In the opinion of the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist), it is important to discuss the significance of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) case on Israeli genocide. The South Africans put together 84 pages of documentation and arguments based on international rule of law while Israel denied it is committing genocide or has the intention to do so. The U.S., UK and other former colonial powers along with dominions such as Canada concurred with Israel.

We can see a distinct clash of outlooks, one based on rule of law, on the norms civil society has given rise to, and the other based on a nebulous concept we refer to as intentionality. Intentionality is the fact of being deliberate or purposive. In philosophy it refers to the quality of mental states (for example, thoughts, beliefs, desires, hopes) that consists in their being directed toward some object or state of affairs.

It is significant that even after the ICJ ruled, all signatories to the convention on the crime of genocide were not in conformity with their duty to prevent acts of genocide as upheld by international rule of law. This includes Israel itself, as well as Canada and others. They give their reasons but the result is that nothing has yet stopped Israel from perpetrating the crime of genocide. This is a matter of major concern for the peoples of the entire world as Israel's slaughter of the Palestinian people escalates with impunity.

The peoples of the world uphold the rights of the Palestinian people and salute the successes of the resistance, including putting U.S./Israeli genocide on the agenda of the world. The peoples face the problem that Israel is not the only country which acts on the basis of arguments not based on the rule of law, either domestic or international. Besides the U.S. and UK, Canada is one such country. Canadians want Israel and the U.S. to be held to account for which they must also be able to hold Canada to account. How to make it so is the question which requires an answer.

To sort out how the problem poses itself, recent meetings held by the Ideological Studies Centre (ISC) affiliated with CPC(M-L) stressed the importance of discussing South Africa's case on Israeli genocide at the ICJ and Israel's response. This is part of analyzing the need for democratic renewal in Canada and internationally. The requirements of this particular historical juncture involve recognizing that old forms no longer function or have passed away and new ones which defend the interests of the people are yet to be brought into being. There is a battle for democracy which involves not permitting ruling elites to act with impunity and to deprive the peoples of civil liberties and the exercise of their rights. And there is the battle of democracy to bring into being new arrangements and forms of governance that provide for accountability, outlaw impunity and empower the people.

The conversations held by ISC on South Africa's case before the ICJ highlighted what was really striking upon hearing the case. For rational people, it was that South Africa based their case on the strength of the claims made about genocide, while the lawyer for Israel, Tal Becker, attacked the lawyers presenting South Africa's case. To demean them he said they have no standing in law. What did he mean?

Throughout its 84-page document, South Africa referred to context significantly – that the argument for genocide had nothing to do with October 7, but with Israel's activities before, during and after October 7. These were given as context in many examples and as the basis for the legal obligation to demand Israel cease and desist everything it is doing immediately.

There is a legal obligation for all signatories to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide to prevent it. There is a legal obligation of the world community to prevent it. This obligation has existed since 1948. The context the South Africans gave was 75 years, i.e. since 1948. They grounded their arguments from there, in that time frame, on that experience of 75 years, and that is how their case was constructed. There is also a name attached to it, which was apartheid and that has implications for making the case that this must be prevented.

For their legal construction, the Israelis and Becker especially argued South Africa was trying to pick and choose in a one-sided and partial manner by using context in a devious way. They conducted a typical postmodernist deconstruction. Why stop at 75 years ago, why not 1922 when the British gave up their mandate, or 1917 and the Balfour Declaration as context, they said, adding that the South Africans are, to use the pejorative term, shysters – meaning unethical, disreputable and good at misinformation on context.

In this vein, another Israeli lawyer made a point about South Africa's 15 pages of statements made by Israeli government officials and Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) showing genocidal intent. These included some from the Hebrew Torah: "kill all, kill all Amalekites, do not spare them." Becker said the South African lawyers were being shysters because they did not know the Torah, did not know Hebrew, that this was just a way of speaking, not a call for genocide. This was to serve to divert attention from the fact that the South Africans not only gave the statements, but they also showed soldiers blowing up a house with people in it, with one dedicating the massacre to his daughter, dancing and shouting the same "kill all" words of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Israeli deconstructionists are attempting to use intentionality, which refers to what you are thinking inside your head. It is a mental act and no one can get inside someone's head, so you cannot say what they intended. This is different from how the South Africans were demonstrating intent, which is called for by the Genocide Convention. There must be the intent to commit genocide.

The South Africans put forward that intention is when words fit with deeds. How do you know what was the intention? You look at what was done – that is intention. One use of the word intentionality is that it is private; someone can claim anything they want, like the police claiming self-defence or fearing for their life to justify a killing. The other is public, and that is what gets judged. It is a public act, not a private meaning in someone's head. This is a crucial issue in law and politics.

There is a real divide that people pick up on and deconstructionists are especially big on. It is that you cannot get inside someone's head because the individual can give any meaning they want. There is a joke using the Godfather movie where they make an offer you can't refuse. The joke asks, "What happens when you cross a mafioso making an offer you can't refuse, with a deconstructionist?" The answer is, "You get an offer you can't understand."

An important part of what ISC highlights when analyzing the case before the ICJ speaks to the battle of democracy, the modern forms and content needed for modern democracy. In this regard, what came to the fore was that in addressing the valid argument on intentionality used by the South Africans, essential for us in today's work on modern definitions, we say understanding requires an act of conscious participation of the individual, an act of finding out. That is how we look at intentionality -- as an act of freedom of speech.

Given in theoretical form, understanding is bound up with freedom of speech. It is not the same as a description of how anyone pictures the situation. Our conception of understanding involves relates -- "I" as a relate, "we," the plural of "I," as a relate -- and how to activate them. It has correlates with the ensemble of human relations, the relations of humans to humans and humans to nature.

When someone says anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism, or treason, it is a mental act, private to the person saying it. It only has a public meaning when it is backed up by guns, courts and jails. Understanding requires an act of conscious participation of the individual, an act of finding out, on the other hand, is immediate, without mediation. The intentionality we are talking about is in the here and now. It expresses itself in deeds. It is a matter that one can make a decision about.

In conclusion, Israel's response to South Africa's case of genocide, besides other things, calls on us to recognize crimes against humanity as the new normal. The major powers give justifications for them based on deconstructionist mental concoctions about which no-one can make a judgement but they have the power to implement anyway. A major offensive has been launched by the international ruling elite to use the issue of democracy not only to advance their inter-imperialist rivalries for world domination but to divert the people's striving for empowerment from seizing the initiative to turn things around in their favour.

CPC(M-L) calls on people to fight on the basis of a vantage point of their own, one they establish themselves by participating as individuals in acts of finding out which reveal a way forward on that basis. We cannot permit those who give self-serving deconstructionist arguments to further the case of criminal narrow private interests to set the agenda of discussion or define what is and what is not possible.

All Out to Support the Palestinian People's Right to Be and Their Right of Return!
Ceasefire Now!

Crisis of U.S. Electoral System

Role of Supreme Court in Intervening in
Elections Before Votes Are Cast

– Kathleen Chandler –

January 6, 2021 storming of U.S. Capitol

An important case pending at the Supreme Court involves a ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court that Trump should be removed from the ballot for engaging in insurrection on January 6, 2021. The Court heard oral arguments February 8 and could potentially decide the case before that state's primary March 5. There is widespread disinformation on the significance of the case, focused pro and con on whether the Supreme Court is pro-Trump, if January 6, 2021 involved insurrection, what the Constitution and 14th Amendment do and do not say about this, etc.

It is significant that the Supreme Court, already highly discredited, could effectively decide the presidential election by saying Trump is not eligible and removing him from the ballot across the country. Should it do so, the move would greatly increase the anger among many, including the cartel party faction backing Trump. It could possibly trigger a violent response in a situation where the rulers are desperate to prevent civil war and block the drive toward alternatives that favor the people. To avoid this, the Court could rule in Trump's favor by taking a more limited approach which leaves the issue of insurrection aside.

When oral arguments took place before the Supreme Court on February 8, the questions raised by the justices indicate a limited ruling. They focused not on insurrection but on Colorado's authority to decide on removing Trump from the ballot. This is also the way the Court posed the question: "Did the Colorado Supreme Court err in ordering President Trump excluded from the 2024 presidential primary ballot?" This gives space to not rule on insurrection, while strengthening federal authority.

The case is an expression of contending federal and state authorities when it comes to elections. Existing constitutional arrangements, necessary for creating the U.S. federation of states, gives states authority for elections. Colorado, as a state, is pushing for states to decide election outcomes, not the federal authority.

Questions from the justices raised this issue of Colorado deciding. They also raised that Court precedent, from 1869, indicates that interpretation of the Constitution's insurrection clause must be left to Congress passing a law concerning it.

Justice Elena Kagan questioned the power of states in deciding candidates for nationwide elections, even though it is something they regularly do. "Why should a single state have the ability to make this determination not only for their own citizens, but for the rest of the nation?" Kagan asked. Justice Amy Coney Barrett similarly said if the Court upholds the Colorado ruling, it will as a practical matter decide the issue for all the other states.

Chief Justice John Roberts said that with a ruling favoring Colorado, "I would expect that a goodly number of states will say whoever the Democratic candidate is, 'You're off the ballot.' For the Republican candidate, 'You're off the ballot.'" He added, "It will come down to just a handful of states that are going to decide the presidential election. That's a pretty daunting consequence."

Justice Brett Kavanaugh asked Jason Murray, the lawyer for those asking to remove Trump, "What about the idea that we should think about democracy? ... Because your position has the effect of disenfranchising voters to a significant degree." To this Murray responded: "The reason we're here is [former] President Trump tried to disenfranchise 80 million Americans who voted against him."

The implication is that the Court will rule in favor of keeping Trump on the ballot because the states should not have the authority to decide. That authority is to rest with the federal government and Congress. A limited ruling would leave the issue of insurrection open, or to be decided by Congress, not the states. Such a ruling would be seen to undermine state-level authority to decide elections and to strengthen federal authority. It will not in any way contribute to resolving the crisis in which the U.S. electoral system finds itself. The factional fighting will become increasingly violent in the absence of peaceful means to sort out the problems it is facing.

Besides which, none of this addresses the current reality of an undemocratic and unequal system which promotes presidential candidates not chosen or wanted by the people. Many would vote "none of these candidates" if it was on every ballot. The fact is that under current state authorities, citizens are disenfranchised through numerous means, especially Black people, students and former prisoners. Ballots and ballot access in every state, including for president, are already different, making each vote unequal. Commonly a handful of states like Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, decide the outcome of an election. Court cases such as this one hide the actual problems, and solutions, of an electoral set-up that disenfranchises and disempowers voters and denies the right to elect and be elected.

Colorado's Defense of State Authority

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold also intervened in the case, in favor of keeping Trump off the ballot, by using the argument that it is up to each state to decide electoral matters. Her brief argued, "Petitioner Trump challenges Colorado's constitutional prerogative to exclude ineligible candidates from its ballots." She adds, "But just as Colorado cannot be forced to place on its presidential primary ballot a naturalized citizen, a minor, or someone twice elected to the presidency, it also should not be forced to include a candidate found by its Courts to have violated his oath to support the Constitution by engaging in insurrection."

In response to the justices saying a ruling against Trump would disenfranchise voters and have a "cascading" negative impact with various states deciding differently, she pointed out that the ballot, including which candidates are listed, is already different in every state. She said "we have to have faith in our system" and in the "institutions in place to handle those types of allegations." That system is state based with states deciding. Griswold asserted that role and authority.

It is part of U.S. constitutional arrangements for states to decide electoral matters, not the federal government. Having this power was part of why the original 13 states, which could have become independent republics, agreed to form the union and establish a federal authority. Undermining that relation heightens the civil war danger. The federal government has nonetheless increasingly intervened in various ways, such as with the Help America Vote Act after the Bush/Gore 2000 election. It required states to computerize election machinery and centralize results, and established a federal program to certify compliance. In keeping with giving executives greater authority, it gave the state Secretary of State, often appointed, much greater powers, including control of the voter rolls. Power to arbitrarily remove registered voters from the rolls has since been used by various states, including Ohio and Florida. Florida purged about one million registered voters. Both states are again being challenged in 2024.

The 2000 election was decided by the Supreme Court after the election occurred. Unlike Trump, who before and after 2020 challenged the results and the whole set-up, Gore conceded in the name of a peaceful handover of power. This is a fundamental need and role of elections, both as part of preventing civil war and to make the electoral process appear legitimate. Gore conceded even though he had won the popular vote. That reality, the Court's interference and Gore's failure to challenge it, delegitimized elections for the people. In the absence of a federal and court authority able to assert a means of reconciling the popular vote with the votes of the Electoral College which declares the election's outcome, the election was seen to be illegitimate and anarchy was raised to authority. Anarchy is a state where every individual, especially those with power, is sovereign and no longer obeys any authority. The clash between Conditions and Authority is such that anarchy is raised to authority. This includes the anarchy we see today of the contending authorities at the federal and state level, not only for elections but for immigration, health care and education as well.

A ruling in favor of Trump may well leave the issue of insurrection aside but serve to strengthen the role of the federal government in elections, further increasing conflicts between the contending federal and state authorities.

A limited ruling for Trump that does not decide the issue of insurrection also leaves open appeals to the federal courts to deny Trump access. Michigan and Minnesota for example, ruled Trump could remain on the primary ballot but left open removing him from the general election ballot based on insurrection.

It is also the case that leaving the issue of insurrection open and undefined, or up to Congress, further strengthens presidential police powers. Expanding these powers is something Trump, Biden and the rulers as a class are pursuing as necessary to maintain rule by the oligarchy over the entire country.

