Ann Wright is a peace activist, former U.S. diplomat, and retired U.S. Army colonel. In 2003, she resigned from the diplomatic service in protest against the Iraq War and has since been tirelessly committed to peace, disarmament, and global justice. Whenever she’s in Germany, she lends her voice and heart to support the local peace movement – as she did again yesterday during the nationwide demonstration in Wiesbaden. We’re very pleased to speak with her today.
Reto Thumiger: Dear Ann, thank you so much for taking the time for this interview. We’re always happy to welcome you in Germany – and grateful to count on your solidarity and support.
Ann Wright: It’s a pleasure to be here. It’s been a few years since I’ve been in Germany, so it’s good to be back.
What brought you to Germany this time?
I was invited to speak at the demonstration in Wiesbaden about the U.S. missiles that are planned to be deployed to Germany in 2026. The protest was against this decision – which I’m also very much against. So I came to add my voice to those of German citizens saying: this is a provocative move by the United States, and it should be stopped.
How did you experience the atmosphere and the turnout at the peace demonstration in Wiesbaden yesterday?
Oh, the demonstration was really, really good. We had around 4,000 to 5,000 people gathering at the main square where the speeches were held. It started at the Wiesbaden train station – a spirited crowd despite the cold weather. Later on, Reiner, Katrin, and I went out to meet a group of 50 cyclists who were biking for peace. That was really inspiring – we met them, thanked them for their effort, and then they rode on into Wiesbaden.
The energy overall was great. People were attentive, appreciative of all the speakers, and I felt truly honored to be part of it.
That sounds really inspiring. The last time I spoke with you was in the summer of 2018, during the Stop Ramstein campaign. A lot has changed in the nearly seven years since then. How would you summarize these developments?
Well, the situation today is so different from what it was in 2018. Back then, Trump was president – and in 2019, he pulled the U.S. out of the INF Treaty, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces agreement.
After that, Russia said, well, if you’re not in it, we’re not in it either.
So for the past seven years, we’ve had no arms control agreement on intermediate-range nuclear missiles. Nothing.
Then the Biden administration came in – and meanwhile we’ve seen the war in Ukraine and Russia, which I believe was largely provoked by the United States and NATO.
And then there’s the Israeli genocide in Gaza, started through the complicity of the Biden administration. Biden, instead of reversing that path, took advantage of the situation – including Trump’s exit from the INF – and in what seems to have been a surprise to the German government, announced in July 2024 that the U.S. would be deploying new missiles to Germany. And from what I’m hearing, it was without consultation, really, of the German government. So this changes the entire dynamic of U.S.-European relations.
And now with Trump returning to power – even though it’s only been two months – the kind of statements we’ve heard from him and from his Secretary of State, his special envoys, his Defense Secretary… they’re essentially undermining Europe’s reliance on the U.S. and NATO for defense.
Now, I’ve always been critical of NATO – I think there’s far too much of it. So on one level, I might say, okay, reducing dependency on NATO, maybe that’s not a bad thing.
But at the same time, as a former U.S. diplomat, I’d say: you don’t just cut ties with your key allies like that. You never know when you might need to rely on those relationships.
The Trump administration’s approach – the bullying, the arrogance, the sheer rudeness – is really concerning to many of us in the U.S. And it’s not just Europe. Around the world – Greenland, Canada, Panama – Trump or people in his administration have made crazy statements.
Saying things like “We’ll take over the Panama Canal,” or calling Canada the 51st state… these are just absurd, dangerous remarks. No serious leader, no secretary of state or minister of foreign affairs should speak that way.
Trump’s rhetoric is always full of contradictions. Back in 2018 you suggested that the German population should expel the U.S. Army – because it kills people and uses the military bases here to do so. Today, many German politicians are concerned that Trump might actually consider withdrawing from NATO and Europe – and in response, they are calling for massive rearmament. And still the US wants to move the missiles to Germany and so on. That’s probably not what you had in mind, right?
Exactly. This development is a huge cause for concern – but it doesn’t have to happen. The point is: we should be prioritizing diplomacy, not adding more weapons or moving toward military confrontation. And that’s what’s really been missing in all of this.
