[haw-info] October 21-22 "Peace in Asia and the Pacific" conference in Washington, D.C.

The following message is from Joseph Gerson of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), which initiated the October 21-22 conference described below.  Historians Against the War is one of the sponsoring organizations of this conference, which begins Friday evening the 21st and runs all day Saturday the 22nd.


Join us in Washington, D.C. October 21 & 22 for the Peace in Asia and the Pacific: Alternatives to Asia-Pacific Militarization conference.

"Asia will return to its historic status, with more than half of the world's population and half of the world's economic output.  America must be present there.  Markets and economic power rest on political frameworks, and American military power provides that framework."

-- Joseph Nye, Harvard University

"China isn't making new claims, but it is now enforcing claims from 1919.  It's a tectonic shift."

-- Frank Jannuzi, Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff

We're humbled by the leading peace activists and scholars from eight Asian and Pacific nations who will be joining us at American University.  They come from China, Guam, Hawaii, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Vietnam, and of course the U.S. of A.  (See list below.)

It will be an important conference helping to bring the U.S. peace movement into the Asia-Pacific century.  You can find additional information and register at
http://afsc.org/PeaceInAsiaPacific.

Why Asia and the Pacific?

-- We have to ensure that, unlike the 20th century, the competition between a rising power (China) and a declining power (the U.S.) doesn't lead to catastrophic war.  Each nation's military planning (and Japan's) now centers on a possible war with the other.

-- The Northeast and Southeast Asian arms races -- led by the U.S. -- are intensifying.  They are dangerous and costly.

-- The U.S. and South Korea recently conducted a provocative military exercise that included capturing North Korea's leader.

-- The U.S., China, Vietnam, and the Philippines are engaging in equally provocative military exercises in the mineral-rich and strategically important South China Sea.

-- Midst the U.S. economic and budget crisis, the Pentagon plans to build still more military bases in Australia, Guam, Korea, Japan, and Okinawa, with expanded military access agreements in the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam.

Speakers include:  Jean Athey, Jackie Cabasso, Chen Duming, Wooksik Cheong, Shan Cretin, Herbert Docena, Ding Yifan, John Feffer, Bruce Gagnon, Joseph Gerson, Ikaika M. Hussey, Aura Kanagis, Junko Kayashige, Peter Kuznick, Judith LeBlanc, Hyun Lee, Ngo Vinh Long, Zia Mian, Youn-Ae Pak, Gareth Porter, Shen Dingli, David Steinberg, Hiroshi Taka, Jason Tower, Wang Hanling.  The full conference agenda is at http://afsc.org/document/peace-asia-and-pacific-agenda-0.

Join us if you can!

For the conference organizers

Joseph Gerson
American Friends Service Committee

http://afsc.org/PeaceInAsiaPacific