"Towards a Just & Lasting Peace Conference"
Workshop Descriptions
June 16-19, 2006 | Russian Hall | 600 Campbell | Vancouver | Canada
Overall theme: The relationship between the struggle for national and social liberation and the struggle for a just and lasting peace
General workshop objectives:- Deepen our understanding and analysis of the overall theme for the workshops.
- Use the specific topic for each workshop to help us deepen our understanding of the impacts of imperialism and the need to struggle for our liberation and a just and lasting peace.
- Identify main points of unity to present back to the conference plenary.
- Identify initial ideas for proposed actions under the auspices of the ILPS to help further advance the work on each specific topic and the work of ILPS’s study commissions on Concerns #1 and #4.
Group #1: Building support for national liberation movements and
opposition to anti-terrorist hysteria, laws and labels
Since 9/11, U.S. imperialism has promoted the use of the ideological construct of “anti-terrorism” to suppress democratic rights and civil liberties, as well as to demonize national and social liberation movements. This workshop will explore examples of the impacts of such anti-terrorism measures, like the USA Patriot Act and Canada’s Anti-Terrorism Act on oppressed peoples and nations, particularly their leaders who are symbols of their national liberation struggles. We will also discuss how this ideological construct represents a dangerous trend towards the use of fascist-like, repressive measures and the derogation of well-established principles of human rights and international law. We will also discuss the various ways that individuals and mass organizations are resisting such laws and labels in order to resolutely uphold the right of peoples to pursue all forms of struggle in pursuing the cause of national and social liberation and a just and lasting peace.
Group #2: In defense of our land, national patrimony and sovereignty against imperialist crisis, war and plunder
As the crisis of the world capitalist system worsens, imperialism under the neo-liberal agenda of globalization accelerates the extraction of superprofits from the working people, privatizes public assets, plunders national patrimony and pursues development aggression. This workshop will explore the impacts of imperialist crisis, war and plunder, particularly on indigenous people and other marginalized sectors. We will also discuss the various ways in which oppressed peoples and nations are militantly standing up to defend their land, national patrimony and sovereignty in the face of intensifying repression and attacks of imperialism.
Group #3: Building the anti-imperialist peace movement against imperialist wars of aggression, occupation and counter-revolution
At the ILPS’s Second International Assembly in 2004, the resolution on Concern #1 stated, “The current U.S. imperialist wars and armed interventionism in the Middle East, Asia, Latin America and other regions constitute the biggest threat to world peace today.” Millions around the world mobilized against the illegal war of aggression and occupation of U.S. imperialism in Iraq. As U.S. imperialism finds itself in a quagmire in Iraq, it still continues to make threats and take aggressive positions against the so-called rogue states. This workshop will explore how we can better understand the root causes of imperialist war towards strengthening a genuine, anti-imperialist peace movement that is firmly in solidarity with people’s struggles for a just and lasting peace.
Group #4: Exposing the US military-industrial complex, military bases,
access agreements and intervention
After launching the permanent and borderless “war on terrorism” in 2001, U.S. imperialism continues to seek to expand its military presence in all corners of the world. Through the expansion of the military-industrial complex, its network of military bases, signing of unequal status of forces and access agreements and outright threats of unilateral military intervention, militarization and intensified exploitation and oppression is the desperate and futile answer of imperialism to its own irresolvable crisis. This workshop will explore the use of these militarist tools and their impacts upon oppressed peoples and nations, particularly those in Third World countries. We will also discuss how bonds of people-to-people solidarity can be built and strengthened internationally to expose the rise of militarism across the world. This will include discussion about how to build and strengthen the ILPS campaign against US bases.
Group #5: Building a movement of workers, migrant workers and undocumented workers against imperialist crisis, war and plunder
At the ILPS’s Second International Assembly in 2004, the resolution on Concern #1 stated that “In [the drive of US imperialism and other powers] to strengthen themselves economically, politically and militarily, they are increasingly exploiting and oppressing the workers at home and the people in the dominated nations.” The recent surge of protests of migrants and undocumented workers all around the world, particularly in North America, exposed how these workers often experience the brunt of government policies of socio-economic violence but their role in the political economy of these countries is deliberately hidden. In this workshop, we will explore how we can further strengthen and build the movement of these workers against imperialist crisis, war and plunder.
Group #6: Exposing the ideological construct of imperialist “peace-building”
and “peace-keeping” slogans
Under the guise of “peace-enforcement,” “peace-building” and “peace-keeping,” imperialist powers including Canada seek to promote deceptive slogans of unprincipled peace in an effort to suppress people’s struggles for national liberation and cover up the fundamental inequalities and violence embedded in the system of imperialism. In this workshop, we will highlight the particular situation of oppressed peoples living in so-called “post-conflict” or “post-peace” countries to expose the real agenda behind such imperialist-led efforts. We will also discuss ways in which their situation can be brought to the attention of the international community to increase solidarity and support.
Group #7: The people’s agenda for a just and lasting peace and genuine
development
As the crisis of the imperialist system becomes increasing exposed as bankrupt and inimical to the interests of oppressed peoples and nations, the people’s struggle for fundamental social transformation, genuine development and a just and lasting peace is intensifying. These struggles take on various forms and serve as a flashpoint for articulating the fundamental and basic social, economic, political and cultural reforms that need to take place before we can truly achieve a just and lasting peace for all oppressed peoples and nations. In this workshop, we will explore the people’s agenda for a just and lasting peace and look at ways in which we can strengthen our education, organizing and mobilizing efforts in support of this agenda at local, national and international levels.
Detailed flow for all workshop groups on Sunday, June 18, 2006
9:45 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Introduction to workshop objectives and process
10:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. Short presentations by resource people
10:45 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Break
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Discussion:
- Key points arising from presentations
- Key questions on overall theme for workshops (The relationship between the struggle for national and social liberation and the struggle for a just and lasting peace)
12:00 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. Discussion
- Identify key points of unity from this workshop to present back to conference plenary
- Identify initial ideas for proposed actions under the auspices of the ILPS to help further advance the work on each specific topic and the work of ILPS’s study commissions on Concerns #1 and #4
12:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Workshop facilitators time to prepare report back
- Break for other conference delegates before lunch