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Global Days Of Action To End The War In Ukraine

Last month CNN published a poll revealing 55% of people surveyed in the United States do not support spending more money on the Ukraine war. A tone-deaf White House responded by requesting another $24 billion, mostly for weapons and military training that would bring the Ukraine war tab for US taxpayers to nearly $140 billion.  CODEPINK, a member of the Peace in Ukraine Coalition that represents over 100 anti-war organizations, is committed to raising up the majority opinion that the U.S. needs to stop fueling this war. We condemn the illegal Russian invasion but we believe that this conflict has no military solution, only stalled counter-offensives, random drone attacks and profound heartache for the families losing their loved ones, their homes and their livelihoods. 

US Helped Pakistan Get IMF Bailout With Secret Arms Deal For Ukraine

Secret Pakistani arms sales to the U.S. helped to facilitate a controversial bailout from the International Monetary Fund earlier this year, according to two sources with knowledge of the arrangement, with confirmation from internal Pakistani and American government documents. The arms sales were made for the purpose of supplying the Ukrainian military — marking Pakistani involvement in a conflict it had faced U.S. pressure to take sides on. The revelation is a window into the kind of behind-the-scenes maneuvering between financial and political elites that rarely is exposed to the public, even as the public pays the price.

Zelensky Threatens To Terrorize Europe

Zelenski goes on to threaten, in rather unthankful fashion, those countries which have delivered aid to Ukraine but may want to cut their losses: Curtailing aid to Ukraine will only prolong the war, Mr Zelensky argues. And it would create risks for the West in its own backyard. There is no way of predicting how the millions of Ukrainian refugees in European countries would react to their country being abandoned. Ukrainians have generally “behaved well” and are “very grateful” to those who sheltered them. They will not forget that generosity. But it would not be a “good story” for Europe if it were to “drive these people into a corner”. I have seen such threats from low ranking individuals of the fascist Bandera fringe. They spoke of terrorism they would unleash in the West should it end its support for Ukraine.

22 Years Of Drone Warfare And No End In Sight

That’s what a young Pakistani boy named Zubair told members of Congress at a hearing on drones in October 2013. That hearing was during the Obama years at a time when the government had barely even acknowledged that an American drone warfare program existed. Two years earlier, however, a Muslim cleric, Anwar Al-Awlaki and his 16-year-old son Abdulrahman, both American citizens, were killed by U.S. drone strikes in Yemen just weeks apart. Asked to comment on Abdulrahman’s killing, Obama campaign senior adviser Robert Gibbs said: “I would suggest that you should have a far more responsible father if they are truly concerned about the well-being of their children.

Ukraine Providing A Testing Ground For Space-Based Weapons

In his 1988 book War Stars: The Superweapon in the American Imagination, H. Bruce Franklin traces a deep-rooted cultural belief in the magic of futuristic weapon systems that would enable the U.S. to defeat any foreign adversary. . Franklin dates the infatuation to the era of the revolutionary war with the development of the combat submarine by Robert H. Fulton to pulverize the British Navy. He in turn shows a direct line through World War I and World War II and the development of air power and the atomic bomb, through the Vietnam War where sophisticated U.S. war machines could not defeat the guerrilla warfare tactics of the Vietcong.

Welcome To The Slaughterhouse

On Saturday, July 22nd, some 80 peace and justice organizers from Vermont, Virginia, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Long Island, New York City and upstate New York went to Scranton to focus on what the Ukrainians and the President of the United States say is the most important weapons needed: 155 mm artillery shells.  And, now too, cluster munitions of the type that take the form of 155 mm shell-like casings packed with 72 small grenades that can disperse over a 600 feet diameter target area when released from the shell casing after it is fired.

New Laws Won’t Deter Protest Of One Of The World’s Largest Arms Fairs

Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI), one of the world’s largest arms fairs, returns to the ExCeL Centre in East London this September. Since it started in 1999 DSEI has always seen repressive policing, with the Met Police showing clearly that their duty is to protect arms dealers, not facilitate protest. DSEI is personal to me. I’ve protested against this horrific fair since 1999. Over the years I’ve been arrested, harassed, and assaulted. I’ve organised and taken part in actions with people who later turned out to be undercover cops and corporate spies.

Daniel Ellsberg’s Last Warning Was To Stop Nuclear War, Here’s How

Daniel Ellsberg died on June 16, 2023 at the age of 92. In his final months of life, he spoke out about the importance of whistleblowing and the risk of nuclear war resulting from US aggression against Russia and China. Ellsberg urged people not to wait to take action. Clearing the FOG spoke with Jack Cohen-Joppa, co-coordinator of the Nuclear Resister and steering committee member of the International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons, about the long history of and ongoing resistance to nuclear weapons. Cohen-Joppa also talks about actions targeting Raytheon and depleted uranium use in Ukraine. He provides information about actions people can take to create a nuclear-free world.

