| Panel #2: International Solidarity Topic #1: Military Intervention in the Philippines Speaker: Joe Navidad - People's CORE President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo allowed US troops in the Philippines with the lame pretext of training the Philippine military to better the later in their fight against the bandits, Abu-Sayyaf Group (ASG). Actually, the ASG is just a convenient cover. There are now 660 US military special forces in the Philippines supposedly to train the military in Basilan, an island province in Mindanao. I am also from Mindanao and I can say that I have a good understanding of what is happening in that island. By the way, just yesterday, 10 US military died when their helicopter crashed in the seas in southern Philippines. It�s a joke among the Filipino activists that even the sea in the Philippines doesn�t like the foreign troops, that the sea is also anti-imperialist. But why is the US in the Philippines at present? The answer is more political and military. It is not because the Philippine armed forces are so weak that it cannot stop the ASG. It is because the Philippines, especially the southern part is of great geo-political importance to the US interest. If we look at the map of the world, all the actual, perceived and imagined enemies of the US particularly the �axis of evils� are located in Asia � North Korea, Iran and Iraq. Not to mention potentially China, India, Pakistan and Russia, whose preponderant land mass is located in Asia. Other world continents � Europe, Latin and South America, and Africa pose no danger or threat to the US. Another factor why the US is so interested in South and Southeast Asia and why it deployed US military in the Philippines is because of the countries significant as a forward position to the Muslim countries � Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia which are not by accident possessing huge deposits of oil and natural gas. It is BS that the US is in the Philippines because of the ASG �terrorists.� The war being engaged into by the US is a war on control and profits. The US is not able to establish again its bases in the Philippines after being kicked out by the Filipino people in 1992. One thing is also the rise of Asian military-nuclear power. Asia has now the potential capability to look at America eye-to-eye. A few years from now, Asia will be able to mobilize a nuclear arsenal that can traverse continents and in horror scenario devastate any American city and kill millions at will. In short, the atomic monopoly of the West was shattered. Another look at the map shows India overlooking the Indian Ocean and China the South China Sea and the East China Sea all the way from the Arabian Sea. Beyond is the Middle East abutting on Europe, then the Atlantic Ocean and finally the USA. The sea lanes of South China and East China comprise the world�s most vital waterways, enclosing the straits of Malacca and Sunda. Through these traverse approximately three-fifths of the world�s international commerce. Hence, the sea lanes must remain under the dominion of the US. So we can surmise now why the Philippines is the receiver of the most US soldiers after Afghanistan. It is a part of the grand scheme of US monopoly domination of the vast resources of the world. It is to protect its strategic interest. It is to protect the interest the multinational corporations to ensure sucking up more profits from the so-called third world. Hence, it is of great importance to see that the struggle of the Filipino people against the deployment of US military in the Philippines is the struggle of all oppressed people of the world. It is necessary to internationalize the issues to stop the US from approaching other sovereign states and nations. Conferences like this are very important so that we can connect with one another, establish and solidify international solidarity to create an international united front to fight US imperialism and all reactions. |
| Go to: - Index page - Panel #1: US �War on Terrorism� and Its Effects on Our Community Topic #1: Education & Militarization Topic #2: Racism & National Oppression - Panel #2: International Solidarity Topic #2: Effects of War on Women Topic #3: US Intervention in Colombia |