Dear friends,
The United States maintains military bases and other forms of military presence in over 100 countries. This network of bases is crucial for the US to project power around the world -- in pursuit of its economic and strategic interests. In order to prevent the US from waging its illegitimate wars, the global peace and justice movement must campaign for the shutting down of these bases or ending other forms of military presence in each of the countries hosting them.
With this in mind, various parallel proposals have been raised around the world for launching an international campaign against US bases. A global network composed of communities affected by as well as organizations working on these bases could be a powerful platform for pushing this campaign.
This important project, along with other global anti-war campaigns, was endorsed in the Jakarta Peace Consensus (JPC) of the Global Peace Movements' Conference last May 2003, and has since gained the support of various other organizations and forums. (English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, and Arabic versions of the JPC in PDF format can be downloaded from www.focusweb.org).
The challenge now is for these otherwise separate and isolated initiatives to come together so that a common campaign plan could be discussed, planned, and forged.
The first step is to bring together people working on US bases in an e-mail network or list-serve that will facilitate communication and coordination among its members.
The network is open to:
- representatives from communities affected by US bases/ military presence - representatives from local, national, or international organizations working or intending to work on US bases/ military presence - academics or researchers studying US bases/ military presence - any other individual or organization that could contribute to this campaign
So if you fall under any of these categories, just send an e-mail to herbert at focusphilippines.org with a short background of your community/organization and/or of your work.
If you know of others who should be included in this network, please forward this invitation to them and encourage them to join.
Thanks and more power.
In solidarity,
(Current members as of October 9, 2003 come from the following organizations)
Alab-Katipunan (Philippines) All India Peace and Solidarity Organization (India) American Friends Service Committee (US) Anti-Bases Campaign (New Zealand) Asian Peace Aliance (Asiawide) Asian Peace Alliance - Japan (Japan) ATTAC Ivory Coast ATTAC Portugal Bangladesh Krishok Federation (Bangladesh) Campaña por la desmilitarización de las Américas (CADA) Continental Campaign Against Militarization (Latin America) Communist Party USA (US) Daegu Civil Group for the Retaking of US Base & Facility (South Korea) DAWN - Southeast Asia (Southeast Asia) Documentation, Research and Training Center (India) Fremantle Anti-Nuclear Group (Australia) Friends of the Earth (Australia) Focus on the Global South (Thailand, Philippines, India) Gathering for Peace (Philippines) German Peace Council (Germany) Greek Social Forum Assembly of Chania (Greece) International South Group Network (Nicaragua) JANANEETHI (India) Lalit (Mauritius) Marseille Anti-War Committee (France) No War on Iraq Coordination of Turkey (Turkey) Nonviolence International(Latin America/US) Not in Our Name - Hawaii (US) Pacific Concerns Resource Center (Fiji) Peace Information Center (Thailand) People's Task Force for Bases Clean-up(Philippines) Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (Philippines) Resource Center for People's Development (Philippines) Social Movements' Network (International) Transnational Institute (Netherlands) US Peace Council (US) Workers' Democracy (Thailand)
Focus on the Global South (FOCUS) c/o CUSRI, Chulalongkorn University Bangkok 10330 THAILAND Tel: 662 218 7363/7364/7365/7383 Fax: 662 255 9976 E-mail: N.Bullard at focusweb.org Web Page http://www.focusweb.org