Taiwan’s US Representative Not ‘Satisfied’ With Biden’s Support

Bi-khim Hsiao, Taiwan’s Representative in the United States, is a familiar figure in the halls of power but she does not often make public speeches.  So a recent talk and press conference by Ms. Hsiao deserve some attention. The One China Policy, endorsed by the US and UN, does not recognize Taiwan Island as an independent country but as part of China, with the government in Beijing providing the official ambassadors to the US and UN.  Hence Hsiao is not an “ambassador” but a “representative,” and her organization is known as the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO).  Her presence and activities in the US are sensitive points in the US-China relationship, which is why she does not often make public appearances.

US Anti-Tank Weapons Shipped To Kiev Now In Hands Of Mexican Gangs

The report broadcast by Mexico’s Milenio TV on Thursday pointed to the image of a man carrying what it described as the Javelin anti-tank weapon, identifying him as a member of the Gulf Cartel based in Matamorous, Mexico, noting that such weapons were shipped to Ukraine months ago. Milenio identified the weapon as a Raytheon-made FGM-148, believed to be a Javelin missile launcher supplied to Ukraine in large quantities by the US military. The footage shows the man decked out in CDG patches, armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle, and carrying the anti-tank rocket launcher.

Spurring An Endless Arms Race

Why is the Pentagon budget so high? On March 13th, the Biden administration unveiled its $842 billion military budget request for 2024, the largest ask (in today’s dollars) since the peaks of the Afghan and Iraq wars. And mind you, that’s before the hawks in Congress get their hands on it. Last year, they added $35 billion to the administration’s request and, this year, their add-on is likely to prove at least that big. Given that American forces aren’t even officially at war right now (if you don’t count those engaged in counter-terror operations in Africa and elsewhere), what explains so much military spending?

Leicester’s Israeli Weapons Factory Issued With Eviction Notice

Activists protesting outside of the UAV Tactical Systems factory in Leicester have issued Elbit with an eviction notice [1] – giving them one month to vacate the drone factory before the Palestine Action ‘siege’ commences on May 1st. The notice, handed to Elbit Systems under the authority of The Court (of Public Opinion), provides 30 days notice before the site will be met by a mass action, as the people of Leicester and groups and individuals from across Britain convene to force the Israeli weapons factory to close. At the same time, protestors gathered in Leicester city centre, publicly exposing Elbit and their activities a few miles away at the UAV Tactical Systems factory, holding banners, flares, flags and leaflets outlining their criminal actions

Biden Makes Surprise Visit To Ukraine

President Biden on Monday made a surprise visit to Ukraine, marking his first visit to the country since Russia invaded last year, a highly symbolic move that demonstrates Washington’s deep involvement in the war. The visit came just days ahead of February 24, which will mark the one-year anniversary of the current conflict in Ukraine. In a statement, Biden said the purpose of his trip to the war zone was to “reaffirm our unwavering and unflagging commitment” to Ukraine. While in Kyiv and meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, President Biden announced a new weapons package for Kyiv worth nearly $500 million.

Palestine Action Declares A Siege On Leicester’s Israeli Arms Factory

From May 1st, Palestine Action will lay siege to Leicester’s Israeli arms factory, UAV Tactical Systems. The mass action will include hundreds staying put for weeks on end, through day and night, refusing to leave until Elbit does. Drawing parallels with the decades-long siege of Gaza [1], Palestine Action’s siege will symbolically turn this process on its head and cut off Leicester’s link to Israel’s military supply chain. The direct action campaign against Elbit to date has forced Israel’s largest arms firm to lose their London Headquarters, Oldham arms factory, and over £280million in contracts with the Ministry of Defence.

From Inhuman Weapon Experiments To Political Experiments On Palestinians

Though Israel’s past wars on Gaza have often been justified by Tel Aviv as a response to Palestinian rockets or, generally, as acts of self-defense, the truth is different. Historically, Israel’s relationship with Gaza has been defined by Tel Aviv’s need to create distractions from its own fractious politics, to flex its muscles against its regional enemies and to test its new weapons technology. Though the Occupied West Bank – in fact, other Arab countries, too – has been used as a testing ground for Israel’s war machine, no other place has allowed Israel to sustain its weapon experimentation for as long as Gaza, making Israel, as of 2022, the world’s tenth largest weapons exporter. There is a reason why Gaza is ideal for such grand, albeit tragic, experiments. Gaza is a perfect place for gathering information once new weapons have been deployed and used on the battlefield.
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