Trump, for example, has called for use of the Insurrection Act, where the president can use the military against demonstrators, strikers resisting injunctions or those blocking shipments to Israel, etc. Biden, whose forces back many of the state cases against Trump, could use executive powers to also brand demonstrations as insurrection, just as laws claiming material support for terrorism are now being used, especially against those supporting Palestine. Actions where police target protesters occupying state capitol buildings, for example, or the federal House or Senate buildings, already occurring, could also be considered insurrection. Actions at the border, where Biden wants power to close the border and troops are already present, could be branded in such a manner. By bringing the issue of insurrection to the fore, it opens possibilities for its use against the people to repress the rights to speak, assemble and organize.

Occupation of California state legislature demands it take a stand for ceasefire, January 4, 2024

Also of significance in looking at Court cases in the U.S. are the relations between the U.S. state and the people. It requires acknowledging the role of the Supreme Court as an arm of the executive power, operating in conditions of intense factional fighting among the rulers. Its role is to serve the U.S. reason of state at all times, which means preserving the union which, under current constitutional arrangements and in light of fierce factional contention for power, requires strengthening the Office of President, not the state powers.

When slavery had to be upheld and civil war prevented, there was the 1857 Dred Scott ruling, declaring enslaved people were not human and had no rights, and affirming use of slave patrols in non-slave states. It helped prevent civil war, which subsequently broke out anyway in 1860. In the 1950s when the ruling class of the U.S. needed to integrate the workforce for mass industrial production, and existing segregation stood in the way, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of desegregating schools in its 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education ruling. It again acted as an arm of the executive, supporting and strengthening the Office of President. There are other factors involved but what is key is looking at the needs and interests of the U.S. ruling class as a whole to preserve the union and actions of the Court to serve these class interests. The states, and their executives, act in the same way at their level.

The existing arrangements and relations cause the clash of narrow private interests and the authorities established when the U.S. Constitution was ratified 236 years ago under very different material conditions. At the federal level, there is a division of labor between the president, courts and Congress, but all are duty-bound to preserve the power of the U.S. state, which means preserving the union. This is increasingly difficult given the intense factional fighting, states able to become their own countries and refusal at all levels to modernize democracy.

Today, the failed arrangements, including elections and the courts, no longer resolve conflicts among the rulers, including between the contending authorities within the executive bureaucracy and between the federal government and states. Using the courts to rule on the matters which come up is not sorting anything out. It is not only serving to sharpen the contradictions but, more importantly, reveals the need to renew the reason of state on the basis of governing arrangements that empower the people to govern and decide.

This is what is pertinent in the case before the Supreme Court, not the pro and con Trump debates.

(Voice of Revolution)

Primaries Underscore Crisis of
U.S. Electoral System

The primary season for the U.S. elections has begun, with the Iowa caucus held January 15, New Hampshire's January 23, South Carolina's Democratic primary held on February 3, and the Republican will be on February 24. Nevada had a "preferential primary" February 6 and Republican caucus February 8, and Michigan's primary is February 27. California is now part of Super Tuesday, March 5, along with Texas, two of the largest states. Primaries mainly involve the election of delegates to the Democratic and Republican national conventions this summer that nominate presidential candidates. Delegates are generally allotted according to the vote.

Super Tuesday, involving 16 states, was created so a large number of states vote earlier and on the same day. This year it involves one-third of delegates to the national conventions so effectively the campaign is practically over, and funding and attention can go to the November general election.

While giving the appearance that voters are deciding, instead the set-up guarantees selection by the rich while all sorts of divisions and diversions are imposed, often using disinformation. Disinformation diverts attention and discussion from alternatives serving the people to false alternatives of the rich.

The primaries give the appearance that the people are choosing the candidates when they are not. What barely gets reported, for example, is that only about 14 per cent of registered Iowa voters participated in the caucus. Trump won about 51 per cent of that vote, meaning about seven per cent. Yet it is promoted as a landslide for Trump and that Iowa voters support Trump. Certainly, the landslide belongs to all those who did not vote, a significant problem for the rulers this election and for the polity as a whole which is endangered when the mass of the people are deprived of a role in affecting outcomes. Similarly, only about four per cent voted in South Carolina's Democratic primary and 15 per cent voted in Nevada's Republican "preferential primary," where the vote for "none of these candidates" won.

After Biden won in New Hampshire, the headlines read "Biden Cements Nomination," and for Trump, "New Hampshire Proves How Strong Trump Is." Florida Governor Ron DeSantis dropped out afterward. Leaving, after 13 candidates started, only Nikki Haley of South Carolina still challenging Trump.

New Hampshire and Iowa represent about one per cent of eligible voters. Yet through actions by the cartel parties -- information consistently left out of election reporting -- the two candidates most hated are set to be the presidential nominees. What kind of democracy ensures two of the most despised candidates are selected? What kind of democracy blocks the stand of the majority against the crime of genocide and instead ensures the president's police powers can be used for sending Israel more weapons for more genocide? While these two are the best champions the rulers can come up with, having them will do little to counter the people's broad dissatisfaction with government and elections. Elections are also supposed to resolve conflicts among the rulers to prevent civil war, but instead these factional fights are intensifying.

Biden has rightly earned the name Genocide Joe and there is deepening anger against his refusal to stop the genocide in Gaza and support a ceasefire. Many organizations, some former supporters, are promoting the stand, "No Ceasefire, No Votes." Young people especially, who make up about 40 per cent of those who vote, are saying they refuse to vote for either Trump or Biden.

The primaries, with massive media disinformation, are designed to draw everyone in and divert discussion to pro and con debates about the candidates. We are not to look at alternatives that empower the people to decide elections from start to finish. Discussion, debate, meetings large and small are needed to consider the alternative of new arrangements that guarantee the anti-war, pro-social stands of the people and their demands for rights, accountability and an end to genocide.

On February 19, 2023, "Presidents' Day," thousands in San Francisco take to Highway 101 to denounce the Biden administration's support of Israel's genocide in Gaza.

(Voice of Revolution)

Function of Cartel Parties to Depoliticize the People

The cartel parties, while still called Democrat and Republican, are no longer political parties. They act to depoliticize the people and eliminate politics, which are necessary for defending the interests of the people, their collectives and the public good.

As an example of how the cartel parties are currently operating, New Hampshire by state law must be the first primary election (not a caucus as Iowa's is). The Democratic National Committee (DNC), however, decided to put South Carolina first for the Democratic primary in the name of giving Black people more of a say. Thus, the effort to divide the population along racial lines and pit states against each other has already started.

New Hampshire responded by moving theirs before South Carolina and removing Biden from the ballot. The DNC then eliminated New Hampshire's delegates for the convention and openly called the primary "meaningless." Even so, Biden supposedly used it to "cement" the nomination.

What is significant here is the cartel nature of dictating from the top and that these fights represent the destruction of the parties as political parties, especially at the state level, which is where any connection to the people was made.

The DNC and Republican National Convention (RNC) work together to decide the debates of the candidates during and after the primaries. For the debates prior to the primaries, the RNC dictated content and procedure, deciding who could and could not participate, contributing to the promotion of some and eliminating others. The field for candidates challenging Trump went from 13 to six and then three, before any votes were cast.

The promotion of Iowa and New Hampshire as decisive and representative of the rest of the population means only Nikki Haley is left challenging Trump. In Nevada the cartel parties rigged the caucus, involving all delegates to the convention, in Trump's favor, and had a primary involving no delegates.

The DNC, for its part, determined there will not be any debates during the primaries, as usually occurs. This is to block any efforts to challenge Biden, such as that by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The RNC and DNC together will decide the presidential debates, the questions, the form, when, where, how many, who moderates, etc., again acting as a mafia-like cartel and not political parties.

The cartel parties also block efforts by independents to even get on the ballot, for primaries and the general election. There is a very complicated process to get on the ballot. Every state is different, all require a large number of signatures gathered in a short period of time, signatures that are then challenged by the cartel of the Democrats and Republicans for purposes of getting independents kicked off the ballot. Kennedy, Cornell West, and Jill Stein are among the independent candidates planning to run for president, but it is highly unlikely that they will be on the ballot in more than 25 of the 50 states.

These various examples bring to the fore that remaining in discussion pro and con Biden or Trump, or the latest scandal, or who endorses which candidate and reacting to such news embroils everyone in the narrative of the rulers and not our vantage point, which is to our advantage and serves our interests. Paying attention to developments is needed. But what is relevant is how the people's resistance is expressing itself, what stands workers are taking for rights here and abroad, such as the resolutions for ceasefire, by unions, cities and organizations. Chicago, for example, where the Chicago Teachers Union had already passed a resolution demanding a ceasefire and where large demonstrations persist, because of concerted organizing including packing city hall, became the largest U.S. city to pass a resolution for a ceasefire.

Chicago city council votes for ceasefire in Gaza, January 31, 2024

Organizing to discuss the alternative of empowering the people and finding ways to give politics of empowerment expression during the elections is already underway and being further strengthened. This includes elaborating what is needed for a modern democracy, for modern states and anti-war governments. This is true internationally as well. It is important to bring forward the need for modern states that empower the people and act based on mutual respect and benefit, that block impunity and are organized to harmonize relations among states, not intensify conflicts. The spirit is one humanity, one struggle, where homeland is humanity.

(Voice of Revolution)

Biden's Endorsement by United Auto Workers
and Fraud of Primaries

UAW takes stand for ceasefire in Gaza, December 1, 2023

Another recent example of the fraud of the primaries involves Biden and promotion of the endorsement by the United Auto Workers (UAW) as a "big win." Biden is working hard to try and get the support of the unions, given the broad opposition from them concerning genocide in Palestine, including many demands for a ceasefire now. The UAW was one of the largest unions to pass such a resolution. More recently another of the largest, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), almost two million strong, also did so. A resolution circulated by the UAW, United Electrical workers (UE) and postal workers (APWU) has more than 5,250 local unions across the country supporting demands for a ceasefire, immediate aid and restoring rights in Gaza and an end to the siege. The number of unions and other organizations passing resolutions demanding a ceasefire is continually increasing.

While the UAW endorsement is being widely promoted as a "big win" for Biden, what is left out and relevant was the stand of the rank and file during speeches at the UAW's Community Action Program (CAP) conference in Washington, DC where the endorsement was announced. The repeated chant was "UAW, UAW, UAW," indicating the workers will continue to speak in their name on matters like Gaza and economic and social justice. It was not "four more years," or similar chants, though some support for Biden was expressed. At various times, "Ceasefire Now!" also rang out, demanding the UAW continue to advance this demand.

A UAW endorsement also does not mean all the autoworkers will vote for him. Biden visited Michigan February 1, again trying to court autoworkers while refusing to meet with Arab community leaders, including the Mayor of Dearborn, one of the largest Palestinian communities in the country, many of them militant autoworkers. Demonstrators protested near Biden's stop, chanting Hey Biden, what do you say? We won't vote on Election Day and Free, Free Palestine! A rally at a Dearborn high school had hundreds of signs reading "Abandon Biden." Michigan's primary is February 27. It is mainly a way to see what kind of support Biden can muster and is a fraud in terms of measuring the stand of the people, on genocide in Gaza or justice and democracy in the U.S.

Another main mechanism of fraud and disinformation is the use of scandals, which are widely promoted during elections, especially with Trump. Indeed, part of Trump's role has been to ensure the media promotes scandals, and claims of persecution, to the hilt, to further depoliticize the people. All eyes are to go to personalities and scandals and speculation about them. Politics, identifying and defending interests, working to unite and inform not disinform the public, are all to be eliminated. This is crucial to the continued rule of the rich in conditions where they can solve no problem and the people are more and more angry and dissatisfied and looking for alternatives.

It is important not to ratify the premise of the rulers about elections, that there are two choices to be debated, that the direction of the economy and country is a matter of personalities, that politics and defending the interests and rights of all are not in the equation. What is crucial is advancing our alternative of the necessity for political empowerment of the people and looking at issues from our vantage point, from our premise of resistance and elaborating a modern democracy that meets the needs of the time.

(Voice of Revolution)

Note on U.S. Government Debt

Concern has been expressed within the United States and world-wide at the size of the U.S. government debt which currently stands at $34.14 trillion, $26.5 trillion of which is held by the public and $12.1 trillion is intragovernmental debt. This sum represents the total amount of outstanding borrowing by the U.S. Federal Government accumulated since the U.S. was constituted.

According to the Treasury Department, net interest costs on this debt were $659 billion in the fiscal year 2023, which ended on September 30. That is up $184 billion, or 39 per cent, from the previous year and nearly double what it was in the fiscal year 2020. This rise in interest payments means the U.S. government's debt-to-GDP ratio stands at 129 per cent. This stems from both the increase in debt the U.S. is incurring to finance its war expenditures, other pay-the-rich schemes including the debt payments themselves and the Federal Reserve's repeated rate hikes. It gives an idea of the profits the private banks and war producers are making off the backs of the people in the U.S. and the fragility of the U.S. economy.

To avert a default on debt payments, the U.S. Congress raised its debt ceiling at least 90 times in the 20th century. It has never been reduced. It has raised the borrowing cap 60 times since 1978 alone. It also resorts to what are called "extraordinary measures." This refers to "accounting tricks" the Treasury Department can deploy to prevent the government from defaulting on its debt, including moving money from one agency to another when payments come due and suspending some new investments. The debt includes money owed to Social Security, military retirement funds, Medicare and other retirement funds. Thus, in 2023 Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen suspended new investments in the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund and the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund claiming this would prevent the government from adding to its debt. Such measures are limited and the pressure to come up with more and more of them has in recent years meant radically reducing social programs, such as programs which provide food stamps and medical aid, as well as clawing back on COVID-19 payments.