If you look at the Minsk I and Minsk II agreements – and now that we know more about how they were handled – these were supposed to be serious diplomatic efforts. They should have been used to prevent any kind of military escalation between Russia and Ukraine.
And then, with the Ukrainians, the U.S., and European countries involved – it should never, ever have gotten to the point where Russia felt it had to invade Ukraine. Now, to be clear, I completely disagree with Russia’s decision to do that. But at the same time, you can see how things deteriorated – especially when there was no real effort made to stop the escalation. It’s almost like the U.S. was actually pushing for this confrontation.
And in fact, we have senior U.S. officials who’ve openly said that part of the goal was to weaken Russia through a long war – to force them to burn through their military and economic resources, to impose more sanctions, and ultimately – well, what the U.S. often aims for is regime change.
First of all, that’s wrong. And second, the United States never seems to learn from its past failures when it comes to overthrowing governments and trying to install regimes that serve U.S. interests. It never works. And yet, our politicians seem to think: maybe this time it’ll work. So let’s try it again.
And what happens as a result? Tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands – even millions of people – are killed or injured. It’s just beyond belief that in this day and age, governments – especially my government – still keep choosing the military route instead of real diplomacy.
Many people are wondering what is going wrong with Europe’s role in all this. Even now, with Trump pushing for negotiations with Russia — which, personally, I’m skeptical about in terms of genuine intentions for world peace — Europe still seems reluctant to engage in dialogue or take steps toward peace in Ukraine. From your perspective, what concrete steps should be taken toward de-escalation?
Well, one concrete step — and a big one — would be for the U.S. to stop sending more weapons. And I think they have indicated that to Zelensky that there needs to be some sort of negotiation, a ceasefire, and a path toward a peace agreement. So really, the U.S. needs to stop fueling this war with more weapons and military support.
As you mentioned, the European governments are not so anxious to do that, and it certainly appears that they want to continue this confrontation. And now we’re seeing these enormous increases in military spending in almost every European country — all based on this perceived threat from Russia.
Well, if you don’t want a threat from Russia, then you better start talking to them. You have to engage in dialogue — ask: what exactly are the problems that Russia sees with what’s happening in Europe? And then you can express what Europe sees as the problem.
Yes, the Russian government’s decision to invade parts of Ukraine is terrible. It should never have happened. But it also could have been prevented — if there had been active, real diplomacy to address both the concerns of the Russian Federation and those of Ukraine. So basically, what we need is to reopen diplomatic channels — and also to create the spaces where that kind of conversation can actually take place.
Do you also see any positive developments? Do you see anything encouraging?
Well… it’s a real stretch, honestly, to see positive developments right now. From the U.S. perspective, we’re seeing a major crackdown on free speech. Students are being deported, and organizations like the ones I’m part of — Veterans for Peace, Code Pink: Women for Peace — are being vilified in the U.S. Congress just because we dare to challenge U.S. policies.
I mean, just last week in the Senate, during nationally televised hearings, two senators basically accused Code Pink of being funded by the Chinese Communist Party — for God’s sake.
It was like something out of the McCarthy era. And I actually got arrested because I stood up to Senator Tom Cotton and said, “We’re not getting paid by anybody — we rely on small donations from individuals here in the U.S.”
But that’s the kind of retaliation we’re seeing now. If the Trump administration doesn’t like you or what you say, they come after you. They go after institutions and individuals who challenged Trump’s claim that he won the last election. People are really afraid — and the courts aren’t moving fast enough to push back against all of this.
So… if there is a positive side, it’s that all this repression is actually reinvigorating citizen activism. People are going out into the streets again. They’re putting pressure on Congress. They’re paying close attention to upcoming elections. And just this past week, we saw Republican candidates lose in areas where they were almost certain to win — because citizens are waking up.
So yes, I think that’s the hopeful part: people are paying attention. They’re getting involved. And that’s exactly what needs to happen if we want to push back against policies that are dangerous for our countries — and for the world.
And I think you see some of that here in Germany, too. Even though pro-Palestinian voices are facing a lot of suppression, there is pushback.
That’s the encouraging part: as citizens, we’re continuing to hold our governments accountable for the policies they pursue.
