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Women – leading the struggle for peace in Korea – Cathi Choi & Dae-Han Song

On 24 May 2015, 30 women from across the world visited North Korea and then made an historic crossing of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) to South Korea.

This crossing marked a new chapter of international feminist solidarity with all Korean women, but also all Koreans, who are trying to build a sustainable peace in Korea and also to challenge Cold War ‘forever war’ frameworks.

There had been a coalition of international women during the Korean War itself, during the years of active fighting, between 1950 and 1953, that bore witness and reported back to the world of the horrors that they were witnessing, of the millions of civilians being killed.

And now, it is important to draw attention to what ‘forever war’ means. The Korean War has not been ended. Families are divided. We have millions of landmines still buried at the DMZ.

Cathi Choi, from ‘Women Cross DMZ’ (a global movement of women mobilizing for peace on the Korean Peninsula) speaks to Dae-Han Song about the significance of that crossing in 2015, the movement that has since come together, and its campaigning work for a peace settlement in Korea....

June 11, 2025

It’s time for the US to end the Korean War – Cathi Choi & Dae-Han Song

The Korean War, that started in 1950, has still not officially ended. In 1953 there was a ceasefire but since then there has been no peace treaty agreed. So, for 72 years the US has kept North Korea internationally isolated and repeatedly blocked negotiations to agree a treaty.

Following this month’s Presidential election in South Korea, the US described the elections as ‘fair’ but expressed concern about Chinese interference – promoting the political myth advanced by South Korea’s far-right. The far-right, both in S Korea and the US, use the same anti-China talking points about Korea.

In this video, Cathi Choi and Dae-Han Song discuss: the many attempts at achieving a peace treaty and how the US in the end has always backed out; how the US views its diplomacy with North Korea as a reward, not an obligation; and the significance of this month’s election of President Lee Jae-myung in South Korea, given he is favourable to assisting US-N Korea peace talks. Cathi explains how within the US the Korean War is seen as the ‘forgotten war’ – and how in the offices of Congress there is ignorance of US-N Korea relations.

The campaigns of the peace movements seeking an end to the Korean War should be supported. Wherever you are in the world there is something you can do....

June 07, 2025

It’s time to consign NATO to the dustbin of history

By Biljana Vankovska

As NATO’s next summit looms – against the backdrop of an escalating proxy war in Ukraine and a genocidal horror in Gaza – the sane and moral world must roar in defiance, shattering ideological shackles. NATO is a zombie alliance, lurching forward despite its irrelevance, its fangs dripping with the blood of nations it claims to protect. In Ukraine, NATO’s members pour fuel on the inferno, championing escalation over peace. The United States, its puppet-master, plays a vile charade – preaching peace while strong-arming allies to bankroll its war machine. Trump’s $175 billion Golden Dome, a space-based missile defence boondoggle, is a reckless gambit that threatens global annihilation....

June 04, 2025

Europe’s left must unite to oppose NATO’s rearmament and austerity

By John Ross

As Europe approaches NATO’s 24–26 June summit in The Hague, its 750 million people face a decisive strategic choice that will affect their lives for years to come – and one with far wider global impact.

The policies implemented in Europe in recent years have been disastrous socially, economically, politically, and militarily. Europe is experiencing worsening social conditions, its largest war since 1945 in Ukraine, and the biggest rise of far-right authoritarian, racist, and xenophobic forces since the Nazis in the 1930s.

The proposals to the NATO summit would worsen that situation. The key question is therefore whether Europe will continue down this destructive, disastrous path or adopt policies that offer a way out.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has proposed to the 32 NATO members that ‘the NATO summit… aim for 3.5% hard military spending by 2032’ – a 75% increase from the previous 2.0% of GDP target.

Trump calls for even higher military expenditure of 5% of GDP. Rutte opened the door to this by supporting a commitment to ‘1.5% related spending, such as infrastructure, cybersecurity, and things like that. Also achievable by 2032’. The 3.5% plus 1.5% adds up to Trump’s 5%....

June 02, 2025

Europe: From peace project to peace spoiler – Biljana Vankovska

Talks about talks have now started between Russia and Ukraine. However, there is currently no end in sight to the Ukraine war. NATO and the EU are only seeking an end to war on their terms, which do not include agreements that guarantee security for all of Europe including Russia and the Russian speaking population in Ukraine.

In June NATO will have its summit in the Hague and Trump is demanding that European NATO members increase their military spending to 5% of GDP.

The US and Western Europe are preparing for more military conflict. This addiction to war stands in contrast to the rest of the world, which would prefer the global focus to be on increasing international cooperation.

In this short video, Professor Biljana Vankovska discusses with Oksana Boyko the prospects for peace in Ukraine and for Europe in general.

No Cold War Perspectives #11 Video

May 28, 2025

Building a movement against imperialism’s insane violence – Jodie Evans & Charles Xu

With the backing of President Trump, Israel has recently launched its so called ‘Operation Gideon’s Chariot’ military offensive in Gaza, seeking to impose its full control over the territory, with a stepped-up level of violence, producing a rapidly rising death toll, including now also children dying from malnutrition and starvation.

US imperialism is playing a central role in supporting Israel’s military offensive, as it does in other conflict across the globe.

The peace movement in the US plays a vital role in the international struggle against imperialism’s aggression. CODEPINK is an important part of that movement. It is a US feminist grassroots organisation, working to end US warfare and imperialism. It supports peace and human rights initiatives and redirects resources into healthcare, education, green jobs and other life-affirming programs.

In this short video, Jodie Evans talks with Charles Xu about the support the US gives to Israel’s violence against the Palestinians and US hostility to China. She explains how CODEPINK challenges US imperialism’s propaganda with actions and education – as part of a growing international movement against imperialism’s increasing violence.

