Join Us - Oct. 21-22 - Movement Capacity Building Conference on Asia-Pacific Militarization - Washington, D.C.
Joseph Gerson
“We welcome and we are grateful for the important work of our friends
in the United States for organizing a capacity building conference for the
U.S. peace movement and seek alternatives to Asia-Pacific militarization.
This is what we in Asia and the Pacific need at this very critical juncture,
especially for Guam and Okinawa….”
Corazon Fabros
Nuclear-Free Philippines Coalition
Hiroshima, August 3, 2011
Friends,
Greetings from Hiroshima. Here, in addition to recommitting ourselves and developing plans to press for a nuclear weapons abolition convention and to eliminate nuclear power generation after Fukushima, we are being challenged to address growing U.S.-Chinese military tensions and the related arms race which is driving Pentagon spending, the impacts of U.S. military bases across the region, and territorial disputes between Japan and China, South Korea and Japan, China and the ASEAN nations that could spark wars, even nuclear wars.
For these reasons, with partner organizations (see list below) we are organizing the October 21-22 conference Peace in Asia-Pacific. Alternatives to Asia-Pacific Militarization.
Our goal is to help prepare U.S. peace and justice movements to challenge this dangerous and costly militarization, and we hope that you will join us. http://afsc.org/PeaceInAsiaPacific.
With speakers from China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Guam and scholars and movement campaign leaders in the U.S., we will be exploring these issues and identifying and building campaigns that can prevent war and build prosperity. Speakers will include Madame Yan Junqi, Vice President of the Chinese People’s Association for Peace and Disarmament, Professor Zia Mian of Princeton University, Mrs. Ha Nguyen of the Vietnam Lawyers Association, Christine Ahn of the Korea Policy Institute, Jean Athey of Peace Action, Bruce Gagnon of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space, and many others.
This conference is about U.S. security as well. While our economy is staggering toward a second recession, people lose their homes, teachers and fire fighters lose their jobs, Medicare and Social Security under attack, and college educations increasingly difficult to afford, it’s clear that we will have no security or justice without peace. Even the bi-partisan deficit reduction commission called for closing one-third of the roughly 1,000 U.S. foreign military bases – many of them in Asia and the Pacific – and bringing a similar proportion of U.S. foreign deployed troops home.
So, our hope is to help bring the U.S. peace movement into the 21st Asia-Pacific century, where our future lies. Please spread the word and JOIN US!!
Joseph Gerson
American Friends Service Committee
Conference initiated by the American Friends Service Committee and the Chinese People’s Association for Peace and Disarmament, participating organizations include our host American University’s Nuclear Studies Institute, Historians Against the War, Korea Policy Institute, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, Nodutol, Peace Action, United for Peace and Justice, Survival Education Fund and Veterans for Peace – Korea Peace Campaign.
