[Stopwar-l] StopWar News and Events on Haiti & Afghanistan

[StopWar]

StopWar Update - News and Events

Email: stopwar at resist.ca
Web: http://stopwar.ca
Twitter: http://twitter.com/StopWarCa

In This Notice:

1) Save the Date - Feb. 19 Afghanistan Night at Rhizome
2) Public Events with Kim Ives on Haiti - Jan. 29-31
3) Important News Articles and Statements


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1) Save the Date - Feb. 19 Afghanistan Night at Rhizome

StopWar will be hosting a film screening and public discussion on the
situation in Afghanistan, where Canada still has nearly 1000 military
personnel. Join us:

Sunday, Feb. 19, 6pm
Rhizome Cafe, 317 E. Broadway

There'll be a screening of 'Tour of Duty', an Australian documentary on
the role of Special Forces in the occupation of Afghanistan. Then we'll
have an update on Canada's ongoing role and discussion.

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2) Public Events with Kim Ives on the Situation in Haiti Today

Public forum - Haiti through the lens of Wikileaks: How the U.S. conspires
to keep Haiti poor

Kim Ives, editor of the Haitian weekly newspaper Haiti Liberté, will speak
at an evening public forum in downtown Vancouver.

Monday, Jan 30, 7 pm to 9 pm
Harbour Center, 515 W. Hastings St.

Organized by Haiti Solidarity BC, co-sponsored by Stopwar, SFPIRG,
Canadian Cuban Friendship Association, Socialist Solidarity. Publicity
flyer is attached to this page.

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Seminar at School of Journalism, University of British Columbia

Wikileaks: The Haiti Files

Mr. Ives will speak on Monday, January 31 at the UBC School of Journalism.
He will speak on the role of journalists in Haiti past and present,
including the experience of Haiti Liberte in publishing the U.S.
diplomatic cables on Haiti from 2003 to 2010 in collaboration with the
Wikileaks organization.

Tuesday, January 31, 12:30 pm to 2 pm
School of Journalism, University of British Columbia
6388 Crescent Road, Room 104

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Celebration of Cuba's founder and national hero Jose Marti, January 29

Kim Ives will speak at the celebration of the anniversary of Cuban
national hero Jose Marti taking place in Vancouver on January 29 at 1 pm
to 3 pm. He will speak at around 1:30 pm on the subject of Cuba's aid and
assistance to Haiti. The celebration is organized by the Canadian Cuban
Friendship Association.

Sunday, January 29, 1 pm to 3 pm
3390 School Ave. (one block south of Kingsway Ave., corner Tyne St, in the
common space of the Chilean Co-Op)

Music, poetry, refreshments, free admission.

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3) Important News Articles and Statements

'Stephen Harper’s rhetoric on Iran should frighten us all'

By Derrick O'Keefe, January 20, 2012

Harper appears willing to make almost any argument whatsoever to defend
the interests of Big Oil. And he is proving equally shameless when it
comes to pushing militarism in Canada and on the world stage.

Later in that same interview with Mansbridge, Harper made perhaps his most
dangerous comments yet with respect to Iran. The prime minister has been
fear mongering about Iran for some time, repeatedly calling Iran the
greatest threat to world peace. Harper one-upped himself in this latest
conversation with Mansbridge, asserting that he knew “beyond any doubt”
that Iran was working to develop nuclear weapons. Not only that, but
Harper stated that he is “absolutely convinced” that Iran “would have no
hesitation about using nuclear weapons”.

Full article here:
http://www.straight.com/article-588881/vancouver/derrick-okeefe-stephen-harpers-rhetoric-iran-should-frighten-us-all

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The Canadian Peace Alliance: Don't Attack Iran!
http://www.acp-cpa.ca/en/IranMain.htm

Israeli President Simon Peres recently stated that an attack on Iran is
becoming more likely. There have also been a series of moves by the United
States, Israel and other NATO countries that signal preparations for a
possible attack or severe sanctions against Iran similar to those used
against Iraq in the lead-up to Anglo-American invasion of 2003.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report released this week
contains very little new information and still does not draw the
conclusion that Iran is building a nuclear weapon. The report cites a
series of tests that may be used for civilian or military purposes but
doesn't point to any proof of the existence of a nuclear weapons program.
It is instead a collection of unverified intelligence reports from “member
states”.

Regardless of the findings in the report, any use of military force
against nuclear installations in Iran will be dangerous and illegal under
international law and must therefore be opposed.

Protocol 1 of the Geneva Convention states that no country can attack a
nuclear facility or any other target if, "if such attack may cause the
release of dangerous forces and consequent severe losses among the
civilian population." An attack on a nuclear facility will cause massive
damage to the local environment and to the civilian population in the
vicinity. A nuclear attack would cause untold civilian deaths.

The process that led to the US invasion and occupation of Iraq is very
similar to the current situation with Iran. Without the support of the
international community and in clear violation of international law, the
US invaded and occupied Iraq ostensibly based on the same motivation about
the threat of weapons of mass destruction. The fact that no weapons were
ever found in Iraq and the proof that the evidence of such a program in
Iraq was deliberately falsified renders the US accusations against Iran
extremely questionable.

An attack on Iran would not be an effective way to stop or reverse nuclear
armament in the Middle East. Israel has already built an arsenal of
nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them, and unlike Iran, is neither
a member of IAEA nor a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. It is
the position of the CPA that nuclear proliferation will continue as long
as those states which currently have nuclear weapons, including the US,
refuse to comply with their international treaty obligation to disarm
their own arsenals. For this reason, the CPA believes that the call for a
nuclear-weapons-free middle east, would be a useful first step towards
global nuclear disarmament. This call has been part of the negotiations
under the NPT since 1995.

The CPA therefore calls on the Government of Canada to oppose any military
action against Iran and to condemn the escalating rhetoric and calls on
our member groups to prepare for demonstrations and local events to stop
the drive towards war with Iran.

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Iraq: A criminal war the US lost
Link - http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/49766
Sunday, January 15, 2012
By David Finkel

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Piss on War: Death, Desecration, and Afghanistan
Link - http://gawker.com/5875468/piss-on-war


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“I don’t fear death – I fear political silence”:
An interview with Malalai Joya, Afghani activist and former politician

Link: http://www.newstatesman.com/asia/2012/01/afghanistan-interview-joya