Workshop 4 : On the cause of just peace and struggles against wars of counterrevolution and aggression and against nuclear, chemical, biological and other weapons of mass destruction.

Advance the peoples’ struggles against imperialist wars of counterrevolution and aggression!

Barely a decade into the 21st century, imperialism has clearly proven itself as the main source of war and the deadliest wielder of weapons of mass destruction. It remains the greatest threat to genuine peace, progress and the all-rounded development and well-being of the peoples of the world. As the crisis of the world capitalist system deepens, the rivalry among imperialist powers intensifies even as they collaborate to further exploit and oppress the world’s peoples for greater profit. — Workshop 4 Resolution, ILPS 3rd International Assembly

As the world enters the 2nd decade of the 21st century, the statement above has become more and more validated. To survive the prolonged depression and continue to amass superprofits, the monopoly capitalists have intensified the oppression and exploitation of the toiling peoples all over the world, even as they continue to compete among themselves for greater spheres of influence, markets and dumping grounds for their products and capital. More and more, the deep and protracted economic and financial crisis has spurred new political conflicts and further intensified old ones, and in some places, caused these to erupt into armed confrontations and open war.

The US is attempting to change its image and approach from that of Bush’s arrogant, warmongering bully to the “soft approach” of a well-mannered and responsible policeman. But its overall geopolitical goals and strategies remain the same – to expand and consolidate its hegemony, prevent the rise of a peer competitor and reserve the right to preemptive strike and regime change. The increasing limitations on its resources due to the economic crisis, political constraints arising from its flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of nations, as well as its own contradictions with its imperialist rivals have forced the US to set aside the unilateral policies and rhetoric characteristic of the Bush-led neoconservatives. It has adopted instead a multilateral approach and policy, rallying its fellow imperialist powers to join it in wars of aggression and in return partake in its spoils (albeit with the US having the lion’s share) and making full use of surrogate forces and resources of its client states all over the world.

The US and its NATO allies have sank deeper into a quagmire in Afghanistan, where the US shifted the focus of its “war on terror” from Iraq, and NATO forces were deployed for the first time outside Europe in 2003. The US continues to invoke its right to preemptive strike, violates Pakistani territorial and political sovereignty and completely disregards the safety of civilians when it conducts air strikes by unmanned armed vehicles against suspected Taliban and Al Qaeda lairs in Pakistan.

In Northeast Asia. US has deliberately provoked confrontation with North Korea and taunts China by conducting massive year-long military exercises with its surrogate South Korean armed forces, purportedly to defend the South Korean people from an attack by North Korea, but in truth as a show of force and provocation against China.

In South Asia, US-directed and advised Indian state forces launched Operation Greenhunt against the Indian revolutionaries and people in mostly adivasi or tribal areas to protect and support multinational mining operations. The US, along with India, is also directly intervening in Nepal, preventing the Nepali people from forming a truly independent and democratic government.

US troops are also operating in Latin America, where some of the countries, notably Venezuela, Ecuador, Honduras and Argentina are ruled by governments avowedly striving to adhere to and implement socialist principles. Under the guise of counter-narcotic operations, the US has beefed up its forces and presence in Colombia and leads surrogate Colombian forces in encroaching into Venezuelan territory in a clear move to subvert, weaken and eventually overthrow the Venezuelan government and cripple the entire anti-imperialist movement in Latin-America.

The US continues to rely on Israel as its junior partner in the Middle East and unconditionally supports and defends it against worldwide outrage over its brutal attacks on the Palestinian people and transgressions into Palestinian territory.

In 2007, the US signaled its increased strategic interest in and intent to control the whole of Africa by establishing the US Africa Command. Not long after, the US-led and directed NATO opened up another war theater in North Africa, taking advantage of peoples protests and uprisings in North Africa spreading to Libya in order to carry out bombings and shelling of Libya, under the cover of a UN Security Council resolution purportedly for “humanitarian intervention”. Already overstretched and straining under financial and political constraints, the US has been reluctant to deploy ground troops in Libya. Underscoring these limitations is the refusal of the African nations to host the Africa Command, with the exception of Morocco and Liberia, so that the Africa Command continues to be based in Stuttgart, Germany.

