Turkey’s Vatan Party has started an Initiative on the New International Order (NINTO) and organized an international symposium. 38 distinguished speakers representing 24 countries from 6 continents parcipated in the symposium, among them various experts of United World International, on April 17, 2021.
Participants debated a wide range of issues from the end of the unipolar world to the crisis of neoliberalism, from identity politics to alternative concepts of security alliances and political economy.
UWI presents the speeches held in the symposium in the hope of encouraging the debate on the emerging new world order.
Today we present the speech of Emeritus Mayor Peter Woods, Co-Chair of the Asia Pacific Regional Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea and Ambassador of United Cities and Local Governments (Asia-Pacific).
Towards a US Regime- free Democratic Order Embracing Social Justice and Equity
I was born in the middle of the second world war and have witnessed the remarkable activities, advances and tragedies of this period of history. The greatest opportunities for peace came when there was a balance of power of the great and arrogant imperialist powers. But at least world-wide conflict was constrained. Sure we witnessed a cold war and attempts by the primary world powers to attempt to draw smaller nations into their sphere of influence. Those countries who broke the shackles of colonial and imperialist control and sought independence were sometimes tolerated but if they were seeking a new order and embraced socialism were often ruthlessly put down by the British, French and other European powers and last but by no means least by the highly manipulative and evil regime of the United States.
The US Regime has conducted illegal invasions and promoted coups across the globe in Central and South America, in the Carribean, in the Middle East, in Africa and in Europe . They have intruded into Asia- Pacific with devastating wars against the Vietnamese, Cambodians, Afghanis and Korean people.(The US is the only Regime to have used nuclear bombs against women , children and men in Hiroshima and Ngagasaki and the chemical Agent Orange and Napalm in Vietnam.They dropped more bombs on Korea than there were people and committed appalling war crimes. ) They seem more determined to further consolidate their negativity by setting in motion a campaign to demonize China and to pit Asian against Asian by utilizing non-Asian nations to provide some semblance of legitimacy to their outrageous behaviour. They denied they were deploying a campaign of encirclement and containment of China but immediately prior to leaving office Trump released the US’s strategic and military plans and this exposed the lies the Regime had been ennunciating for years. Those of us who had been working in the Region for many years could see on the ground what the US and their minions had been up to. The truth was then revealed…by an unexpected source!
Out of the blue came a new designation promoted by the US Regime and their sychophants, the term INDO-PACIFIC. They threw out the embracing term ASIA-PACIFIC which gave a clear recognition of the entity of Asia with all its historical connections and split the diverse cultural region into two ocean designations. The people in the small island nations identify with Pacific and the larger ones in the north identify as Asia. The people living on the islands of the Indian Ocean do not identify with “Indian” but connect with Asia or Africa or Australia. It would appear that the US Regime is endeavouring to “manufacture” regional identification to somehow promote India as a challenge to China and their actions seem to attempt to accentuate the differences rather than promote harmony within the region. This is also evident in Korea where the US Regime has refused to sign a Peace Treaty with the DPRK (north Korea) which it committed to on the signing of the Armistice in 1953. They use every excuse to avoid this action and the rest of the world remains silent (just as they do in forgetting the long-suffering Palestinians.) By keeping a state of conflict they can continue to deploy 28 000 troops in south Korea (together with much weaponry and a naval base on Jeju Island), many thousands in Japan, thousands in northern Australia(together with a CIA spy facility in Pine Gap Australia). This has really nothing to do with north Korea but is part of the US Regime’s aggressive strategy against China.But they dishonestly ascribe their action to a perceived threat from the Koreans!
In this political climate the US Regime is effectively destroying the five principles of peaceful coexistence. This arrogant regime has never accepted the equality of other nations.It has engaged in pretence with the allies it has “conned” into joining it. The pacts, alliances and treaties have been demonstratively one-sided and pernicious. Jullian Assange of Wikileaks clearly demonstrated the duplicitous behaviour of the US Regime with their illegal and violent acts and how they spied on their so-called allies. Upon these revelations being exposed the so-called allies condemned Assange rather than the criminal regime they had trusted. As an Australian I was disgusted that when all was revealed the then Prime Minister of Australia condemned the Australian citizen Julian Assange rather than the dishonest US regime! The US has then spent years, aided and abetted by their “allies” to try and have Assange deported to the United States to face American “justice”. Punishment to the purveyor of the truth. That would be the “justice” likely to be attained from that system that purports to be democratic. The same sort of justice meted out in Guantanomo Bay, or in Iraq or Vietnam or in the torture and rendition programmes initiated by the self-styled leader of the “free World”!