The Congressional Budget Office informs that:

"Social Security benefits are disbursed four times a month, on the third day of the month and on three Wednesdays each month (roughly $25 billion per week, totalling about $100 billion each month).

"Payments to Medicare Advantage health care plans and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans (about $40 billion in total) are made on the first day of the month.

"A large share of the pay or benefits for active-duty members of the military, civil service and military retirees, veterans, and recipients of Supplementary Security Income (about $25 billion) is disbursed on the first day of the month.

"Interest payments (amounts vary) are made around the 15th and on the last day of each month."

(www.cbo.gov/publication/58945)

Munich Security Conference 2024

Participants Manifest Morbid Preoccupation
with Defeat

Anti-war protests outside Munich Security Forum, February 17, 2024

The 60th Annual Munich Security Conference (MSC) took place in Munich, Germany from February 16-18 at a time nothing is working for the participants who are determined to make the pragmatic axiom true -- that nothing succeeds like success. The fact is that even MSC's description of itself is no longer true. It says it is the "world's leading forum for debating international security policy. It is a venue for diplomatic initiatives to address the world's most pressing security concerns."

This year there were 900 participants, including 50 heads of state and government, more than 100 ministers and representatives of think-tanks, NGOs and the private sector. Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly attended the Conference to "emphasize both Canada's continued support for Ukraine in the face of Russia's war of aggression," Canada's efforts to "strengthen the rule-based international order" as well as "to discuss the crisis in the Middle East." Joly also met with her G-7 counterparts at a separate meeting on the sidelines of the MSC.

This year's conference theme was "Lose-Lose?" which was also the title of the MSC's annual report this year. The title appears to address the failure of one foreign policy endeavor after the other of the U.S./NATO alliance and European Union to establish their hegemony over the peoples. Their policies in the name of fighting terrorism and to guarantee peace, security, democracy and prosperity, have instead brought the world to the brink of disasters of unprecedented proportions, including famines, environmental catastrophes, and the killing of millions and millions of people that the rich consider disposable and whose migrations they have caused but want nothing to do with.

Instead of analyzing the reality taking place before everyone's eyes, the authors of the report resort to Cold War shibboleths. The framework they adopt gives the context as one of increasing geopolitical crises and tensions engulfing the world and it draws the conclusion that many countries are choosing more and more to look after their self-interest at the expense of global cooperation. The authors contend this will give rise to "lose-lose dynamics" that "undermines the existing international order, which in spite of all its flaws can still help grow the proverbial pie for the benefit of all."

Once it is not even acknowledged that accepting the genocide Israel is committing against the Palestinian people "undermines the existing international order," what is left?

Describing topics discussed at the MSC this year as "the ongoing war in Ukraine and the crisis in Gaza, as well as European unity, relations with Russia, China and India and other topics," is totally vacuous. In fact, the death of Alexei Navalny said to be a leader of the opposition in Russia to President Putin -- a known associate of the CIA and, according to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, a good friend of NATO -- which was reported on the first day of the MSC elicited more sorrow among those gathered at the Conference than the mounting deaths and casualties of the Zionist genocide in Gaza. More than 30,000 people in Gaza have been killed in the last four months by the Israeli Zionist killing machine and many others maimed and disappeared, but the situation in Palestine received far less attention than the situation in Ukraine. MSC participants were also not concerned with the deaths of Ukrainian citizens and how many soldiers have been used as cannon fodder to feed the criminal U.S./NATO proxy war. The U.S. is demanding -- and many of the countries attending this misnamed security forum are supporting -- forcing Ukraine to fight to the last Ukrainian.

One of the main themes repeated over and over by the speakers such as U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris, EU President Ursula von der Leyen, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and others was how critical it was for the "West" to continue to support Ukraine in its war for "freedom and democracy" and "our values" against Russia.

Talk about "our values" is supposed to be a prime example of what is required for "global cooperation." They said that Ukraine is on the frontlines between a world of democracy and freedom which is being threatened by Russia, China and their allies like Iran and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. They also claimed that Russian President Putin and Chinese President Xi had expansionist ambitions and that a military loss to Russia in Ukraine will "embolden" these "autocrats" to seize other territory.

Of course no evidence is presented by any of the accusers to back these claims. Maybe they think that the sound of their own voices will drown the cries of weeping mothers and children in Gaza, Sudan and those who are dying in the waters of the Rio Grande on the southern U.S. border.

Another theme at the Conference was the enormous difficulties the EU and NATO are having in supplying arms to Ukraine. Despite an investment of some U.S.$88 billion in the last two years to supply Ukraine with training and arms, Russia has not been defeated but, on the contrary, its armed forces are increasing in strength and experience. The only hope the U.S./NATO forces have is to create the conditions for the war to go on for years. Discussion on how to procure and supply arms to Ukraine were based on this scenario as if the peoples of Ukraine, the peoples of the world and countries which are working to establish a world order based on equality and a peaceful solution of problems have no say in the matter. Ukrainian President Zelensky once again appealed to the gathering to send more arms and ammunition saying that without this help, Ukraine would lose the war and, repeating the U.S./NATO claim, this would lead to Russia invading the Baltic states.

In response, EU President Ursula von der Leyen noted that "Europe has to step up its industrial base ... I'm a convinced transatlanticist and at the same time we have to build a strong Europe and that goes hand in hand." She noted that the European Union will be tabling a proposal aimed at increasing defence spending, more efficiency with joint procurements and agreements that provide "predictability to industry" and "better interoperability" between Europe's military forces. Just what the European peoples wanted to hear! She added that by focusing spending in Europe to create "good jobs," "European taxpayers" who are footing the bill will be served. In her comments in a panel discussion von der Leyen also noted that Ukraine must be integrated into Europe's defence programs and that the EU will be opening an office to facilitate this in Kiev.

While this was all going on, the U.K., France, Germany and now Denmark have established one-on-one agreements with Ukraine in a move which they think will circumvent Ukraine's inadmissibility in both NATO and the EU and keep it afloat. It has already increased conflicts within the EU, especially as Germany moves to strengthen its role and relations independent of the EU.

For his part, Jens Stoltenberg noted that "European NATO allies and Canada are stepping up aid to Kyiv" and there is "a vital and urgent need for the U.S. to decide on a package for Ukraine." President Biden is still appealing to Congress to pass what is currently a $95 billion package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, promoting that $40 billion of it would go to U.S. jobs with the war monopolies.

All of this shows that the U.S./NATO and EU have no idea what to do with Russia and its plan to de-Nazify Ukraine. The early hope that Ukraine would quickly repel the Russian "invasion" has been dashed. The only strategy for the U.S. and its NATO allies including in the EU is to pour more fuel on the fire in the hope of outlasting Russia. Far from the war uniting the bureaucracy in the U.S. or uniting Europe, it has merely deepened the divisions and factional fighting, fomenting opposition amongst the people everywhere.

What is completely missing in all this is that it has become clear the Ukrainian people themselves want a negotiated settlement to end the war as do the peoples of Europe, the U.S., Canada and other countries. While it is obvious this will be done on Russia's terms, the peoples of Finland and Sweden are said to be preparing for war, gathering food rations and talking about escape plans and bomb shelters in light of the war propaganda their governments have unleashed as part of joining NATO, with Finland newly admitted and Sweden awaiting membership.

The peoples of Europe, who have suffered through two world wars, do not want war or to have their countries turned into bases for Anglo-American interests.

The Action Alliance Against the NATO Security Conference organized protests against the Munich Security Conference on February 17, 2023, starting with a protest chain through the pedestrian zone and a protest march that symbolically surrounds the luxury hotel where the conference is held.

(With files from Munich Security Forum, Government of Canada.)

All Out to Make Canada a Zone for Peace!

Preparations for NATO's 75th Anniversary
Summit Underway

On January 31, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC, repeating the war hysteria of the U.S. administration about investing more in defence to save the hegemony of the U.S. There he gave the U.S. rulers and their think tank "experts," a pep talk on the benefit that NATO- and U.S.-led wars and war hysteria has for the U.S. economy.

The expression of the "benefits for the U.S. economy" is as self-serving as it gets since every increase in payments to Ukraine and Israel and for "defence" comes from increasing the U.S. debt which currently stands at $34.14 trillion. When speaking to the Heritage Foundation, Stoltenberg noted that allies recently have agreed to purchase $120 billion worth of weapons from U.S. defence companies. "What Allies buy keeps American businesses strong. So NATO is a good deal for the United States," Stoltenberg said. President Biden has enthusiastically peddled the same position which is not only morally bankrupt given the use of the military for aggressive purposes. It also ignores that it is all borrowed money for which the people of the U.S. paid $659 billion in onerous interest in 2023, at the expense of social programs.

While Stoltenberg was in Washington, DC, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland was in Ukraine where she met with Ukraine's Minister for Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba. Kuleba said they discussed increased defence industry cooperation, the use of frozen Russian assets, Ukrainian President Zelensky's so-called "Peace Formula" which calls on Russia to surrender, and the preparations for the NATO Summit in Washington, DC, July 9-11, 2024.

As for Ukraine's status in NATO, the U.S. magazine Foreign Policy cited a dozen current and former U.S. officials on January 1, saying that both Ukraine and some of its most ardent backers, including Poland and the Baltic states, are pushing for Ukraine to be accepted into NATO at its upcoming Summit. However, thus far, the U.S. and Germany -- the two biggest providers of military aid to Ukraine -- continue to maintain that now is not the right time. Instead, they say, NATO countries should continue to focus on supplying Ukraine with weapons.

Second Anniversary of U.S./NATO Proxy War in Ukraine

Failure of U.S. Foreign Policy Underscores Need for New Arrangements Based on Upholding Peace

– Hilary Leblanc –

This February 24 marks two years since the outbreak of the U.S./NATO proxy war in Ukraine. The conflict is the result of imperialist aims of expanding NATO to encircle and destabilize Russia coming to a head. Years of foreign interference in Ukraine to submit that country to these aims included fomenting reactionary and neo-Nazi forces in Ukraine to seize power in the Maidan coup in February 2014. These reactionary forces then went on to brutally attack Russian-speaking Ukrainian citizens in the eastern parts of the country in the years leading up to February 2022. This included not only laws which denigrated the Russian language but also brutal killings and massacres carried out by neo-Nazis with official support. All of these events were covered up with a deluge of disinformation meant to create support for the U.S./NATO war against Russia, using Ukraine as a proxy.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a February 7 conference call that Russia's objectives in Ukraine are still relevant, enumerating them as follows: "Demilitarization, denazification, [and] ensuring the safety of people living in those regions that have already become Russian, protecting them from direct attacks and actually saving their lives."

"In addition, in a broader sense, it is to ensure the security of the Russian Federation against the background of attempts to destroy Ukraine's neutral status, suck it into NATO, and further drag NATO's military infrastructure closer to our country's borders," added Peskov.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in a speech at the end of 2023, stated that Russia does not "perceive any interest on the part of the United States or NATO in achieving a just settlement in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. They do not want to hear about our concerns, let alone engage in serious discussions to address our fundamental differences. On the contrary, the West is doing everything to escalate the Ukrainian crisis, which currently creates additional strategic risks." Lavrov said it is not Russia that refuses to negotiate, but rather the governments of the NATO countries which in April 2022 prohibited Ukraine from signing an already agreed upon treaty to reach a settlement with the Russian Federation. Lavrov emphasized that Russia has never rejected talks. "However," he added, "those who do should realize that the more they drag it out, the harder it will be to come to terms later. Now we see how this prediction is coming true. There is no hope at all that Russia will be 'defeated.'"

The U.S. claims its support for Ukraine is unwavering, even though Biden has yet to secure additional funding despite months of efforts. As well, the U.S. has also made clear that Ukraine will not be a NATO member any time soon, and thus it cannot invoke Article 5 of the NATO Charter to openly bring in reinforcements in the name of "collective defence." Ongoing wars guarantee huge profits for the arms manufacturers regardless of the outcome. As Biden recently emphasized, $40 billion of the current $95 billion in funding for Ukraine and Israel being debated in Congress will go to the war monopolies. He tried to win support for Ukraine and genocide in Palestine claiming this means more jobs. Mass demonstrations supporting Palestine in San Francisco and elsewhere was the answer he got.

The U.S. imperialists expect Ukraine to fight to the last Ukrainian, even though two years after the proxy war broke out, the corrupt reactionary regime that rules it is being propped up militarily and economically as well as in terms of the political regime from the outside. There are no prospects for a way out for Ukraine except negotiations with Russia for mutual security, including removing the threat of NATO expansion.

This is another abject foreign policy failure for the U.S. as well as Canada and the big powers of Europe, at the tragic cost of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian lives as well as many Russian lives. It underscores the necessity for the peoples of the world to not be undermined by the disinformation that the imperialists can sort out any problem facing humanity. It is important for working people to work out their own vantage point based on identifying and upholding their own principles and interests, not one that is based on the pragmatic calculations of the imperialists. They must discuss what is necessary to uphold the cause of international peace and draw warranted conclusions from the events in Ukraine, Palestine and elsewhere over the past two years and more.

Ukraine's Military Difficulties

Ukraine has sacrificed the lives of hundreds and thousands of Ukrainian soldiers with thousands also wounded and disabled. It is in dire need of more troops and ammunition. The Ukrainian military has been calling for the forced conscription of 500,000 more troops.

Besides the lack of able-bodied people of military age to conscript, the Ukrainian economy cannot support that many more soldiers. The conflicts among the contending forces are such that Ukraine's Armed Forces Commander Valery Zaluzhny was dismissed on February 8, while a bill for increasing conscription and imposing harsher penalties for refusing had to be amended and is still in committee in the Ukraine parliament. An indication of the opposition to the war in Ukraine is the information that there are 9,000 criminal cases for draft resistance.

Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi, previously the commander of Ukraine's ground forces, has taken over as the head of Ukraine's military. Syrskyi led Ukrainian troops against the people in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions in 2014, earning him the nickname, "Snow Leopard." He is also known as "the Butcher" for creating a "meat grinder" in the defence of Bakhmut. Two other commanders appointed by Zelensky also fought in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and one appointed commander of the Territorial Defence Forces worked at the Interior Ministry headed the Internal Troops during the massacre of the Maidan protests in 2014. All are known to be associated with the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion. In January, Syrskyi said that ground forces are now on "active defence" and are no longer attempting to gain territory after last year's failed counteroffensive. In fact, on February 17, the Ukrainian military withdrew from the city of Avdeevka, where intense combat had taken place for months.

That the U.S./NATO criminals refuse negotiations and demand more war is seen in calls by NATO's Atlantic Council that Ukraine should "hold the front line," and stay on the defensive in what they admit is a war of attrition. The Council also admits that both EU and U.S. commitments for aid and supplies are facing serious problems. The U.S., previously the largest military funder of Ukraine, since last fall has been unable to make any substantial arms shipments. After two years, and with arms to Israel as well, U.S. lack of more military equipment and armaments is such that there is concern that should the U.S. need to fight a major war, it would be unable to do so for lack of supplies.

It is reported that Ukrainian forces on the front lines are running low on ammunition. Ukraine's Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, in a letter to EU defence ministers, requested more ammunition, saying Ukrainian forces are rationed to firing only 2,000 shells per day. This is only one-third of Russia's capacity, he said. In the summer of 2023, Ukraine had been able to fire 7,500 shells per day. The front line is some 1,500 kilometres long.

In March 2023, the European Union, a bloc of 27 countries, had pledged to supply 1 million shells by March 2024, but now says only 524,000 shells will be delivered to Ukraine by that time. Only 300,000 shells were delivered after seven months. The EU says that by the end of 2024, it will be able to send a total of 1.1 million shells. As of the fall of 2023, major arms manufacturer Nammo of Norway said that Europe's yearly production capacity was only 500,000 shells.

At this point, while demanding continued war, the U.S, and EU are unable to provide Ukraine with the ammunition and supplies it needs, increasing its desperation.

As a further example of contention in Europe, Britain increased its military aid to Ukraine by 2.5 billion pounds (U.S.$3.2 billion), which British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called "the largest aid package since the beginning of the war." This aid, that includes various armaments and training of troops, is said to make Britain the second highest European provider of military aid to Ukraine after Germany.

On February 16, Germany, the EU's largest military donor to Ukraine, in an effort to strengthen its influence, signed a "long-term security agreement" with Ukraine. This year alone, Germany is said to have pledged 7 billion euros (U.S.$7.6 billion) in military aid to Ukraine. This aid is going directly to Ukraine and bypassing the EU's war fund, called the European Peace Facility (EPF).

According to EU rules, as the largest economy, Germany is responsible for 1.3 billion euros out of the 5 billion euros of military aid the EU plans to give Ukraine this year. Germany says its direct funding to Ukraine counts against this and that it should not have to provide further aid. France, which also signed a bilateral security agreement with Ukraine, is insisting that the EPF should only be used to fund European arms producers. Hungary, which is still blocking Sweden's membership in NATO, has also been blocking planned disbursements to Ukraine from the EPF.

Denmark has now also signed a bilateral security agreement with Ukraine. The agreement provides for 1.8 billion euros in support of Ukraine this year. Denmark will also support efforts to ensure the full potential of the F-16 jets promised to Ukraine through the aviation coalition, providing fighters, ammunition, simulators, training and maintenance, Zelensky announced.

A main reason for the difficulties the EU and U.S. face is the continuing and widespread opposition to war and war funding. These include that of farmers who have been holding demonstrations in their tens of thousands across Europe to oppose their untenable living and working conditions.

U.S./NATO War Damaging Ukraine Economy

In November 2023, Ukraine Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said that Ukraine was at risk of a serious economic downturn in 2024 unless the U.S. and other NATO countries can muster enough funds to fill a massive hole in its budget. This hole is mainly the result of massive war funding and corruption. Finance ministry officials said they expect to receive $41 billion in international aid in 2024 and that Ukraine expects a budget deficit of about $43 billion in 2024.

On February 1, the European Union approved a deal to establish a 50-billion-euro plan to keep an otherwise bankrupt Ukrainian government afloat. "We've got the 27 heads of state and government to reach a political agreement that will allow us to mobilize 50 additional billion [euros] as part of the Ukraine Facility," said Charles Michel, the president of the European Council. The special fund, known as the Ukraine Facility, combines 33 billion euros in loans and 17 billion euros in grants and will be gradually disbursed from 2024-2027. It is well known that loans mean more debt, interest payments and control by the European financiers. This is evident in the demand that the loans will be conditional on Ukraine doing what Europe and the U.S. cannot, which is ending corruption and fraud.

In March 2023, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a new 48-month lending program for Ukraine worth some $15.6 billion. In December 2023, the IMF approved a $900-million disbursement for Ukraine bringing total IMF funding for 2023 to $4.5 billion. In 2024, Ukraine is looking to receive $5.4 billion from the IMF. Each tranche is linked to a series of measures that tighten the control of the global financial oligarchy over Ukraine. In addition, Ukraine also expects about $1.5 billion from other international financial institutions, including the World Bank, next year. Should the promised funds from EU, IMF and U.S. actually materialize, which is highly unlikely, this comes to about $30 billion out of the $41 billion Ukraine says it needs to avoid bankruptcy this year. The result is that Ukraine is owned lock, stock and barrel by foreign financial institutions.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban described Ukraine as a bankrupt state and said the funding support was to prevent its complete collapse. He stated that "the Ukrainian economy is connected to a life-support machine. But for support from the European Union and the United States, there would be no salaries, pensions or working institutions, and 'closing shop' would be the sole option left."

Canada Must Get Out of Ukraine and Support a Negotiated End to the U.S./NATO Proxy War

– Nick Lin –

Picket in Windsor on first anniversary of U.S./NATO proxy war in Ukraine, February 25, 2023.

Two years of U.S./NATO proxy war in Ukraine have underscored the problem that Canada needs an anti-war government pursing an independent foreign policy. Instead, the Trudeau Liberal government has increased the ways in which Canada has become more and more financially, militarily and politically embroiled in this operation aimed at expanding NATO and encircling Russia, all according to U.S./NATO dictate.

Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly, on her latest visit to Ukraine on February 2, pledged Canada's "unwavering" support "to the end of the war and beyond." A press release from Global Affairs Canada quantified this support as follows: "This support has included more than $9.7 billion in aid to Ukraine, including over $2.4 billion in military aid, from armoured vehicles, to artillery ammunition to Leopard 2 tanks."

Joly was in Ukraine to launch the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, a joint Canada-Ukraine initiative to help address the contentious issue of what Ukraine and its supporters claim are the "unlawful deportation and forced transfer of Ukrainian children by the Russian government." Twenty-eight countries are said to be in this coalition and Canada is co-chair with Ukraine. The Global Affairs Canada press release says: "As co-chair, Canada will work closely with Ukraine to organize the Coalition, to support dialogue and information exchange and to coordinate key messages between key stakeholders. We will focus on amplifying many of the existing efforts and sharing lessons learned, specifically those that have successfully resulted in the return of children." It goes on to claim that Canada "will offer practical expertise, with Canadian officials ready to assist their Ukrainian counterparts should they express a need for technical expertise and resources."

What the coalition actually does and Canada's role in it is unclear, especially because Ukraine refuses to enter into negotiations with Russia. This is particularly the case when it comes to talks on the central issue of ending the fighting, which is decisive to sorting out the well-being of children and resolving issues of their displacement. It raises the question about what the actual aim of this coalition is.

Even if one were to take such a coalition at face value, Canada's involvement raises the question of precisely what expertise Canada has when it comes to children forcibly taken from their families. When it comes to issues of gender and the situation of women, the Canadian government's modus operandi is to ply its purported expertise on such matters on the international stage for purposes of putting a humanitarian face on imperialist intervention, aggression and occupation around the world. Meanwhile, the most vulnerable girls and women in Canada are left to fend for themselves. Similarly, Canadians, Quebeckers and especially Indigenous Peoples know that when it comes to Canada's "expertise" on children being forcibly removed from their families and being deprived of their culture, it is all in the negative and it stands accused of genocide for its wrong-doing.

Joly also met with President Volodymyr Zelensky and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba to discuss "long-term bilateral security commitments to Ukraine alongside our G7 partners." The meetings were held and reported on in a perfunctory way in Ukrainian media with nothing of substance presented as the outcome of the meetings.

Edmonton anti-war picket on first anniversary of U.S./NATO proxy war in Ukraine, February 25, 2023.

Ongoing Disinformation About Nazi Collaborators and Phony Claims of Opposing Genocide

As the Trudeau government commits Canada's unwavering support to Ukraine, it has still not been able to distance itself from the Yaroslav Hunka affair when this known member of the Waffen SS was given two standing ovations in the Canadian Parliament. That debacle is indicative of the broader issue of Canada's longstanding state-organized support for Nazi collaborators and its shameless backing of the reactionaries and neo-Nazis who seized power in Ukraine in 2014.

Recent news reports inform that not only was the unabashed Nazi collaborator Hunka applauded in Parliament in September 2023, but that he was invited by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to a reception for President Zelensky. The invite is said to have been requested for Hunka by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC). So much for the government's claim that it did not know about Hunka and who he was.

As for the UCC, its role since its inception has been part of the post-war arrangements to assist Nazi collaborators and war criminals to escape being brought to justice by giving them shelter and legitimacy in Canada. The state would then use them against working people in Canada. When it comes to this incident, the UCC has not apologized for the international scandal the Hunka affair has caused, while the Canadian government attributes the debacle to "Russian disinformation." To this day, Hunka's name appears on the UCC website as a member of "Friends of the UCC," as one of its financial contributors. Clearly, the UCC has no accountability to anyone except those who share its narrow reactionary politics, yet the Trudeau Liberals have given it a position of privilege to set Canadian foreign policy relating to Ukraine.

All of it is disinformation and a cover up about the unacceptable role of the Canadian state since the end of World War II to shelter unrepentant Nazi collaborators from being brought to justice for war crimes. Disinformation about the historical verdict against Nazism and Nazi collaborators is for purposes of paving the way for U.S. imperialism, its followers, clients and proxies, and NATO to commit more crimes against the peoples in the present.

A recent example of how the Canadian state uses historical disinformation to justify crimes in the present is the statement issued by the PMO on the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, January 27, the day on which those imprisoned at the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz were liberated by the Red Army in 1945. Firstly, nowhere does the statement say which forces liberated Auschwitz, nor does it mention the unparalleled sacrifices made by the Soviet peoples to stop the Nazi war machine. This history is part of what informs the Russian Federation's hostility toward the reactionaries in power in Ukraine and the neo-Nazis given free rein to run amok in its military and why Russia sees the necessity to denazify Ukraine.

Secondly, the Prime Minister claims to be "honouring the memory of the more than six million Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust," but does not mention that altogether some 17 million people were executed in the Holocaust carried out by the Nazis in death camps and elsewhere, including many who were killed for being communists, resistance fighters, Roma, prisoners of war and many other "categories" considered "inferior." He goes on to say, "Each January 27, on the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp in 1945, we come together to promise 'never again.' That day, and in the weeks that followed, the world saw the true scale of the mass murder, systemic starvation, and genocide that occurred."

With this rendering of the Holocaust and its significance, in the name of opposing genocide and upholding the words "Never Again," the Canadian government serves as a handmaiden to the genocide of the Palestinians by the Israeli Zionists, using the repugnant and inhuman methods of the Hitlerite Nazis.

No matter how one looks at the matter, the Canadian state is self-serving to the utmost as concerns its claims to oppose genocide or its disinformation about the situation in Ukraine and elsewhere. This is unacceptable and must not be permitted to pass.

Working people must continue to speak out and demand that Canada get out of Ukraine, call for a negotiated end to the U.S./NATO proxy war and get out of NATO and for NATO's dismantlement.

NATO Exercise Steadfast Defender 24

No to U.S./NATO War Preparations!
Dismantle NATO!

NATO announced that Exercise Steadfast Defender 24, which it calls "NATO's largest exercise in decades," began on January 24 and will end sometime in June. This live war game will involve 90,000 troops from 31 NATO countries including Canada, as well as Sweden which is about to join NATO. This is the main war game NATO has planned for this year. It consists of national and multinational large-scale live exercises conducted across various locations -- primarily in Finland, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden and the UK.

More than 50 naval vessels, including aircraft carriers, destroyers, frigates and corvettes will be involved. In addition, fighter planes of various types, helicopters and a variety of drones will be deployed. More than 1,100 combat vehicles, including more than 150 tanks, 500 infantry fighting vehicles and 400 armoured personnel carriers will also be used.

Of note is that according to the U.S. Department of Defense, the "exercise is based on a fictitious [NATO Charter] Article 5 scenario 'triggered by a fictitious attack against the alliance launched by a near-peer adversary.'" Given the scale and locations where Steadfast Defender 24 will be carried out, it is clear that the aim is to threaten and intimidate Russia. In fact the U.S. Department of Defense notes: "Russia has launched the largest war in Europe since World War II, attacking neighbouring Ukraine. Since Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2014, NATO has strengthened defence and deterrence on the continent."