No Cold War Perspectives #10 Video

May 23, 2025

Tariff War and Protracted War

It has been nearly a month since the Trump administration announced the imposition of so-called “reciprocal tariffs” on U.S. trading partners – thereby provoking a global trade war. But the development of the situation has greatly exceeded the expectations of the U.S.. Not only did the Chinese government take the lead in showing a clear attitude of being willing to respond to the U.S. “to the end” but the anti-bullying positions of the international community have become louder.

Due to a focus on this situation in which the U.S. is fighting indiscriminately, and China is responding to each move, the trend of China’s domestic public opinion is also changing. The views once put forward in some places of a “China must lose theory” and the “surrender at the speed of light theory” are disappearing. More and more people realize that China “knows what it is doing and it has cards to play in its hands”.

But at this time, however, new misconceptions have also appeared.

One is “quit while you are in the lead”, thinking that China’s “tough stance” will eventually be difficult to maintain. Now the Trump administration seems to be softening it is necessary to stop at the right moment, claim that a small loss is in fact a victory, and make concessions and compromises as soon as possible to reach an agreement to avoid entering a stage of a difficult strategic stalemate.

The other view is that “victory is in sight”. which, seeing the US’s chaotic actions and softened rhetoric, then thinks that “the U.S. is afraid”. This view optimistically predicts that the outcome of the trade war has already been decided and China will soon be able to achieve a complete victory.

So, why are these arguments wrong, and how can we rationally view this present round of Sino-US struggle?...

May 15, 2025

“If international trade reverts to the ‘law of jungle,’” all will be victims, China warns

By Abdul Rahman

Speaking in an informal meeting of the UN Security Council on Wednesday, April 23 China’s permanent representative Fu Cong questioned the unilateralism pursued by the US in international trade claiming it “severely infringes upon the legitimate rights and interests of all countries” and violates the rule based multilateral trading system.

Cong claimed a multilateral approach remains the only option for the advancement of all countries and affirmed “no country has the right to put itself above international law” and dictate terms to others. He offered Chinese cooperation in dealing with the situation to the countries which are willing to stand for free and fair international trade.

China’s reaction was a response to the “tariff war” unleashed by US President Donald Trump ever since he began his second term in January this year. Under the so-called reciprocal tariff regime, the US announced high tariffs against imports from most of the countries in the world.

The implementation of the “reciprocal tariffs” has been postponed for 90 days for all countries except China, whose exports to the US currently face a 145% tariff. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has offered bilateral negotiations to reach agreements with the countries that want to avoid the announced reciprocal tariffs.

In response to the steep tariff against its goods, China announced a 125% tariff on imports from the US. It also vowed to fight Trump’s strong arming tactics and has so far refused to sign a bilateral agreement. It has also called the arbitrary tariff hikes a violation of international trade laws and demanded the reversal of the policy.

Amid the flurry, China has proposed that countries make a coordinated response to Trump’s tariff war, citing that individual agreements may harm global trade....

May 14, 2025

The turbulence in the global economy

By Vijay Prashad

On April 22, 2025, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released its annual World Economic Outlook report, which has a quiet but decisive subtitle: A Critical Juncture and Policy Shifts. The report, once more a hefty piece of work by the IMF economists and their associates, rushes to make sense of the tariffs first threatened by US President Donald Trump and then delayed, and then, as if the flurry was not sufficient, retained and increased against China. The IMF attempts to make the case that through 2024, “global growth was stable” and that the current downgrade to global growth is largely a factor of the Trump tariff “uncertainty” and “unpredictability”.

The IMF releases this report during the annual week of meetings of the Fund and the World Bank. At the start of the meetings, IMF Director Kristalina Georgieva reflected on the situation in the global economy and claimed that the turbulence is largely due to “an erosion of trust”. No longer, she said, do countries trust each other as they once did, nor do they trust the international system. Apart from the reversal of the tariffs, the IMF says that what needs to be built once more is trust in international economic affairs....

May 13, 2025

How Trump’s tariffs attack the people of the world – John Ross & Gisela Cernadas

What is the real significance of Trump’s tariff attacks across the world?
On 2 April, calling it ‘Liberation Day’, Trump imposed sweeping trade tariffs, ranging from 11 to 50%, on 60 countries.
Since then, Trump has stepped up US tariffs on China and made some partial retreats. But, despite initial chaos, Trump remains wedded to continuing these attacks.
Is the US simply trying to subordinate other countries to force them to support the United States economy?
How will the tariffs hit the Global South, Europe and China?
Are these tariffs going to raise inflation and lead to an economic slowdown, as many analysts predict?
Can such tariffs increase US economic growth?
What is Trump trying to achieve?

John Ross discusses with Gisela Cernadas, the significance of Trump’s tariffs and the scale of attack on peoples across the world he is launching.

No Cold War Perspectives #9 Video

April 15, 2025

No Cold War statement

Add your name to the statement

English

A New Cold War against China is against the interests of humanity

We note the increasingly aggressive statements and actions being taken by the US government in regard to China. These constitute a threat to world peace and are an obstacle to humanity successfully dealing with extremely serious common issues which confront it such as climate change, control of pandemics, racist discrimination and economic development.

We therefore believe that any New Cold War would run entirely counter to the interests of humanity. Instead we stand in favour of maximum global cooperation in order to tackle the enormous challenges we face as a species.

We therefore call upon the US to step back from this threat of a Cold War and also from other dangerous threats to world peace it is engaged in including: withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces agreement; withdrawal from the Paris Climate Change Accords; and its increasing disengagement from UN bodies. The US should also stop pressuring other countries to adopt such dangerous positions.

We support China and the US basing their relations on mutual dialogue and centring on the common issues which unite humanity.

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