The US is not one country but two! An observant visitor can clearly recognise that there is a first world America and a third world America. The very notion of capitalism relies on there being the haves and the have-nots. The inequitable distribution of capital ensures the perpetuation of capitalism US style. Entrenched racism and cultural and religious bigotry, ably assisted by a proliferation of guns provides a social atmosphere that no other responsible nation would endure. This is the model that the US promotes to the world. They emphasise the first world America and not the reality of the third world America nor the arrogant stupidity of a great bulk of its leadership. Yet many international leaders still clutch at the apron strings of Uncle Sam in order to preserve their own political power.At the start of the Covit 19 pandemic the Australian Prime Minister called for an investigation of the virus in China outside of the World Health Organisation. He also banned Huawei 5G and a number of other initiatives clearly mimicing the US actions and propaganda. He couldn’t work out why China would then ban a number of imports from Australia causing much criticism from farmers towards the stupidy of the Australian Government.The US Regime has constantly relied upon unthinking sycophants across the world to carry out its propaganda bidding. However the people are awakening!
We can all thank social media and the distribution of communications outside the heavily controlled and increasingly diminishing media outlets for exposing the reality of the world. In the light of this new exposure people in their millions are now challenging the old social order and are seeking to extend their rights in a truly participatory manner. This is quite different to the uprisings engineered by the CIA provocations in countries where the US wanted regime change. This is not sham uprisings to serve the needs of capitalist America. These uprisings are more often a reflection of real consciousness- raising and a determination to bring about change. The irony is that the pandemic has brought people closer together in fighting a common enemy and they have seen the US providing no leadership and indeed dragging the chain and in effect killing their own people like no other nation. The fragility of life has shown that for all its bluster and arrogance the great US is a failure. China and other developing countries have left them behind and some middle-order developed countries with a socialised health system and a more egalitarian society has awakened the people of the world to a new reality. (Well, an old reality but one they were not often readily exposed to previously!)
As there has been a steadily decreasing confidence about the US and a growing awareness on the needs of people and the importance of the availability of medical and social services and rewarding employment, the demands of the people is becoming clearer. If politicians and governments fail to recognise this,and importantly do something about it , they will be left behind by their constituents.
On the international front the World financial bodies are failing to keep up with their assumed role. Groupings of countries led by China are setting in place alternative access to capital and China has adopted a most generous position in sharing it’s increasing wealth both internally and externally. Having visited China since 1978 I have seen a mighty nation climb out of poverty to become the potential wealthiest nation on earth. Internally the wealth has been shared by the people with a huge increase in their quality of life. Physical infrastructure has been provided far better than most other countries and those isolated regions are assisted in catch-up through sponsorship from the larger wealthy cities. Such is possible in a socialist society.
Externally China is sharing it’s new -found prosperity through the One-Belt-One-Road initiative providing substantial injection of capital into development projects around the World.
Of course the US Regime is doing all it can to harm China’s economy and trying to destroy its assistance to other countries. How could they ever accept that a Socialist country could be so successful. This, they believe , is the preserve of Capitalism.
It is vital that we all expose the contradictions of the failed world order. It is imperative that we assert the sovereignty of countries and a peaceful co-existence of all. The warmongering campaign against China must be thwarted and the continuing demonization of the DPRK and Palestine by the forces of darkness must cease. A prime example of the outrageous treatment of Korea continues with the US Regime failing to sign the Peace Treaty and continuing to manipulate economic sanctions against the Korean people. To preserve their sovereignty and territorial integrity the DPRK developed a nuclear capacity. The US demands they give these up but sits back and allows Israel, India and other countries to retain them. They hold DPRK hostage to their manipulative designs on China. As George Orwell so appropriately reflected : “Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.” (‘Why I Write’ G.Orwell Penguin 1946) So nothing changes with the years!
Freedom and goodwill will achieve a far better position for the World and we can collectively replace the discredited US Regime’s hegemony with a people-orientated order where people across the world will have optimal opportunities and will not be constrained by a selfish and self-centred capitalist system perpetuating inequalities which is a central tenet of this failing economic construct. People of the World unite with dignity and respect!
The world’s people would be admirably served by the US Regime withdrawing to the North American continent and staying there. Maybe it is time to again embrace the international call of previous eras with “Yankee go home!”