International Peace Movements’ Perspectives on the AUKUS Military Pact

The US crafted trilateral security partnership with Australia and UK -AUKUS is an escalation and call to arms in the Indo Pacific directly confrontational in targeting China. This security partnership (i) Further exacerbates the Indo-Pacific as a major theatre of US militarism and sets the goal for the nuclearization of the high seas. (ii) It threatens the international nonproliferation regime and encourages many countries to enhance nuclear capabilities. (iii) Centres Australia in US plans in potential warfare with China. (iv) Takes a step of making Australia a nuclear country, something which Australia had escaped even during the Cold War period. (v) Destabilizes the countries of SouthEast Asia, the Pacific and Indian Ocean Island countries who will be forced to choose sides between major powers, undermining their sovereignty and independence. (vi) Extends the existing conflicts into this region. (vii) Will elicit equal and militarist responses from countries identified as targets of such containment policies. (viii) Links with the earlier military alliances like the QUAD partnership of the US, Japan, India, Australia, that are engaged in military exercises in the region. (ix) The military carbon boot print will further endanger climate change.
Of equal importance are the concerns of the Australian and other peace movements that point to (i) Costs- which mean billions of dollars to the Australian exchequer at the cost to social expenditure. (ii) China is a major trade partner for Australia, exceeding all others. This deal can jeopardise the Australian economy. (iii) In the event of war or accidental nuclear or even conventional fall out in this region, Australia alone will have to bear the consequences. (iv) Nuclear powered submarines that the partnership proposes will have irreversible consequences to Australian, Indo-Pacific seas and overall environment. (v) the independent foreign policy followed by Australia and the regional countries is jeopardised.
Representatives of peace movements from the countries directly impacted as well as others internationally will have a conversation on all these issues in this webinar.
Objectives and Questions:
To discuss and strategize on this AUKUS, QUAD partnership and its implications for
(i) Peace and security in the Indo Pacific region and beyond.
(ii) To analyse the implications of militarism and nuclearization in the region.
(iii) To analyse the objectives and motives of the US and other major powers in these alliances.
(iv) To evaluate the social and ecological costs of such militarization.
(v) To build a coalition that will track these developments and work with trade unions, and local peace movements to inform civil society and social movements on these issues.
(vi) What recommendations can peace movements make?
Organizations that are supporting are:
1. Asia Europe Peoples Forum
2. International Peace Bureau
3. Independent and Peaceful Australia Network
4. Campaign for Peace Disarmament and Common Security
5. Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament UK
6. Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament & Peace India
7. Australian Anti Bases Campaign Coalition
8. Committee for a Sane U.S.~China Policy
9. Laban ng Masa Philippines
10. US Peace Action
Coordination: Cora Fabros (Philippines) IPB & AEPF

More info:

[VaucluseVanguard]

China has nuclear powered and nuclear armed submarines and will have dozens by the time the first of the Australian ones are commissioned. I do not know if Australia should have these submarines or not. I do not know enough beyond saying that in principle I would prefer it did not. I find it interesting that the peace movement always has seen the US and the West broadly as the ones who are creating the problem. Yet none of you seem to realise that if you lived in the old Soviet Union or Putin's Russia today or Communist China all of you would be in prison or would have 'disappeared' by now and you would certainly not be allowed to say what you say here. That is what liberal democracy alone as a political system gives you. Here is a simple truth you cannot comprehend. The UN (for whom I work), EU (for whom I have worked), ASEAN, AU and other such international bodies have made no or almost no contribution to world peace in the past 76 years. Yes they may have helped in smaller regional conflicts and that has been a good thing. By why has there been no major war between any of the larger powers - something almost unheard of for this long in human history? Simply because since July 1945 there has been a technology that makes such wars unthinkable, because we would destroy ourselves. If we had all of today's military technologies but no nuclear weapons, it is likely billons would have died in the past 76 years in war after war between the great powers. And if you think humanity is even close to banning conventional weapons - dream on. Because that is delusional thinking. Across every society, across every class, across 95% of the political spectrum there is no great desire to disarm in the way you imagine.