This bravado on the part of U.S./NATO shows the utter crisis the "alliance" is mired in. It has been seen that the U.S. and NATO are having trouble even defending Ukraine in their proxy war against Russia despite tens of billions of dollars spent on armaments and training to defend "democracy" and the so-called "rules-based international order" in Ukraine. As far as "the rules based international order" is concerned, the whole world can see what that means in real terms in the U.S.-Israeli genocide against the Palestinian people. Despite suffering defeat in Afghanistan and other places, the U.S./NATO, and Canada as part of it, persist in operating on the basis of "Might Makes Right" to impose their hegemony. This is counter to what the peoples of the world, including in the NATO countries, are striving for. All this disinformation by the NATO "alliance" is aimed at diverting the movement of the world's peoples for peace.

Exercise Steadfast Defender 24 must be resolutely opposed by the peace-loving peoples of the U.S., Canada, Europe and the rest of the world. This massive exercise will do nothing to "protect" the peoples of the North Atlantic and Europe, and will only add to the tension and insecurity the peoples of the region are already feeling. What humanity needs more than anything else is peace and stability given that many regions of our world are engulfed in war and conflict.

Canadians must organize for an anti-war government that will take Canada out of NATO, all other aggressive military alliances and make Canada a zone for peace.

No to U.S./NATO Exercise Steadfast Defender 24!
Get Canada Out of NATO! Dismantle NATO!
Make Canada a Zone for Peace!

(With Files from NATO, U.S. Department of Defense)

Resolutely Oppose Canada's Participation in NATO's Military Exercise

The Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) announced on January 24 that Canada is to participate in NATO's Steadfast Defender 24, the largest NATO military exercise in more than three decades. DND notes that the exercise will serve to "counter threats to the Euro-Atlantic area."

DND informs that about 1,000 Canadian sailors, soldiers, aviators and special forces members will take part to "demonstrate NATO's ability to conduct sustained, multi-domain defensive operations over a period of several months, simulating a [NATO Charter] Article 5 attack by an adversary with similar capabilities."

There are two parts to this live war game aimed at Russia. The first is maritime-based and focused on "defending the North Atlantic and Arctic waters," and the second will test "NATO's ability to rapidly deploy reinforcements across all domains in defence of Central and Eastern Europe."

Besides the troops, Canada will be deploying the patrol frigate HMCS Charlottetown, equipped with a CH-148 Cyclone helicopter and the Canada-led "Forward Presence Battle Group" in Latvia, including for the first time a Canadian Leopard 2 Main Battle Tank squadron.

It is noted that as part of "an important milestone for the Canadian Army's future Forward Land Forces Multinational Brigade Latvia," the second part of the war game will see the Canadian command team "integrate with their higher NATO command in the planning and execution of defensive combat operations." This means further integration into the U.S.-dominated command structure and war machinery.

In the second segment of the Steadfast Defender 24 war exercise, the Canadian military will specifically be taking part in exercise Crystal Arrow in Latvia in March, as well as exercise Spring Storm in Estonia in May. Additionally, Canadian Special Operation Forces Command members will participate in exercise Nordic Response in Norway in March.

Bill Blair, Canada's Minister of Defence, stated in the DND announcement that "Canada's participation in Exercise Steadfast Defender sends a strong message about our ability to operate with NATO Allies and our continued contribution to the defence of Europe. Canada remains unwavering in its commitments to defend our shared values and interests, and to be a reliable partner in peace and security."

It is a matter of profound concern that Canada is participating more and more under the dictate of U.S. and NATO as a force for aggression and war. Since NATO's founding, the Canadian people have opposed its agenda of aggression and war to realize U.S. geopolitical ambitions against the Soviet Union. NATO has now implicated the Canadian armed forces into committing crimes against the peace and causing widespread insecurity and displacement around the world. Shame on subsequent governments for permitting this as they conciliate with the U.S. wars of aggression at every turn. There will be no peace for the North Atlantic and Europe unless all nations and peoples have peace.

Canadians must demand an end to Canada's participation in NATO wars and war plans such as Steadfast Defender, and organize for the withdrawal of Canada from NATO and the dismantling of NATO. Let us take this up together as part of our political work to establish an anti-war government in Canada and to make Canada a zone for peace.

NATO Mired in Crisis Puts on a Brave Face
at Chiefs of Defence Meeting

The NATO Chiefs of Defence from the 31 member countries held a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels on January 17-18. The meeting was of the NATO Military Committee, the most important NATO committee which oversees military operations. This particular meeting was focused on the "executability of the Alliance's new defence plans, NATO's warfighting transformation [and] NATO's continued support of Ukraine." It is reported that for the first time, the Chiefs of Defence met in a "NATO-Ukraine Council format."

In his opening remarks, Chair of the Military Committee Admiral Rob Bauer, a four-star Admiral from the Netherlands, noted that the "rules-based international order" is under immense pressure. "The tectonic plates of power are shifting. As a result, we face the most dangerous world in decades. In this new era of collective defence, we must defend not only the physical safety of our 1 billion people and 31 (soon to be 32, with Sweden set to join) nations, we are defending freedom and democracy."

In the context of the infighting between the U.S. and the European Union regarding continuing military and economic support to Ukraine, Bauer urged that everyone needs to take a "whole of society approach" to address the crisis. He said "We need public and private actors to change their mindset for an era in which everything was plannable, foreseeable, controllable and focused on efficiency to an era in which anything can happen at any time. An era in which we need to expect the unexpected ... In order to be fully effective, also in the future, we need a warfighting transformation of NATO."

In the course of the two-day meeting, the Ukrainian Military Representative to NATO Major General Serhii Salkutsan briefed the NATO Chiefs of Defence on behalf of then Ukrainian Chief of Defence General Valery Zaluzhny (who would later be dismissed by President Volodymyr Zelensky on February 8). In response, the Chiefs of Staff praised the bravery and determination of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Admiral Bauer declared: "The outcome of this war will determine the fate of the world. Our support is not charity; it is an investment in our security."

The meeting also discussed the plans for the upcoming massive war exercise Steadfast Defender 24 involving all NATO members and also Sweden to begin in February and run until June this year -- a show of force from the North Atlantic and Europe to threaten Russia. Admiral Bauer noted with regards to the proxy war that the U.S. and NATO are waging against Russia using the Ukrainians as cannon fodder: "This war has never been about any real security threat to Russia coming from either Ukraine or NATO. This war is about Russia fearing something much more powerful than any physical weapon on earth -- democracy. If people in Ukraine can have democratic rights, then people in Russia will soon crave them too."

(With files from NATO, AP)

19th Non-Aligned Movement Summit, Kampala, Uganda, January 19-20

Firm Demand for Gaza Ceasefire and Support for Palestine's Right to Be

The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) held its 19th summit in Kampala, Uganda from January 19-20, preceded by high-level ministerial meetings from January 17-18. The theme of the summit was "Deepening Cooperation for Shared Global Affluence." One hundred and twenty countries make up the NAM -- 53 from Africa, 39 from Asia, 26 from Latin America and the Caribbean and two from Europe. This makes NAM the largest grouping of countries after the UN. Twenty countries and 11 organizations have observer status. Member states of the NAM are neither formally aligned with nor opposed to any major power bloc.[1]

Uganda took up the Chair of the NAM from Azerbaijan and will hold this position until 2027. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni was elected by acclamation as the chair of the summit taking over from President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. In his opening remarks he cautioned leaders against imposing their narrow uni-ideological orientation to a society they live in, let alone the world.

"The oppressors miscalculate when they use their temporary advantage in science and technology to think that they can use that to indefinitely oppress other people. The oppressed will learn, catch up and defeat the oppressor. That is why Empires always collapse. The idea of Empires is an evil idea," President Museveni asserted. "Why do you not seek to influence people by your good example, instead of manipulation, lectures and threats? Chauvinists of race, religion, tribe or gender, should stop wasting our time and opportunities, with their shallow schemes. Action will, inevitably, invite counteraction. Oppression will invite Resistance. We are, therefore, not impressed and cannot be part of the morbid bigotry of uni-ideological thinking of this or that type. The universe has been here for the last 30 billion years, and human society has been here for the last four-and-a-half million years," he added.

One of the standout developments at the summit was the unreserved support for Palestine's right to be and the denunciation of Israel's genocidal military campaign on the Gaza Strip. Cuban Vice President Salvador Valdes Mesa, for example, said in a speech to delegates on January 19, "Since October 7, we have witnessed one of the cruellest genocidal acts ever to be recorded by history. How can the Western countries, who claim to be so civilized, justify the murder of women and children in Gaza, the indiscriminate bombings of hospitals and schools and deprivation of access to safe water and food?" Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairperson of the African Union Commission, called for an immediate end to what he called the "unjust war against the Palestinian people."

The grave concern over Palestine was reiterated in the Kampala Declaration issued at the end of the summit, which "Reaffirm[ed] the importance of the Question of Palestine to the Non-Aligned Movement and stress[ed] that the longstanding, common, and principled positions that have been responsibly constructed on this subject over the past sixty years shall be defended, preserved, and promoted, including through active participation in relevant meetings, conferences and other relevant events, especially within the context of the United Nations, as part of our continued efforts to put an end to colonialism, oppression, occupation and domination in the occupied Palestinian Territory."

The declaration also noted South Africa's case against Israel at the International Court of Justice under the Genocide Convention. It further called for "the provision of life-saving humanitarian aid at scale to Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip and ensur[ing] the protection of humanitarian actors." It strongly condemned "the illegal Israeli military aggression on the Gaza Strip, the indiscriminate attacks against Palestinian civilians, and civilian objects, and the forced displacement of the Palestinian population and further call[ed] for an immediate and durable humanitarian ceasefire."

At a January 17 ministerial meeting, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez proposed that the NAM speak out with unity and firmness to demand a fair, comprehensive and lasting solution to Israel's occupation of Palestine. He advocated for the creation of an independent Palestinian state within pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital and the return of refugees. He proposed that the NAM support the urgent sending of an international protection mission to the Gaza Strip, authorized by the United Nations General Assembly, with the mandate to guarantee the security and protection of the civilian population, as well as to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid and food. Rodriguez expressed his country's support to hold an International Peace Conference with the fundamental purpose of contributing to the protection of the rights of the Palestinian people and establishing the sovereign state of Palestine. Several of these proposals were reflected in the Kampala Declaration.

Rodriguez also reiterated Cuba's rejection of unilateral coercive measures imposed on several member NAM member states. "Cuba appreciates the NAM's valuable support for its just demand for an end to the illegal United States blockade that flagrantly violates the human rights of all Cubans, and has been intensified to extreme levels since 2019," he remarked. To that end, the Kampala Declaration stated that the NAM continues to call for "the complete, immediate, and unconditional lifting of all Unilateral Coercive Measures, including those measures used as tools for political or economic and financial pressure against any country, particularly against developing countries." The Declaration said such measures are "in violation of the Charter of the United Nations and principles of international law" and especially "hinder the health and well-being of populations of the affected countries, and create obstacles to the full realization of the Sustainable Development Goals in these countries and their human rights and their national development Plans."

The Cuban Foreign Minister also expressed his country's support for the Western Saharan people's right to free self-determination, as well as Puerto Rico's self-determination and independence.

Another notable feature of the NAM summit was the body's reaffirmation of its commitment to the United Nations Charter and the rule of international law, while recognizing that the UN is in need of strengthening and renewal. The Kampala Declaration calls on the NAM's member states "to decisively address the challenges posed in the areas of peace and security, development, human rights and international cooperation, and for which we will make joint efforts to:

"Uphold and promote respect for the UN Charter and International Law especially the principles of sovereignty, sovereign equality, territorial integrity, non-interference, and peaceful settlement of disputes;

"Revitalize and reinvigorate the role of the NAM in the contemporary international situation, based on its founding principles and purposes, as stipulated in Bandung (1955) and Belgrade (1961), to strive towards a peaceful, equitable and prosperous world;

"Strengthen the United Nations, as the primary multilateral organization, providing it with a substantive capacity to fully and effectively meet the purposes and principles enshrined in its Charter, and at consolidating its democratic and inter-governmental character in particular, through the revitalization of the General Assembly and strengthening its authority, as the democratic, inclusive, equitable and representative body of the Organization, as well as expediting reform of the United Nations Security Council, in accordance with General Assembly Resolution 62/557 in a comprehensive and integrated manner, in order to make the security Council a more democratic, transparent and representative organ of the United Nations;

"Intensify the ongoing process of consultations, cooperation, and coordination between the UN and relevant regional and sub-regional organizations, arrangements, or agencies, in accordance with Chapter VIII of the UN Charter, as well as on their mandate, scope, and composition, which is useful and can contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security and to the achievement of sustainable development;

"Reaffirm and underscore the validity and relevancy of the Movement's principles and positions concerning the right to self-determination of peoples under foreign occupation and colonial or alien domination."

Note

1. The NAM was established in 1961 in an effort to promote the interests of developing countries during the Cold War era, rejecting the arrangements in which the world was to be divided into camps aligned with the big powers. In 1979, Fidel Castro summed up the purpose of the NAM as ensuring "the national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of non-aligned countries" in their "struggle against imperialism, colonialism, neo-colonialism, racism, and all forms of foreign aggression, occupation, domination, interference or hegemony as well as against great power and bloc politics."

No to Foreign Interference in Haiti

Ottawa Hands Off Haiti Rally February 29
and Toronto Meeting February 26

TORONTO
A Very Canadian Coup in Haiti
(20 Years Later)
February 26 -- 6:30 pm
William Doo Auditorium, 45 Willcocks St.

