Divest from the War Machine (DWM) is a campaign of the left-wing group CODEPINK. ¹

DWM seeks to have investors pull their funds “from companies that derive their profits from U.S. military interventions, the global arms trade, and the militarization of our streets.” ² In addition to traditional defense companies such as Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, other American companies DWM advocates divesting from include Boeing, General Electric, and Hewlett Packard. ³

Background

Divest from the War Machine was formed by CODEPINK and pushes the organization’s anti-U.S. military stances. ⁴ CODEPINK was founded in 2002 to oppose the U.S.-led Iraq War; it opposes other American defense policies, including the war in Afghanistan, keeping Guantanamo Bay open, and the use of drones. ⁵ Even more controversial stances held by Code Pink are support for the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement and the Communist Castro regime in Cuba. ^{6 7}

Left-of-center partners of DWM include Alliance for Global Justice, Beyond Nuclear, Black Alliance for Peace, Green Party of Santa Clara County, Institute for Policy Studies, MADRE, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, Progressive Democrats of America, U.S. Peace Council, Women’s Action for New Direction, and World Beyond War. ⁸

Environmentalism

In response to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-NY) Green New Deal. DWM released a petition praising the initiative and asking Ocasio-Cortez to expand it to include a “New Peace Deal.” ⁹ The petition says defense spending goes toward “the environmentally destructive project of militarism” and that it should be cut in order to fund environmentalist projects. ¹⁰ The leading suggestion in the petition is to close the majority of U.S. military bases both in the U.S. and abroad. DWM says the U.S. should generate all electricity from renewable sources, upgrade every building to meet environmentalist standards, and put “massive investment” into reducing carbon emissions. ¹¹

Immigration

Code Pink targets BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager. ¹² The company holds shares of many large defense companies including General Dynamics, which holds a contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to preform “IT, caseworker support, file review and redaction, data entry” for case files created when illegal immigrants are detained at the border. ¹³ Code Pink says that BlackRock and others should divest from General Dynamics because this contract allows it to profit off “unjust practices that are targeted at immigrants and refugees.” ¹⁴

Supporting Democratic Politicians

DWM has praised left-of-center politicians for pledging to refuse funds from weapons manufacturers and the National Rifle Association including Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT), Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D), Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), Rep. Pramila Jaypal (D-WA), Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-NM), and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA). ¹⁵

CodePink and DWM came out against the Trump admiration’s proposed 2020 budget for its proposed five percent increase in defense spending. ¹⁶ DWM dubs the U.S. military the “most destructive agency on the planet.” Rather than funding the military, Code Pink wants the federal government to spend trillions on the Green New Deal, socialized healthcare, and “free college.” ¹⁷

1. “Issues & Campaigns.” CODEPINK. Accessed April 27, 2019. https://www.codepink.org/issues_campaigns.
2. “About the Campaign.” Divest from the War Machine. Accessed April 27, 2019. https://www.divestfromwarmachine.org/about_campaign.
3. “Divest List.” Divest from the War Machine. Accessed April 27, 2019. https://www.divestfromwarmachine.org/divest_list.
4. “Issues & Campaigns.” CODEPINK. Accessed April 27, 2019. https://www.codepink.org/issues_campaigns.
5. “What Is CODEPINK.” CODEPINK. Accessed April 27, 2019. https://www.codepink.org/about.
6. “Israel Publishes ‘BDS Blacklist’ of 20 Groups Barred from Entering Country.” I24NEWS. Accessed April 23, 2019. https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/164594-180107-israel-publishes-bds-blacklist-of-20-groups-barred-from-entering-country.
7. “Cuba: April 29 – May 7, 2017.” CODEPINK. Accessed April 23, 2019. https://www.codepink.org/cuba_april_may_2017.
8. “The Coalition.” Divest from the War Machine. Accessed April 27, 2019. https://www.divestfromwarmachine.org/coalition.
9. “Include a New Peace Deal in the Green New Deal.” CODEPINK. Accessed April 29, 2019. https://www.codepink.org/greennewdeal.
10. “Include a New Peace Deal in the Green New Deal.” CODEPINK. Accessed April 29, 2019. https://www.codepink.org/greennewdeal.
11. “Include a New Peace Deal in the Green New Deal.” CODEPINK. Accessed April 29, 2019. https://www.codepink.org/greennewdeal.
12. “Divest from the War Machine.” CODEPINK. Accessed April 29, 2019. https://www.codepink.org/divest_from_the_war_machine.
13. “FAQ: BlackRock, General Dynamics, and Migrant Detention.” CODEPINK. Accessed April 29, 2019. https://www.codepink.org/blackrock_general_dynamics_and_migrant_detention.
14. “FAQ: BlackRock, General Dynamics, and Migrant Detention.” CODEPINK. Accessed April 29, 2019. https://www.codepink.org/blackrock_general_dynamics_and_migrant_detention.
15. “Victories.” Divest from the War Machine. Accessed April 29, 2019. https://www.divestfromwarmachine.org/victories.
16. “Over a Million Dead, Yet 5 Percent More?” CODEPINK. March 19, 2019. Accessed April 29, 2019. https://www.codepink.org/over_a_million_dead_yet_5_percent_more.
17. “Over a Million Dead, Yet 5 Percent More?” CODEPINK. March 19, 2019. Accessed April 29, 2019. https://www.codepink.org/over_a_million_dead_yet_5_percent_more.