MLK’s views against war came at a cost

+ how Ecuador became a nation in crisis US Edition - Today's top story: Martin Luther King Jr.'s moral stance against the Vietnam War offers lessons on how to fight for peace in the Middle East [View in browser]( US Edition | 15 January 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [South Africa accuses Israel of genocide – what now?]( - [LaPierre leaves a financial mess behind at the NRA]( - [I]([f all pathogens bombarded you at once]( Lead story As the number of U.S. soldiers fighting and dying in Vietnam continued to increase during the mid-1960s, Martin Luther King Jr. found himself in a tough spot with President Lyndon B. Johnson. It was Johnson who had signed into law both the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It was Johnson who orchestrated the Great Society programs that promised social uplift and racial equality. But LBJ was also at the heart of the escalation of the war, arguing that North Vietnam and its National Liberation Front were a threat to democracy in Southeast Asia. Though his advisers urged him not to speak out against the war, King ultimately did, often and loudly. For King, a preacher at heart, “silence had become betrayal.” As a scholar who researches racial politics and democracy, Hajar Yazdiha writes about King’s views on war − [and what he might say about peace in the Middle East](. “This is the story of the anti-war King who understood that violence begets violence and that the political courage to speak for peace is essential to democracy,” Yazdiha writes. [ [Understand what’s going on in Washington and around the world. Get our Politics Weekly newsletter.]( ] Howard Manly Race + Equity Editor Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., center, leads an anti-Vietnam War demonstration on March 16, 1967, in New York City. AFP via Getty Images [Martin Luther King Jr.’s moral stance against the Vietnam War offers lessons on how to fight for peace in the Middle East]( Hajar Yazdiha, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. knew the political consequences of speaking out against the Vietnam War − and he did it anyway. International - [Ethiopia’s deal with Somaliland upends regional dynamics, risking strife across the Horn of Africa]( Alemayehu Weldemariam, Indiana University Somalia has demanded that a memorandum of understanding – which would see Ethiopia gain access to the Red Sea via a Somaliland port – be ripped up. - [How Ecuador went from being Latin America’s model of stability to a nation in crisis]( Eduardo Gamarra, Florida International University Widespread violence tied to Ecuadorian drug gangs has left the country looking at a draconian response. - [US-UK airstrikes risk strengthening Houthi rebels’ position in Yemen and the region]( Mahad Darar, Colorado State University The raid follows warnings from Washington to cease attacks in the Red Sea − but it could serve to strengthen rebels and reignite civil war. Economy + Business - [Wayne LaPierre leaves a financial mess behind at the NRA − on top of the legal one that landed him in court]( Brian Mittendorf, The Ohio State University The NRA’s new leaders have to make important decisions as they confront a shaky financial future. Politics + Society - [What enforcement power does the International Court of Justice have in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel?]( Victor Peskin, Arizona State University While the International Court of Justice lacks enforcement powers, it can issue orders that could heighten international pressure on Israel to curtail some of its offensive in Gaza. Science + Technology - [What if every germ hit you at the exact same time? An immunologist explains]( Joseph Larkin III, University of Florida Your immune system is often able to fend off pathogens it’s never seen before. But defending your body against all of them all at once is a tough challenge. 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