OTTAWA
Rally on Parliament Hill
February 29 -- 12:00 noon

Meeting
February 29 -- 7:00 pm
Bronson Centre, 211 Bronson Ave

Kenya's High Court Rules Deployment of Kenyan Police to Haiti Unconstitutional

The High Court of Kenya ruled on January 26 that the deployment of 1,000 Kenyan police to Haiti as part of a UN-sponsored Multinational Security Support Mission (MSSM) is unconstitutional and illegal. The ruling followed a complaint filed by Kenyan Member of Parliament and leader of the Third Way Alliance Party Ekuru Auko.

In his ruling, Justice Enoch Chacha Mwita said: "The National Security Council has no mandate to deploy national police officers outside Kenya. Such a decision contravenes the Constitution and the law, and is therefore unconstitutional, illegal and invalid. An order is hereby issued prohibiting the deployment of police forces to Haiti or any other country."

In October 2023, Kenya's National Security Council, under Kenyan President William Ruto, had requested Parliament's approval for the deployment of this force which was approved a month later by the National Assembly. Kenya had agreed to this mission following months-long efforts by the U.S., using threats and blackmail against countries in the Caribbean, Latin America and Africa to lead such a mission under the flag of the UN. The U.S. hopes to give legitimacy to further foreign intervention in the affairs of the Haitian people, but Haitians have rejected it outright.

The Kenyan government intends to appeal the decision of the High Court. If it loses in the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court will make the final decision on whether deployment of Kenyan police to Haiti is legal under the constitution.

Haitians have repeatedly demonstrated in large numbers demanding no foreign intervention and that Haitians have the right to decide their own affairs. Many human rights organizations in Haiti support this demand and opposed any UN intervention. Rosy Auguste Ducena, a lawyer and program director at the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights in Haiti, said: "History has shown us more than once that foreign forces bring us more problems than solutions." The Groupe de Travail sur la Securite, a Haitian citizen-led, security think-tank, also rejected the prospect of a new UN deployment "under the false pretext of helping us restore a climate of security." Haitians in Canada and the U.S. have also organized to demand, Hands Off Haiti!

(With files from Haiti Libre, Al Jazeera)

Guatemala

Inauguration of President Prevails
over Coup Attempts

Shortly after midnight on January 15, Bernardo Arévalo de Léon, the candidate of the Seed Movement (Semilla), was inaugurated as President of Guatemala. The inauguration took place despite repeated legalistic manoevres to block him from taking office ever since he and Karin Herrera, his vice presidential running mate, won the presidential runoff election on August 20, 2023 with 58.05 per cent of the vote, defeating Sandra Torres of the National Unity of Hope party (UNE). The runoff followed general elections on June 25, 2023, in which votes were also cast for all 160 seats in Congress, all 20 members of the Central American Parliament, and mayors and councils for all the country's 340 municipalities. Outgoing President Alejandro Giammattei of the party Vamos was constitutionally prohibited from running for a second term, although his party won a majority in Congress.

People gather to celebrate swearing in of new Guatemalan President, January 15, 2024.

"It fills me with deep honour to assume this lofty responsibility, showing that our democracy has the necessary strength to resist and that through unity and trust we can change the political panorama in Guatemala," Arévalo said in his first address as president.

Arévalo thanked Guatemala's youth for not losing hope and the country's Indigenous Peoples for their support, acknowledging "historic debts that we must resolve." He summarized his administration's guiding principle as: "There cannot be democracy without social justice and social justice cannot prevail without democracy."

These remarks acknowledged the Guatemalan people's longstanding desire for political change, including ending the corruption and domination by the ruling elites, which ultimately resulted in Arévalo's election as an alternative to the candidates of the other parties. They also allude to the repeated attempts to use lawfare to prevent his inauguration.

Prensa Latina, in a December 25, 2023 report, noted that "Guatemalans were facing, in general, the most atypical elections since the democratic period of 1985, with candidates openly related to organized crime and drug trafficking."

Lawfare manoevres to block Arévalo from taking office included trying to get the election results thrown out and other actions led by Attorney General Consuelo Porras. Opposition from the people led to 20 consecutive days of protests, including nation-wide strikes and blocking of strategic highways in October.

Most recently, on January 12, Indigenous organizations called for a massive march in response to the threats of a coup d'état through which Attorney General Porras intended to prevent Arevalo's inauguration.

The day before, Supreme Court ruled against the arrest of Vice President-elect Karin Herrera and four judges of the Electoral Court, again on the basis of spurious claims of electoral fraud. However, the Prosecutor's Office did manage to arrest former Interior Minister Napoleon Barrientos, whom Porras accuses of not complying with a ruling that ordered him to repress citizens in the protests that proliferated in the country during the second half of 2023.

President Arévalo (top photo, left foreground) participates in Mayan ceremony, January 15, 2024, marking his swearing-in.

(With files from Prensa Latina, teleSUR, AP.)

Cuba

Historic Raising of Cuban Flag at
Ontario Legislature

Consul General of the Republic of Cuba Yanier Castellanos Orta (on the right) receives a citation from the Speaker of the Ontario Legislature Ted Arnott present (on the left) on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution.

The flag of Cuba was raised for the first time at the Ontario Legislature at a ceremony on January 4 to mark the 65th anniversary of the triumph of the Cuban Revolution. The event was attended by about 50 people including the Honourable Consul General of the Republic of Cuba in Toronto, Jorge Yanier Castellanos Orta, and consular staff, Speaker of the Ontario Legislature Ted Arnott, two MPPs and diplomatic corps from a number of countries, as well as Cubans resident in Toronto and friends and supporters of Cuba.

The Speaker welcomed everyone and congratulated the Cuban people on the occasion of the anniversary of their revolution. He acknowledged the many contributions made by Cubans living in Canada and Ontario to the life of the province and read a message of congratulations from Premier Doug Ford. Kristyn Wong-Tam, MPP for Toronto Centre, brought greetings from the NDP and recalled her solidarity work sending bicycles from Toronto to Cuba during the Special Period. She expressed her admiration and support for the Cuban people in standing up to the U.S. blockade. Wong-Tam said she hopes that the ties between Canada and Cuba will continue for years to come.

Julio Fonseca from the Juan Gualberto Gómez Association of Cuban Residents in Toronto expressed his pride as a Cuban. He noted that Cuba's flag represents the striving of the Cuban people for their freedom, first from Spain and then from the U.S., culminating in the victory of the Revolution. He denounced the U.S. blockade of Cuba and demanded its immediate end.

The Consul General affirmed that on the 65th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution, the Cuban people are united under the leadership of their Communist Party and ready to confront any difficulties. He expressed confidence that Cuba will continue to play its role defending its principles and standing as one with all the fighting peoples and their just causes. The Consul General then raised the flag into a clear blue sky, while the national anthem of Cuba played. Applause and shouts of Viva Cuba! followed.

At the ensuing reception inside the Legislative Building, greetings and messages of solidarity were presented by various friends of Cuba. The President of Palestine House thanked Cuba for its long-standing support of the Palestinian people in their just cause. Many others expressed their congratulations and good wishes for Cuba to the Consul General and his staff.

Left: Ceremony inside Queen's Park. Right: President of Palestine House thanks Cuba for its support
of the Palestinian people.

Cuban People Called on to Confront Everything that Departs from the Spirit of the Revolution

At the first meeting this year of the Council of Ministers of the Cuban government, the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, called for confronting everything that deviates from the spirit of the Revolution in Cuban society. He reported on several political processes that will be developed over the coming months to accompany implementation of the government projections aimed at correcting distortions and reinvigorating the economy.

Díaz-Canel said the processes will be guided by the proposals made by Army General Raúl Castro Ruz in his speech on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution, based on his views on unity, the work of cadres, ideological work and how to deal with problems of the economy. The objective is to implement recently announced economic measures in a coherent fashion to address social, ideological and economic problems in the society, he said.

The processes are to involve all of Cuban society in discussion, beginning with party members in administrative bodies, then collectives of the workers and students and the population as a whole in their communities. It is a matter of reflecting, evaluating and proposing solutions to the problems in each sphere in a rigorous and creative manner, Díaz-Canel said. He emphasized the importance of cadres who will lead the discussions paying attention to people who may propose other ways of applying the measures or different ways of doing things altogether. "That will provide us a with a wealth of ideas that can be turned into actions," he said.

He explained that the government's projections are aimed at boosting exports and national production, generating savings and redistributing wealth. All are oriented towards the macro-economic stabilization of the country while protecting social gains and contributing to Cuba's social development. "If we strengthen the economy, depend less on imports, export more and increase the foreign exchange earnings the country requires, who is that for? It is for the people," Díaz-Canel pointed out.

Díaz-Canel rejected the attempts of enemies of the Revolution to present the government's projections as neo-liberal reforms, in the style of other programs in the region and the world, where it is "everyone for himself" and everything gets destroyed.

He pointed out that the first measure applied was an increase in funding for the education and health sectors. "What neo-liberal package in the world starts by raising salaries in those two sectors of society?" he asked. "Neo-liberal reforms begin precisely by cutting those budgets and privatizing everything," he said.

Cuba's approach, he said, recognizes that people who work in those two sectors perform the most important functions in society: guaranteeing life, health and education. And when they benefit, everyone benefits. Then as the economy recovers, the deficit is reduced and revenues increase. Pensions, the minimum wage and incomes in other sectors will also rise.

Díaz-Canel stressed that the new economic measures are needed and cannot be postponed as they correct aspects of the economy that have been distorted and structural deviations that are impeding its performance. But the measures will be applied only when conditions for them have been created, he said, when differentiated treatment of those who may be impacted more heavily by the application of a measure has been studied.

The government's projections will develop well to the extent that we are capable of implementing and managing them well, the President said, adding that this will require a process of seeking ongoing feedback. This was the reason for holding discussions with the entire population, he noted, and why it was important to keep providing people with the necessary information through all possible channels.

Díaz-Canel was emphatic in assuring that the Cuban Revolution would not leave anyone unprotected, as has always been the case throughout its history. Even under the most complex of conditions, he said, Cuba's social project continues to expand in both size and quality.

As examples of this he cited the new Casitas Infantiles (child care centres) being established all over the country, the program for restoring the family doctor's and nurse's offices, the neighbourhood improvement programs and 32 other social programs that Cuba has maintained and that "continue to provide solutions and attention to people with specific problems in the midst of the current difficult circumstances."

Strengthening Political and Ideological Work

In the meeting of the Council of Ministers, information was also provided about two other political processes that the Communist Party of Cuba will promote.

Roberto Morales Ojeda, member of the Political Bureau and Organizational Secretary of the Central Committee, informed that a decision had been taken to analyze and discuss the speeches of Army General Raúl Castro Ruz and the First Secretary Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez on the 65th Anniversary of the Triumph of the Revolution in the grassroots organizations of the Party, the Communist Youth Union and in government organizations.

The discussions, he said, will contribute to reaffirming the strategic importance and need for unity, exemplarity and militancy in the revolutionary ranks, adding that they should be rigorous, creative and go to the heart of the pressing need for safeguarding the Revolution and the construction of socialism.

The Party will also promote discussion of the document "Basic Concepts for the Rectification of Deviations and Negative Tendencies in Cuban Society," given the limitations imposed on Cuba's development by the complex socio-economic context -- something he attributed to the tightened blockade as well as "our own inadequacies and mistakes."

He reminded that throughout the 65 years of the Revolution, Fidel and Raúl were the architects of the need to change everything that must be changed, but also to correct or combat whatever threatens the survival of the Revolution. This must become a topic of discussion among the population, he said.

"What we are trying to do," he said, "is to establish a systematic way of doing things by constantly analyzing what deviations there are in our sphere of action and how we are going to overcome them." It is not a one-off or fixed process, he said.

Country Policy

Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz described the government's projections to correct distortions and boost the economy as a "country policy."

"This is not just more of the same," he emphasized to the Council of Ministers. "We have been rightly criticized -- even by our people -- for planned measures, that regardless of the real impact the blockade has had, have failed to solve the problems to make it possible for us to advance more quickly."

"The people are no longer demanding effort, sacrifice, dedication from us; they are demanding results," he stressed. "We have no doubt about the difficult situations faced on a full time basis by the managers in the different organizations," he noted, but said it was necessary to ensure those efforts yield results.

The Prime Minister referred to the role played by cadres and the qualities they must possess to be able to face economic conditions like the ones Cuba is dealing with: they must not hold back, must be committed to finding solutions and not set limits for themselves that prevent them from moving forward.

Everything that is not going well needs to be reviewed, he said, but always with an eye to finding solutions. The measures adopted are not going to be able to transform the country's situation from one day to the next, he stressed, but are the way forward. He said solutions would little by little be found, and the light will start to appear, "but only after we all unite, when we all join in."

(Based on a report by Leticia Martínez Hernández, Presidency and Government of Cuba)

India

Farmers Continue Their Fight for Justice
Without Letup

Bhartiya Kisan Union national convention, January 29, 2024, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.

Farmers decided at a national convention of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Indian Farmers' Union) in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh in January to intensify their struggle for the minimum support price (MSP) for their crops. They are demanding cost plus 50 per cent as suggested in the 2018 report of the Swaminathan National Commission on Farmers. A press release from the convention reported that Chaudhary Rakesh Tikait, national spokesperson of the Indian Farmers' Union, addressing the panchayat on the last day, said that the price of sugarcane that had just been announced by the Uttar Pradesh government that day is not sufficient. Farmers were expecting a greater increase as expenditures on farming are increasing daily. The farmers are not getting a reasonable price for their crops relative to the cost of producing them. He said: "Let us all together strengthen the village unit under our district. The work of youth unit in the organization is not to give memorandum for problems; it should work together with senior officers. "

A Kisan Mahakumbh was organized on January 18, the last day of the four-day national convention. National and state level officeholders who attended the session addressed everyone and discussed the problems of farmers farming in their respective states as well as the organization.

