World Peace Forum Vancouver November 8,9, 11 English Services Canada

Fri Nov 7 09:13:45 PST 2008

                                                  English Services Canada

Posted by Writers Against War

An invitation of Poets Against War

World Peace Forum part I

"(...) The World Peace Forum Seminar on the 90th Anniversary of WW1 takes
place in the midst of a world wide economic crisis of the capitalist
system that is condemning countless millions of working people and the
poor to permanent unemployment and the depths of poverty and despair
(...)"

(Vancouver November 8, 9, 11, 2008) Don Currie, Chair, Canadians for Peace
and Socialism Associate Member: Canadian Peace Congress November 5, 2008
Dear friends Some Lessons of the Past As WPF participants discuss the
factors leading to WW1, that killed 20 million human beings and the
post-war path that led a mere 21 years later to the outbreak of WW2 that
killed more than 50 million human beings, it is worthwhile to remind
ourselves that these wars were not individual events, but culminating
events preceded by intense inter-imperialist rivalries. Opportunities
arose that if seized upon, could have prevented these greatest of all
human calamities from happening. Part of our discussion must include why
such opportunities were ignored and why the instigators of war prevailed
over the overwhelming desire of the people for peace. The answer to that
question must be sought for in the systemic origins of war in our time.
WW1 marked the beginning of the modern era of imperialism, an era of
intense inter-imperialist rivalry among finance capitalist monopolies,
integrated with the state, vying for dominance over global markets,
resources and labour. Imperialist rivalries become so heated that
competitive military blocs and alliances are created and devastating wars
and aggressions occur. That is why it is correct to say that movements for
peace were and are in content, anti-imperialist movements. Because
imperialism is an anarchic, contradictory aggressively competitive system,
composed of dominant and subordinate imperialist states, the very
instability of the system means it is possible for individual or groups of
countries to periodically break out of its orbit, defeat it, and abandon
it for something better. What that something better should be is another
dimension to our discussion beyond the scope of this Teach In but I would
argue it is imperative that it be discussed and in depth and I would
recommend it be considered as the theme of the next WPF Teach In. Some
Lessons of the Present The U.S. Presidential Elections The people of the
United States in electing Barak Obama President have opened up new
opportunities for advancing the cause of peace and global disarmament.
Those opportunities must be seized upon. The relinquishing by U.S.
imperialism of its global enterprise is far from over, but the people of
the United States in voting for change have said to their elite and
chauvinistic classes, that they will no longer support them uncritically
in that project. The people of the United States have voted in support of
President elect Obama’s promise of reforming the economy, withdrawing from
war, and forging a new multi-lateral relationship with other countries.
That is an opening for the peace and disarmament movement of our country
to give voice to what we believe that new relationship should be to
advance the cause of peace. The present US-Canadian government
relationship based on military interoperability of Canadian and US armed
forces via NATO, NORTHCOM and NORAD and subordination of Canadian foreign
and trade policy to NAFTA and SPP agreements would have to be at the
centre of such a re-evaluation and recasting of relations. The Canadian
Peace Congress at its recent Winnipeg Convention decided to campaign for
Canadian withdrawal from NATO as the first step in shifting Canada away
from support of US imperialist wars, to a foreign policy of peace and
disarmament. Peace and the Global Economic Crisis The World Peace Forum
Seminar on the 90th Anniversary of WW1 also takes place in the midst of a
world wide economic crisis of the capitalist system that is condemning
countless millions of working people and the poor to permanent
unemployment and the depths of poverty and despair. The crisis is the
logical outcome of an entire era of neo-liberal global theft by leading
imperialist states led by the U.S.A. of the work, resources, wealth,
savings and property of the labouring and oppressed masses of the world.
Nothing is being done by the leading capitalist governments including our
own, to stop the thieves. Everything is being done by the G7 to sanctify
and perpetuate their enterprise. The November 20th Meeting of the G20 will
do likewise. Government support for the banks and inaction on behalf of
the victims of the economic crisis confronts the peace movement with the
obligation to propose economic programs of peace at the centre of which
must be the demand to cut arms budgets and to spend on job creating
projects, maintenance of income programs and protection of our public
health, education and pension programs. .... part II to follow, with *Arms
Budgets are the Ruination of Economies. *Prevent World War Three *Foreign
Military Bases – Outpost of Imperialist Aggression. *FMB’s and the Cause
of Peace Summarized

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