So that’s the positive part, even in these very difficult times — the nonviolent resistance. People taking to the streets. Would you say this is actually what people can do?
Absolutely. I think it’s really important — especially that we push the media to show that there is dissatisfaction in the United States. Right now, we’re seeing more coverage of town hall meetings with politicians — and it’s powerful. Citizens are standing up — even people who previously supported Trump — and they’re saying: What are you doing? Why are you tearing apart the entire federal government? You’re hurting me as a veteran. You’re hurting me as a senior relying on Social Security.
So yes, we need that kind of visibility. Letters and emails — sure, those are fine. But no one sees them except the person receiving them. But you’ve got to be out on the streets to be able to show that there are hundreds of thousands of people that are concerned about these issues.
How do you view the younger generation in this context? Does it give you hope – or cause for concern?
Well, it really depends on the issue. Yesterday, at the demonstration in Wiesbaden, it was mostly an older crowd — and that’s actually quite similar to what we see at peace demonstrations in the U.S. But when it comes to Palestine — and the Israeli genocide in Gaza — that movement is being led by young people. They’re the ones out front, organizing, speaking out, taking risks. And they’re supported by older generations, yes — but it’s the youth that’s leading the way. Same thing with environmental issues in the U.S. — it’s the younger generation that’s stepping up, looking out for their future, demanding action.
What gives me hope is their outrage. They’re not numb. They’re not indifferent. They’re watching what’s happening — watching the world in the 21st century allow another genocide to unfold — and they are furious about it.
Why do you think it is so difficult for people to see the connections – between militarization, the dismantling of social services, the decline in education and healthcare, collapsing infrastructure, growing poverty, and environmental destruction? It seems so obvious, but apparently it isn’t?
Indeed, you’re right. And I think we all grapple with that. Perhaps it’s that people take particular interest in things that directly affect them in their daily lives. And since we don’t have a draft for the U.S. military anymore, the military doesn’t directly affect most of the younger generation — because so few of them go into the military now. It’s mostly those who need a job and can’t find one anywhere else who end up joining.
But I think we will continue trying to bring these issues together — to present them as a cohesive whole. To show all the tentacles of the octopus — how militarization affects our entire society: the environment, for example, or the deportation of migrants.
Right now, we have the U.S. military — active-duty military — down at the border, helping to push people back. There are military flights taking people out of the country in deportation operations — without any sort of judicial hearing.
And that part — the forced deportations — is something the youth are really grabbing onto, especially because we have so many young immigrants who’ve lived in the United States for a long time now. They consider themselves part of the country — residents, if not citizens. And even though they may not have legal status, they’ve been part of our society for so long, they just want to be treated like they belong — because they do belong.
So I think that issue is helping to bring together different parts of our social justice community.
Unfortunately, we start to running out of time. Given all the setbacks and the grim state of the world: where do you draw your strength from? How do you manage to keep your courage and hope alive? Many activists struggle with this.
Well, you know, I take my inspiration from those who are being oppressed — and who still stand up. I mean, just look at the Palestinians — in Gaza and the West Bank — and everything they’re going through. And yet, the spirit they show… No matter how many hundreds of thousands are killed, they say: We will not give up. We will not give up being Palestinian. We will not give up living in the lands we’ve lived in for thousands of years.
I take inspiration from people in Ukraine, too — people who say: Our territory has been invaded, and from everyday citizens who say: This can’t go on. They’re willing to challenge what’s happening — but they’re saying: There has to be peace. They don’t want more people dying.
I also take courage from immigrants living in the United States — people who’ve worked so hard, who’ve become part of our society, and yet are now being thrown out. And even then, when you hear them speak, they still express appreciation for the time they spent in the U.S. They leave with a different set of values — though that final lesson, the one about being deported, that’s one they definitely won’t appreciate.
But overall… there is so much hope in the people who keep working to make the world a better place. And all those people — who work hard for the betterment of humanity — they give me strength. They give me hope.
Dear Ann, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your time, your clear words, and your tireless voice for peace. It is always an inspiration to talk to you. We wish you continued strength and good health – and we hope to welcome you back in Germany again soon, shoulder to shoulder with the peace movement.