The UN Resolution 1973 (2011) calling on Member States to intervene militarily in Libya under the pretext of “humanitarian intervention” is only the latest and most flagrant example of how the UN is being used by the US and other imperialist powers to sanction its blatantly aggressive acts. In Sept 2008, the United Nations Organization (UNO) and NATO signed an agreement to establish “a framework for consultation and dialogue and cooperation” and “further develop the cooperation between our organizations on issues of common interest, in, but not limited to, communication and information-sharing, including on issues pertaining to the protection of civilian populations; capacity-building, training and exercises; lessons learned, planning and support for contingencies; and operational coordination and support.” This agreement, which the UN tried to keep secret, has drawn criticism and condemnation for bringing the UNO, whose mandate is to preserve peace, into a framework of patently military cooperation with NATO. It in fact betrays the true nature of the UNO and NATO as machineries for imperialist aggression and plunder masquerading as instruments of peace, security and progress.

The New Strategic Concept launched in the NATO Lisbon Summit last November 2010 describes the “new environment” of missile defense, conventional sources, climate change, etc. and pushed for increasing and upgrading its deployable forces such as the NATO Response Force, ensuring the member countries’ contributions, increasing military actions and interventions in order to secure energy sources, communications and transport lines, protect their citizens, anticipate, deter and defeat enemy attacks, etc. The NATO Summit revealed the increasing difficulties of the US and other imperialists in pursuing their collective and individual interests. Their inter-imperialist contradictions in the face of continuing global economic depression and growing protests and resistance from peoples all over the world are continually coming to the fore.

The sharpest expression of these contradictions are currently found in the turmoil in North Africa and the Middle East. The US-NATO are attempting to take advantage of and control these eruptions to effect regime change whenever and wherever it is possible and to their advantage or interest.

Peoples’ protests and resistance have arisen and intensified against imperialist aggression and intervention all over the world. These in turn have provided the main political constraint to the designs of the US and other imperialists to dominate and exploit other peoples.
The peoples of Iraq and Afghanistan continue to resist foreign occupation, inflicting the heaviest toll on the imperialist occupation forces and resources and preventing full control and pacification after more than a decade of direct aggression. The Palestinian people persevere in their just struggle to return to their homeland despite brutal attacks by the Zionist fascist forces.

Armed struggle against imperialist-backed reactionary and fascist regimes continue to be waged and gain ground in India, the Philippines, Peru, Turkey, Colombia and elsewhere. In countries where there are US military bases and activities , the people of the host countries protest and demand the dismantling of these bases, the halt to US military operations and withdrawal of all foreign troops.

Proposals for Plan of Action

1. Conduct global and regional coordinated actions on specific issues such as:
   • the US-NATO aggression and intervention in Libya and other North African and Middle Eastern countries
   • the US-NATO occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan
   • Zionist attacks on the Palestinian people and continuing occupation of the Palestinian homeland
   • US intervention in Latin America, such as Plan Colombia and the US-Colombian military threats and incursions against Venezuela
   • US militarism and intervention in South Asia (India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka)
   • US militarism in East Asia and Oceania, eg military exercises and other activities with allied and surrogate forces such as in Australia, Korea and the Philippines
2. Activate, expand and strengthen ILPS global and regional campaigns and formations against US overseas military bases; demand the dismantling of all foreign military bases worldwide and withdrawal of foreign troops.Expose and oppose imperialist-directed state terrorism, counterrevolutionary wars and intervention in the domestic affairs of sovereign countries, and all foreign military aid to puppet, surrogate and fascist regimes.
3. Undertake a campaign for the disarming and destruction of all nuclear, chemical, biological and other weapons of mass destruction.
4. Expose and oppose the development and production of new weapons and weapons systems such as space-launched weapons, tactical nuclear weapons and anti-ballistic missiles.
5. Set up and operationalize Commission 4 with representatives from all global regions and with a secretariat to maintain communications and serve as a coordinating center.

Specific Resolutions

1. Resolution condemning the US-NATO aggression in Libya and intervention in North Africa and the Middle East
2. Resolution for an international campaign and formation against U.S. and All Foreign Military Bases
3. Resolution against the acts of provocation under the guise of US-South Korea military exercises
4. Resolution against imperialist instigation and backing of Operation Greenhunt
5. Resolution against US intervention and aggression in Latin America
6. Resolution condemning the US Anti-Ballistic Missile program and continuing threats to use nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction
7. Resolution supporting the Palestinian struggle for their right to return to their homeland and against continuing fascist Zionist attacks against Palestinians and occupation of the Palestinian homeland
8. Resolution Condemning the US-Israeli and other Imperialists plans against Iran
9. Resolution for Withdrawal of US-NATO troops from Iraq and Afghanistan

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