Peace in Asia and the Pacific: Alternatives to Asia-Pacific Militarization
Initiated by the American Friends Service Committee and the American University Nuclear Policy Institute
To register and for additional information: http://afsc.org/PeaceInAsiaPacific
Capacity building for peace & economic justice movements
- Promote campaigns challenging Asia-Pacific militarism, advocating constructive alternatives, and promoting economic security.
- Facilitate solidarity between U.S. and Asia-Pacific peace movements
Even as the U.S. wages its Long War across the Middle East and Central Asia, the campaign to contain China has been driving U.S. strategic war planning and military spending. East Asian and Pacific nations have been caught up in costly and dangersous arms races, and incidents across the region have repeatedly brought us to the precipice of catastrophic war.
The U.S. still has more than 100 military bases and installations across Japan, exacting a heavy toll on both the Japanese and U.S. people and increasing the dangers of war. In Korea, activists – one of whom will be joining our conference - have engaged in hunger strikes and been jailed for opposing construction of the new Jeju naval base. The U.S. now has tacit military alliances with Vietnam and India, is exploring the return of military bases to the Philippines and is expanding military cooperation with Thailand, Malaysia, Pakistan, Indonesia and Singapore. Between these dynamics and increased resource competition, China has been reasserting its claims and modernizing its military to defend what it describes as its “core interests.”
While the US economy stagnates under the tremendous burden of its military expenditures, the world’s financial centers tilt towards Beijing, new military spending across the region has increased the complexities of its territorial disputes involving China, Japan, Korea, Russia and the ASEAN nations. A growing number of militarized “incidents” have occurred in the South China Sea and in Korea..
Yet, even as some in Washington and the Pentagon begin to consider the closure of some foreign military bases to address the budget crisis, U.S. peace and anti-war organizations and economic justice partners not prepared to take advantage of these openings and to challenge the long term Pentagon, right-wing and Military-Industrial Complex designs.
Join us in Washington to help build a peaceful and secure U.S., Asian and Pacific future!
Special Guest Speakers:
Madame Yan Junqi, Vice President of the Chinese People’s Association for Peace and Disarmament and the Vice Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People’s Congress
Shan Cretin, General Secretary, American Friends Service Committee
Opening Keynote Speakers:
Prof. Shen Dingli, Executive Dean of Fudan University’s Institute of International Studies, and Director of Fudan University’s Center for American Studies
Prof. Zia Mian, Research scientist in Priceton University’s Program on Science and Global Security and Director of its Project on Peace and Security in South Asia
- Jean Athey, Peace Action National Board & leading figure in the campaign to cut Pentagon spending to meet human needs.
- Wooksik Cheong, Representative of the Civil Network for a Peaceful Korea
- Ding Yifan, Chinese State Council Development Research Center
- Herbert Docena, Filipino researcher for Focus on the Global South working with NGOs and social movements.
- Chen Duming, Deputy Secretary General of the Chinese People’s Association for Peace and Disarmament.
- John Feffer, Co-Director of Foreign Policy in Focus, Institute for Policy Studies.
- Bruce Gagnon Coordinator, Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space.
- Joseph Gerson, Disarmament Coordinator, American Friends Service Committee.
- Hou Hongyu, Director of Research, Chinese People’s Association for Peace and Disarmament
- Ikaika Hussey, AFSC/DMZ-Hasawi’i/Aloha’Aina
- Kayashige Junko, Hiroshima A-Bomb Survivor, artist and abolition campaigner.
- Ngo Vinh Long, Professor of Asian History, University of Maine
- Gareth Porter, Historian and Journalist.
- David Steinberg, Distinguished Professor, Georgetown University
- Takakusaki Hiroshi, Co-Convener, World Conference against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs (Hiroshima & Nagasaki).
- Wang Hangling, Chinese Academy of Social Science.
- Yanae Pak, A leading figure in the courageous and militant nonviolent resistance to building a new military base on Jeju Island in Korea.
- Peter Kuznick, Professor of History, American University.
- Central/South Asia
- Cut Military Spending – Fund Our Communities
- Economic Realities & Dynamics of the Asia-Pacific
- History 101: U.S. in Asia-Pacific
- Human Rights
- Nuclear Weapons Abolition
- Southeast Asia
- U.S.-China relations
Additional information, including registration, available at http://afsc.org/PeaceInAsiaPacific.
American Friends Service Committee and American University’s Nuclear Policy Institute, as the Fourth AFSC-CPAPD Peace Forum.
Participating organizations include: Chinese People’s Association for Peace and Disarmament, Historians Against the War, Korean Policy Institute, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, Network for Okinawa, Nodutol, Peace Action, Radio Free Maine, Survival Education Fund, United for Peace and Justice; Veterans For Peace-Korea Peace Campaign