In the United States, the Biden administration, like the Trump administration that preceded it, is hellbent on preventing China from achieving parity with the U.S. on the global stage. In fact, to protect its hegemony, the U.S. is prepared to use every means, including military might, to prevent this from occurring. Continue reading AUKUS and the encirclement of China
A petition launched by Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) opposing the AUKUS Security Pact and entitled ‘No Nuclear Submarines; End U.S. Dominance; Healthcare Not Warfare’ is currenty circulating. It states:
The behind closed door commitment of Australia to a trilateral security agreement with the United Kingdom, and the United States (AUKUS) and a submarine fleet shows a complete disregard for the democratic process and undermines sovereignty. Continue reading AUKUS Petition: No Nuclear Submarines; End U.S. Dominance; Healthcare Not Warfare
That is the question MPG has put to the Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon. Linda Reynolds, in a letter.
MPG’s letter points to the fact that Australia has ignored the UN Secretary General’s call for a global ceasefire, by announcing an additional $270 billion expenditure on defence. Meanwhile it also ignores the risk of Covid-19 infection by hosting US marines in Darwin and by joining the RIMPAC naval exercises off the coast of Hawaii.
All of these points support the contention that the Australian government is more intent on preparing for war, than it is on maintaining peace. It is a sorry state of affairs. The full text of the letter can be read here.
A public rally to symbolically destroy the Australian Military Sales Catalogue took place on June 30, outside the Queen Victoria Building. A small (and safe) fire was started for this purpose and the catalogue was destroyed page by page.
The catalogue is published by the Coalition government for the purpose of promoting the sale of Australian-made military equipment and weapons to other nations. Minister for Defence Industry, Christopher Pyne MP, has expressed the ambition of Australia joining the ‘Top Ten’ global armaments suppliers. View the YouTube video of the event here.
Read more about the opposition to the Coalition government’s new global defence strategy here.
The Global Day of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) takes place every year in mid-April. This day of action was originally proposed by the International Peace Bureau (IPB) and the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) with the primary goal of promoting a general awareness of the vast amounts of public money spent on the military.
Groups around the world who support GDAMS are calling for a major shift in budget priorities so that human development programs can be adequately funded. Continue reading Global Day of Action on Military Spending in Sydney – Sat. 21 April 2018