Australian and Japanese leaders gather in Brisbane at the Independent and Peaceful Australia Network Conference 8/9th July to discuss the American Alliance during Talisman Sabre military exercises in central Qld.
‘Dangerous Allies’ Forum
Wednesday 8th July at The Edge State Library Brisbane 7pm
Senator Scott Ludlam acting Leader of the Australian Greens is raising concerns about the way in which Australia goes to war. “The horrific illegal Iraq war of 2003 when Australia joined the US and the UK very likely would not have happened had there been a parliamentary debate” In the current ongoing war in Iraq he asks “what are we doing to stem the flow of arms in the region, from Kuwait, from Saudi Arabia?”
http://scott-ludlam.greensmps.org.au/content/speeches-parliament/case-parliamentary-debate-commit-australians-war
Professor Richard Tanter from the Nautilus Institute will share his research into the consequences of the US/ Australian military interoperability process, on display this week during the Talisman Sabre military exercises in Qld.
“Taken together, the result of these policy and force structure changes may well be, from a Chinese perspective, that Australia is not so much hosting US military bases, but is becoming a virtual American base in its own right. That perspective may be overwrought, but almost a decade of continuous developments in joint Australia‐US defence facilities and new levels of US access to Australian facilities undoubtedly change Australia’s strategic situation profoundly.”
Professor Kozue Akibayashi- International President of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, will convey the warning call of Okinawans to share with with Australians, Filipinos, Chamorro’s and South Koreans about hosting US military on their land. In Kozue’s opinion “we should close down all US Military bases, convert them to civilian facilities more beneficial to local people’s use, and demilitarize the security system.”
From the 4th July some of the world’s largest military exercises are taking place in central Qld. Talisman Sabre is a joint US-AUS rehearsal for war that takes place every two years in Australia, primarily on the central coast of Queensland at Shoalwater Bay, north of Rockhampton.
Talisman Sabre 2015 is expected to involve 34,000 troops from the USA, Australia, NZ and Japan. The military personnel will be engaged in nuclear-weapons-capable land, sea and air warfare practice.
Annette Brownlie, Phyllis Campbell-McRae
