10. Part 2 The Social and Political Impact of the Freeze
  11. 6 Freeze Frame: News Coverage of the Freeze Movement 97
  12. 7 The Nuclear Freeze Movement's Effect on Policy 127
  13. 8 Three Faces of the Freeze: Arenas of Success and Failure 163
  14. Part 3 Demobilization and Movement Transition
  15. 9 Persevering for Peace: Organizational Survival and Transformation of the U.S. Peace Movement, 1988-1992 181
  16. 10 Peace Movement Adaptation at the State Level: The Case of Maine 203
  17. 11 The Development and Maintenance of Activism in Anti-Nuclear Weapons Movements 219
  18. Part 4 Conclusion
  19. 12 Toward a Coalitional Theory of Social and Political Movements 237
  20. References 253
  21. List of Contributors 269
  22. Index 271
  23. About the Book 278
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