By Dave McKee
The “preemptive” aggressions by Israel and the US against Iran are flagrant violations of international law. They are murderous crimes which escalate tensions in the region to catastrophic levels.
The blatantly aggressive attacks cannot be justified, as they rest on false pretexts: the International Atomic Energy Agency and even US intelligence confirm that Iran has no active nuclear weapons program.
Israel’s actions reveal quite clearly its role as the primary military proxy for US imperialism in the region. Washington had clear foreknowledge of the attack and provided encouragement – it is no coincidence that this attack took place just days before the sixth round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, and that Trump immediately urged Iran to sign a deal “before it’s too late.”
The aggressions are obviously aimed at weakening Iran, forcing it to sign a deal dictated by the interests of US imperialism, and sparking “regime change” on US and Israeli terms.
Canada’s complicity in this a dangerous drive towards wider war is shown by both its rapidly escalating military spending and by Mark Carney’s immediate public support for the US bombing.
Now is the critical moment for all pro-peace and democratic forces in Canada to unite around key anti-war demands. The Canadian government must be pressed to immediately condemn these attacks and take strong action against Israel including supporting the BDS movement and ending all diplomatic and economic ties. Ottawa must also be forced to abandon its militarization spree, which drives the world ever closer to all-out militarism and war.
Years ago, during the last global arms race, Canada had a dynamic, broadly-based, well-organized and generally united peace movement. Its campaigns included calling for an independent Canadian foreign policy based on peace, détente and disarmament; participating in the historic Stockholm Appeal for Peace and the campaign against nuclear weapons in Canada; opposing the imperialist wars against Korea and Vietnam; demanding Canada’s withdrawal from NATO and NORAD; and fighting against the Cruise missile and Ronald Reagan’s “Star Wars” project.
For decades, the peace movement was able to engage a huge range of social sectors across Canada – labour, farmers, academics and professionals, youth and students, women, Indigenous peoples, immigrants and racialized people – because the destructive power of nuclear weapons, combined with imperialism’s boundless aggression, made it clear that the very survival of humanity was now at stake.
But are those stakes any less now?
Surely the events of the past few weeks show that they are just as high, if not higher. It is urgent that we respond to the risks to humanity’s future by rebuilding the peace movement and the struggle for peace.
It means engaging the people of the country – millions of people – to raise awareness about the dangers of increased arms spending, military alliances like NATO, Israeli apartheid and genocide, and aggressive actions like the recent attacks on Iran. It means drawing connections between different movements, discussing principled internationalist positions, and working to build the broadest unity of forces against war and militarism.
In response to Israel’s attack on Iran, the Women’s International Democratic Federation issued a call to action: “No one can sit idly by; no one can remain silent. Silence is complicity.” They are absolutely right.
Now is the time to renew the struggle for peace – before it is too late.
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