In a joint press conference in Delhi, also on January 18, the Central Trade Union Organizations (CTU) said that they would join the farmers through sectoral/industrial strikes. The CTU leaders maintained that the government not only betrayed the farmers of the country by denying them the MSP, as per the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission, but it was also pushing relentless privatization of public sector undertakings (PSUs) and denying the workers a livable wage.

Bhartiya Kisan Union national convention, January 29, 2024, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.

In the joint statement, Samyukta Kisan Morcha (United Farmers' Protest -- SKM) and the CTU said: "This government is continuously carrying on barbarous onslaughts on the lives and livelihood of the toiling people as a whole and aggressively pursuing anti-worker, anti-farmer and anti-people measures through various legislation, executive orders and policy drives. It is unconstitutionally denying the rights of elected state governments. It is suppressing all democratic assertions of various sections of the people and all voices of dissent. It is continuing with the dangerous game plan of communalizing the polity and constitutional institutions, utterly misusing and abusing administrative authorities and agencies. The Union Government attacks freedom of media and shamelessly protects the criminals accused of sexual harassment by the victims thus eroding the trust of the people in law and order."

The CTU and SKM reiterated their "resolve to take up the historic responsibility to counter and defeat the communal corporate nexus through intensified campaigns among the people and intensified struggle till the above demands are achieved."

A human chain protest against the central government was subsequently held in Kerala. The protest chain extended from Kasaragod railway station to the front gate of Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram. Reports inform that several hundred thousand people participated.

Tractor parades across the country were subsequently held on January 26 and a very successful nationwide strike of farmers and workers' took place on February 16.

SKM pointed out: "Anger of farmers against the corporate and communal policies of the Narendra Modi Government has boiled over today with their huge participation in the Grameen Bharat Bandh, a call given along with Industrial/Sectoral Strike jointly with Joint Platform Central Trade Unions, Independent Federations, Associations and other organizations of workers, women, youth and students. The strike action reflected anger of the people against the brutal repression by the Modi government and the BJP-led state government of Haryana on the farmers at Shambhu Border of Punjab marching to Delhi. One of the largest ever mass actions of the people in Independent India has helped to put back the people's livelihood issues on the national agenda just ahead of the forthcoming general election to the Lok Sabha."

In villages and towns people gathered and discussed the charter of their 21 demands, problems and policies of the corporate controlled state and government. They also discussed solutions to the problems they face. Many asked: for how long are we going to beg the corporates, their state and government for a life of dignity? Has the time not come that we take matters in our hands? We are the Anndata, we produce food, we provide goods and services, run offices, institutions. We run everything. Why can't we run the affairs of society without these political parties and institutions that are anti-people? Another world is possible.

Vibrant discussions on alternatives are taking place across India among farmers, workers, women, youth and toilers.

The farmers' protests have met state terror. On February 16, many farmers' leaders were picked up and taken into custody. Farmers have been stopped on the roads, barricaded, fired upon and attacked. But they are very innovative. One farmer spent five hours with an approximately $5 kite/reel going after a $6,000 drone dropping tear gas grenades on protesters until he was able to bring it down.

Farmers protest near Delhi border faces state terror, February 16, 2024.

Farmers block highways near Shandhu border, February 18, 2024

Bharatiya Kisan Union held its monthly Panchayat in Sisauli, Muzaffarnagar on February 17. On February 18, SKM met to plan its strategy. The central government also held a meeting with the farmers at the same time but meetings organized by the government are seen as attempts to hoodwink the farmers and people and prolong their misery. For the past 50 years, governments have formed many committees but farmers have been pauperized and pushed into debt and misery. Because of corporate control of inputs and the price of the produce of farmers, farmers have become pauperized and the corporates have made super profits. That is why farmers, workers and toilers are discussing how they can become rulers themselves and enforce people's control of decisions and resources, not the corporate control.

The terror of the Indian state has not dampened their spirits. Corporates that control the Indian state can go to any length to steal the lands of the farmers to maximize their profits. A retired army officer said that the situation is worse than on the India/Pakistan border. What the corporates and their states have been doing in the Northeast, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and other tribal areas is now being done to the farmers of India. In order to steal their lands, they are being viciously attacked by the government. What was being done on the periphery for decades has been brought to the centre, revealing the essence of liberal democracy -- land theft, genocide and repression in service of corporations.

Tractor parade, January 26, 2024, Sangrur, India

According to a published report, a family that makes 70,000 rupees per month (about $1,140 Canadian) is considered "affluent" in India and only four per cent of people have such an income. It shows that after 75 years of independence, the people of India have been continuously pauperized. Ministers of the central government pull figures out of a hat and claim that in five years India will have a $10 trillion economy or a $30 trillion economy in 20 years. Of course, they move on after making these statements.

On the other hand, more than 850 million people live on five kilograms of grain per month. Another report pointed out that in spite of the Bonded Labour Abolition Act of 1976, thousands of men, women and children remain in bonded labour. It's an open secret and authorities are complicit in maintaining it.

Government hospitals in India are full of filth. India spends a little over two per cent of its GDP on public health care, one of the lowest in the world. Most people have to pay about half of health care spending out of their own pocket -- especially for medicines. Private doctors, clinics and hospitals mop up some 80 per cent of the total health care spending. More than 55 million people are pushed back into poverty every year because of "catastrophic" health expenses, which affect some 17 per cent of households, according to a report provided by the World Heath Organization.

Meanwhile, the factional fighting within the ranks of the rulers intensifies in the run up to elections. Rahul Gandhi started his "Yatra for justice" from Manipur where the people are attacked by the Central Government without respite. Yatra is a Sanskrit word which can refer to a physical journey, a tour of different areas or a pilgrimage. Gandhi said he wants to listen to people and change the cycle of violence, inequality and injustice that the BJP has imposed on India. A young woman said that if, instead of going on a Yatra, Rahul Gandhi and his Congress Party can build even one village in Karnataka -- where they are in power -- free of injustice, caste oppression and violence against women, that will be a much better project than going on a Yatra.

Like Prime Minister Modi and the BJP, Gandhi is also peddling the disinformation touted by the state to keep the people disempowered. Everything is about deception and fraud. Modi and the BJP are selling a dream with Ram Lala; Gandhi and Congress are selling another dream devoid of anything concrete. Both are diversions. Actions speak louder than words.

For their part more and more people are engaging in discussion about various problems they face and how to provide them with solutions which go in their favour. Congress has been part of the problem so far. It wants to come to power to favour the interests it serves.

Renovation of all relations between humans and humans and humans and nature is needed in order to put in place a democracy which favours the people. This includes control of resources, cooperative farming and the affirmation of the people's right to be. All have emerged as the historic necessity of our times.

People are discussing ways and means to accomplish these goals. Kisan University at the Morchas outlined what people must do. They do not split the ranks of the people on any basis, including by lobbying for this or that party which seeks to disempower them with an electoral process where the people neither select the candidates nor issue any control over the decisions which are taken in their name. The BJP, Congress and CPI(M) all work to derail people in service of the ruling elite.

The anti-people attacks in Ayodhya started once again. Due to the refusal of the Shankaracharyas to attend the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22, it was claimed that Hindutva is split into Political Hindutva represented by BJP and its affiliates, and religious Hindutava represented by the Shankaracharyas. They call it a political project of Modi to win elections as he has no other issue or track record to fight on. All the promises he has ever made have not been fulfilled, so it is an attempt to hijack the religious sentiments of the people of India for elections.

On the other hand, Dalits are saying that whether political or religious Hindutava, both promote and perpetuate caste oppression and Brahmin supremacy. They have nothing to gain from it and they are calling on people not to get caught in this trap. Things are done in their name which they have never decided nor endorsed, they point out.

The Indian Farmers' Union has announced that it will organize a one-day mega-gathering -- a Kisan Mahapanchayat -- in the country's capital Delhi on March 14, where farmers from across the country will join in.

Taiwan Presidential and Legislative Elections

Results Raise Concerns of Increased
U.S. Interference

On January 13, China's province of Taiwan held its presidential and legislative elections. China had stated before the election that should the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) prevail in the election, this would not augur well for the cause of peace. The U.S. has a longstanding practice of interference in the affairs of Taiwan and China, to keep China in check and dominate the entire Asia Pacific. It has been sending warships through the Strait of Taiwan for the past several years where it has no business being, trying to provoke China and then stoke fear-mongering in Taiwan about an alleged imminent Invasion from mainland China, something China has no intention of carrying out.

The turnout was 71.86 per cent of 19,548,531 registered voters. Taiwan's Legislative Yuan has 113 seats, with 57 seats needed for a majority. The incumbent DPP lost 10 seats, falling to 51 seats and losing its majority in the Legislative Yuan. The Kuomintang (KMT ) holds 52 seats, up 14 seats. The Taiwan People's Party (TPP) holds eight seats. Lai Ching-te of the DPP won the presidency with 40.05 per cent of the vote.

The KMT, although a longtime anti-communist ally of the U.S. during the Cold War era, like China adheres to a one-China policy, consistent with conditions for rapprochement between Taiwan and China and reunification, an important factor for peace in the region.

China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning, at a regular press conference on January 15, made the following remarks:

AFP: [A] U.S. senior delegation met with Lai Ching-te and [outgoing President] Tsai Ing-wen in Taiwan today. What is your response to this?

Mao Ning: The elections in Taiwan are the affairs of a region in China. China firmly opposes the U.S. having any form of official interaction with Taiwan and interfering in Taiwan affairs in any way or under any pretext. We urge the U.S. to have a clear understanding of the extreme complexity and sensitivity of the Taiwan question, earnestly abide by the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiqués, and act seriously in accordance with the commitments that have been reaffirmed multiple times by the U.S. leaders to not support "Taiwan independence," "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan," and not seek to use the Taiwan question as a tool to contain China. The U.S. needs to exercise extreme prudence in handling Taiwan-related issues, and must not obscure and hollow out the one-China principle in any form or send any wrong signal to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces.

CCTV: The government of the Republic of Nauru officially announced its decision to recognize the one-China principle, break the so-called "diplomatic ties" with the Taiwan authorities and seek to reestablish diplomatic ties with China. What's your comment?

Mao Ning: [...] China appreciates and welcomes the decision of the government of the Republic of Nauru.

There is but one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, and the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. It's what has been affirmed in Resolution 2758 of the UN General Assembly and is a prevailing consensus among the international community. China has established diplomatic relations with 182 countries on the basis of the one-China principle. The Nauru government's decision of re-establishing diplomatic ties with China once again shows that the one-China principle is where global opinion trends and where the arc of history bends. China stands ready to work with Nauru to open new chapters of our bilateral relations on the basis of the one-China principle.

CCTV: After the results of the two elections for 2024 in the Taiwan region were released, the Spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said that the Russian side opposes any form of Taiwan's independence, and called on all outside forces to refrain from provocative actions undermining regional stability and international security. What is China's comment on this?

Mao Ning: We appreciate the remarks of the Russian side. In fact, aside from Russia, many countries and international organizations, including Indonesia, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Laos, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Nepal, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Belarus, Serbia, Hungary, Papua New Guinea, Cuba, Venezuela, the SCO and the Arab League, have, through issuing statements and press communiqués or answering questions from the press, publicly reaffirmed their commitment to the one-China principle, their firm support for China's effort to safeguard the nation's sovereignty and territorial integrity, their opposition to any form of "Taiwan independence" and their support for China's cause toward reunification. This represents the call for justice and peace from the international community, reflects the extensive consensus of the international community in firmly upholding the UN Charter and the basic norms governing international relations, and embodies the trend of the times and of history. We thank these countries for their understanding of and support for China's just position.

Whatever changes take place in Taiwan, the basic fact that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is part of China will not change. Taiwan has never been a country and will never be one. We believe that the international community's prevailing consensus on upholding the one-China principle and long-standing and overwhelming adherence to this principle will become more solid. The Chinese people's just cause of opposing "Taiwan independence" and external interference and striving for national reunification will win more understanding and support.

Phoenix TV: Taiwan's foreign affairs office said that China's reiterated groundless remarks in response to the elections of Taiwan that "the Taiwan question is China's internal affairs" were not in line with the perception of the international community and the cross-Strait status quo. It called on the Chinese government to respect the results of the elections and face up to the reality. What's your comment?

Mao Ning: The elections of the Taiwan region belong to the affairs of a region in China. Whatever the results of the election, the basic fact that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is part of China will not change; and the international community's prevailing consensus on upholding the one-China principle will not change.

Both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same China. Taiwan is part of China's territory. The Cairo Declaration issued by China, the U.S. and the UK 80 years ago stipulates clearly that all the territories Japan has stolen from the Chinese, such as Taiwan, shall be restored to China. Article 8 of the Potsdam Proclamation jointly published by China, the U.S., the UK and the Soviet Union in 1945 stipulates that the terms of the Cairo Declaration shall be carried out. Later Japan accepted the Potsdam Proclamation and announced unconditional surrender. These legally binding international instruments provide the historical and jurisprudential basis for the fact that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. Although the two sides across the Taiwan Strait have yet to be reunified, the sovereignty and territory of China has never been severed and the legal status and fact that Taiwan is part of China's territory has never changed. This is the real status quo of the Taiwan question. China will achieve national reunification and Taiwan will inevitably return to the embrace of the motherland.

Korean Peninsula

U.S. Must Sign Peace Treaty and Cease Warmongering on Korean Peninsula

– Philip Fernandez –

As 2024 gets underway, the U.S. has stepped up warmongering on the Korean Peninsula in a futile attempt to isolate and bully the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and present the latter as the cause of all problems facing the Korean people. Nobody is fooled by this.

The U.S. military and its puppets in the Republic of Korea (ROK) continue to openly talk about regime change in the DPRK through force. U.S. President Joe Biden issued the so-called Washington Declaration with the ROK in April 2023, a program of nuclear confrontation with the DPRK. The declaration includes a "Nuclear Consultative Group," a joint U.S.-ROK plan for the use of nuclear weapons against the DPRK. Several meetings were held between the U.S., ROK and Japan in 2023, with the intent of further militarizing the Korean Peninsula with strategic nuclear weapons to threaten the DPRK with a nuclear first strike. Ongoing anti-war demonstrations by the people of the ROK denounce the presence of U.S. troops and weapons on the Korean Peninsula as well as the war exercises against the DPRK and call for the withdrawal of all U.S. troops and weapons from the ROK.

In 2023, there were double the number of joint U.S.-ROK-Japan military exercises targeting the DPRK than in 2022, in which Canada, Australia and Britain, among other U.S.-allies, also took part. The U.S. military is talking about more such drills to be carried out in 2024. All this aggression and show of force has caused the DPRK to strengthen its nuclear arsenal and its self-defence capacity in order to neutralize the U.S. and its allies and create an equilibrium on the Korean Peninsula where the U.S. cannot act with impunity against it without a response. The ongoing hysteria from the U.S. and Canada about the DPRK and its "nuclear threats" is to cover up their own crimes against the DPRK and the Korean people.

The DPRK has always expressed a desire to sign a peace treaty with the U.S. to formally end the Korean War and normalize relations in the interests of peace. The U.S. has so far sabotaged or spurned every effort by the DPRK to realize this aim. As a further provocation, on November 13, 2023, the U.S. engineered an "agreement" between the 17 countries, including Canada, which fought in the illegal U.S.-led Korean War (1950-53) under the fig-leaf of the UN. The purported aim of the agreement is to "revitalize" the UN Command and pledge to defend the ROK if it is attacked by the DPRK. The DPRK responded to this by noting that the UN Command is a relic of the Korean War, serves no purpose and should be dismantled. In fact, had the U.S. not treacherously sabotaged the Armistice Agreement (AA) signed between it and the DPRK on July 27, 1953 to formally end the fighting in the Korean War, known as the Fatherland Liberation War in the DPRK, and followed up on its commitments as part of the AA, including for negotiations toward the signing of a peace treaty to end the Korean War, there would be no UN Command nor U.S. presence on the Korean Peninsula today.

The U.S. is the sole perpetrator of all the historic and current problems facing the Korean people. It was the U.S. that unilaterally divided Korea in two at the end of the Second World War and deprived the Korean people of their right to determine their own affairs, and it maintains the division by force today. It is the just and urgent call of all peace-loving people that the U.S. sign a peace treaty now to end the Korean War and normalize relations with the DPRK. Canada must stop falling in line with U.S./NATO demands to commit aggression against the DPRK through the imposition of multiple sanctions against that country and also its ongoing high seas piracy against DPRK shipping through "Operation NEON" under the hoax of enforcing UN sanctions. It is high time Canada contributed to peace on the Korean Peninsula by normalizing relations with the DPRK and establishing relations for the benefit of the two countries and peoples.

DPRK Sets Line of March to Further the Cause of Peace and National Development in 2024

The 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) held its 9th Enlarged Plenum from December 26 to 30, 2023, presided over by the WPK's General Secretary Kim Jong Un, where the achievements of 2023 were summed up and the course set for 2024. Also present as observers were various officials of departments of the WPK Central Committee, leading officials of various government ministries, national institutions, major industrial establishments and regional and municipal management committees. The Plenum was convened in an enthusiastic atmosphere where the WPK under the leadership of General Secretary Kim Jong Un could look back with pride on the achievements of 2023 while making a sober assessment of what lies ahead and laying down plans to continue the nation-building project of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Measures to Enhance Peace and Security

Kim Jong Un stated that actions of the U.S. military and its puppets in the Republic of Korea (ROK) have escalated tensions and have brought the Korean Peninsula closer to the brink of a nuclear war. Kim Jong Un noted that during 2023 the U.S. introduced all manner of nuclear assets into the south of the Korean Peninsula including, for the first time in more than 40 years, a nuclear submarine, for the first time ever a nuclear strategic bomber and the frequent dispatch of nuclear-powered carrier task forces.

Meanwhile, a record number of U.S.-led joint military exercises of varying scales were staged throughout 2023, including ones involving the ROK and Japan. Kim Jong Un noted that the U.S. threats against the DPRK have escalated and he warned that the level of provocations by hostile forces is aggravating the dangerous security environment on the Korean Peninsula, making the possibility of war a distinct reality, not some mere abstract concept. The prevailing grave situation requires the DPRK to steadily step up the work to mount an overwhelming response, with full military combat readiness, to deter any form of provocation or hostile action at a moment's notice.

In his report the General Secretary noted that with the election of the Yoon Suk-Yeol puppet government in the ROK which took office in 2022, relations between the DPRK and the ROK have steadily deteriorated. As a result the DPRK withdrew from the September 19 North-South Military Agreement as it was no longer serving any purpose as an instrument to promote peace between the two sides. This is particularly the case in light of provocative acts by the ROK along the Military Demarcation Line. He also noted that the whole ROK military is being strengthened.

In that vein, measures to be taken in 2024 by the Korean People's Army (KPA) were also elaborated by Kim Jong Un, including that the KPA should closely monitor the dynamic and acute security situation on the Korean Peninsula and take more thorough military measures to firmly safeguard the security of the state. It was made clear that in the event of any possible nuclear crisis, the KPA must act with resolve including being fully prepared to disarm the whole territory of the ROK by mobilizing all physical means and forces including its nuclear forces.

Kim Jong Un called on the munitions and armaments manufacturers to step up production, including production of nuclear weapons. He also set forth the main targets and tasks for the field of missile development and production. Regarding the field of space development, its work is to launch three additional reconnaissance satellites in 2024. On the front of shipbuilding the plan is to enhance the underwater and surface combat strength of the navy. He also set forth the tasks for those overseeing national defence to complete combat preparations. These preparations include enhancing the operational control level of the Worker-Peasant Red Guards (the DPRK's largest civil defence force) by commanding officers, as well as raising the combat capabilities of its members by steadily improving the content and methods of training to keep pace with those that threaten the DPRK.

The remarks by Kim Jong Un underscore the grave security threats to the DPRK and the region as a whole posed by the U.S. and its aggressive nuclear weapons policy. The current situation is an escalation of the constant provocations by the U.S. over the past 70 years, as the U.S. becomes more and more desperate in the face of its domestic crises and its failures internationally, including its inability to undermine the steadfastness of the DPRK through unjust and illegal sanctions and other forms of aggression.

The U.S. has consistently refused to sign a peace treaty with the DPRK to end the Korean war and normalize relations which would be to the benefit of both countries. In the face of this reality, the DPRK is exercising its right as a sovereign country to defend itself by all means at its disposal.

Putting the Goal of National Reunification on Hold

Relations between the DPRK and ROK have suffered significant setbacks in recent years with the U.S.-engineered election of the anti-communist Yoon Suk-Yeol as President of the ROK in 2022. Yoon's kowtowing to the demands of the U.S. imperialists on the Korean Peninsula has caused the ongoing work to fulfil the ardent desire of the Korean people for the peaceful independent reunification of Korea to be put on the back burner because the DPRK does not have a sincere interlocutor with which it can make headway on this crucial work.

Under these conditions, in his report to the 9th Enlarged Plenum of the 8th Central Committee of the WPK, Kim Jong Un remarked: "The general conclusion drawn by our Party, looking back upon the longstanding north-south relations is that reunification can never be achieved with ROK authorities who declare 'unification by absorption' and 'unification under liberal democracy' as their state policy, which is in sharp contradiction with our line of national reunification based on one nation and one state with two systems."[1]

He also pointed out that it is a mistake to try to work with those who publicly define the DPRK as the "principal enemy" and are seeking only to collaborate with foreign hostile forces to engineer a "collapse of power" in the DPRK and enforce "unification by absorption" between the two Koreas. It is a disservice to the dignity and stature of the DPRK to discuss the issue of reunification with those who are mere colonial stooges of the U.S., Kim Jong Un noted. He called for a readjusting and reforming of the organizations responsible for relations with the ROK in the face of this reality. In a later speech on January 15 at the 14th Supreme People's Assembly, Kim Jong Un further elaborated on this readjustment, including the proposal that the "Monument to the Three Charters for National Reunification" standing at the southern gateway to the capital city of Pyongyang be removed. The monument was taken down not long after.

Strengthening DPRK's Nation-Building Project

Hwanghae Steel and Iron Complex

In his report to the 9th Plenum, Secretary General Kim Jong Un outlined the fact that in every sector of the economy, the 2023 targets were over-fulfilled thanks to the leadership of the WPK and the resolve and mettle of the people who demonstrated a high level of political resolve across the country.

The report of the 9th Plenum noted that the 12 goals for national economic development were all attained for the year including 103 per cent of grain production, 102 per cent of rolled steel, 131 per cent of ferrous metals, 105 per cent of marine products and 109 per cent in housing construction, among other sectors. It was noted as well that in comparison with 2020, the year the COVID 19 pandemic set in globally, the production of rolled steel went up 1.9 times, machine tools 5.1 times, cement 1.4 times and fertilizer 1.3 times. It was noted that the GDP grew 1.4 times as compared to 2020.

Thermal power plant

The report emphasized that the over-fulfillment of grain production thanks to the hard work and sacrifice of the farmers and agricultural workers was the most significant achievement of the economy in 2023. Based on these successes, the goal of 2024 is to further raise the standard of living of the people and revolutionize socialist construction by applying the conclusions and spirit of the 9th Enlarged Plenum in a scientific and practical way.

The achievement of these nation-building goals in the economy are all the more admirable given that the DPRK has had to face decades of unjust and brutal economic sanctions engineered by the U.S. to effect regime change in that country and impose a liberal-democratic system where foreign oligarchs can plunder the nation. The people of the DPRK have chosen their system and, as the architects of their own future, show that a people who have taken their destiny into their own hands and are defending it against great odds, can achieve miracles.

Tideland reclamation projects

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People gather outside courthouse in The Hague for interim ruling of International Court of Justice, January 26, 2024

January 6, 2021 storming of U.S. Capitol

Colorado's Defense of State Authority

Occupation of California state legislature demands it take a stand for ceasefire, January 4, 2024

(Voice of Revolution)

On February 19, 2023, "Presidents' Day," thousands in San Francisco take to Highway 101 to denounce the Biden administration's support of Israel's genocide in Gaza.

(Voice of Revolution)

Chicago city council votes for ceasefire in Gaza, January 31, 2024

(Voice of Revolution)

UAW takes stand for ceasefire in Gaza, December 1, 2023

(Voice of Revolution)

(www.cbo.gov/publication/58945)

Anti-war protests outside Munich Security Forum, February 17, 2024

The Action Alliance Against the NATO Security Conference organized protests against the Munich Security Conference on February 17, 2023, starting with a protest chain through the pedestrian zone and a protest march that symbolically surrounds the luxury hotel where the conference is held.

Ukraine's Military Difficulties

U.S./NATO War Damaging Ukraine Economy

Picket in Windsor on first anniversary of U.S./NATO proxy war in Ukraine, February 25, 2023.

Edmonton anti-war picket on first anniversary of U.S./NATO proxy war in Ukraine, February 25, 2023.

Ongoing Disinformation About Nazi Collaborators and Phony Claims of Opposing Genocide

(With Files from NATO, U.S. Department of Defense)

(With files from NATO, AP)

TORONTOA Very Canadian Coup in Haiti(20 Years Later)February 26 -- 6:30 pmWilliam Doo Auditorium, 45 Willcocks St.

OTTAWARally on Parliament HillFebruary 29 -- 12:00 noon

MeetingFebruary 29 -- 7:00 pmBronson Centre, 211 Bronson Ave

(With files from Haiti Libre, Al Jazeera)

People gather to celebrate swearing in of new Guatemalan President, January 15, 2024.

President Arévalo (top photo, left foreground) participates in Mayan ceremony, January 15, 2024, marking his swearing-in.

(With files from Prensa Latina, teleSUR, AP.)

Consul General of the Republic of Cuba Yanier Castellanos Orta (on the right) receives a citation from the Speaker of the Ontario Legislature Ted Arnott present (on the left) on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution.

Left: Ceremony inside Queen's Park. Right: President of Palestine House thanks Cuba for its support of the Palestinian people.

Strengthening Political and Ideological Work

Country Policy

Bhartiya Kisan Union national convention, January 29, 2024, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.

Bhartiya Kisan Union national convention, January 29, 2024, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.

Farmers protest near Delhi border faces state terror, February 16, 2024.

Farmers block highways near Shandhu border, February 18, 2024

Tractor parade, January 26, 2024, Sangrur, India

Measures to Enhance Peace and Security

Putting the Goal of National Reunification on Hold

Strengthening DPRK's Nation-Building Project

Hwanghae Steel and Iron Complex

Thermal power plant

Tideland reclamation projects

People gather outside courthouse in The Hague for interim ruling of International Court of Justice,
January 26, 2024

TORONTO
A Very Canadian Coup in Haiti
(20 Years Later)
February 26 -- 6:30 pm
William Doo Auditorium, 45 Willcocks St.

OTTAWA
Rally on Parliament Hill
February 29 -- 12:00 noon

Meeting
February 29 -- 7:00 pm
Bronson Centre, 211 Bronson Ave

Left: Ceremony inside Queen's Park. Right: President of Palestine House thanks Cuba for its support
of the Palestinian people.