Gathering in New York in September 2024, the world’s nations will be challenged to ‘end the scourge of war’, before it’s too late. All of them know that a nuclear cataclysm has never been so close.

The United States’ veto in the Security Council and its military colossus imperil the world’s nations, solely for the sake of perpetuating US global hegemony. In America, which regards itself as ‘exceptional’ and ‘indispensable’, whoever wins the coming presidential election, is unlikely to change entrenched US hostility to Iran and China. Neither Trump nor Harris is likely to head off war, regardless of its terrible cost.

As a country which claims to have very close relations with the US, Australia has a unique opportunity to use that influence by joining other nations in seeking a global change of course. In the UN General Assembly in September, a majority of member states will call for war to end in Gaza and the West Bank. Israel and the United States want it to end only on their terms. The US and NATO want the same in Ukraine.

So when our Foreign Minister addresses the General Assembly, will she announce Australia’s support for the global east and south and explicitly uphold the UN Charter and the findings of the International Court of Justice, and the International Criminal Court? Will she speak for a nation with a mind and foreign policy of its own, which has interests in common with its Asian region, and which rejects the threat and use of force? Will she distance Australia from Biden’s latest ‘axis of evil’ and state that Australia is not interested in joining an American war against Iran or China?

Penny Wong will have difficulty clearing such a speech with the Prime Minister and Defence Minister, both of whom behaved like US satraps even before they were elected. She will have to weigh her statement against the response from deeply divided Australian public opinion, led as it is by the mainstream media’s reactionary vested interests, which favour Israel and Ukraine and demonise China and Russia. She can’t necessarily expect positive coverage from the ABC or SBS, who self-censor and are intimidated by the threat of losing more funds and jobs. On 9 August she joined the US and UK in withdrawing Australia’s participation in a Nagasaki commemorative event because Israel’s representative was not included. That may be a portent of what’s to come.

But if she has the courage, what might Wong’s speech contain?

Beginning by acknowledging the UNGA majority’s demand for peace, and the requirements of the international courts, the Foreign Minister could announce that Australia will:

• impose sanctions on Israel including prevention of export from Australia of any parts of military equipment to any makers of military equipment supplied to Israel.
• declare the Israeli Defence Force a terrorist organisation (like Hamas and Hezbollah).
• call for international sanctions against Israel.
• call for the US to stop supplying weapons to kill Gazans and West Bank Palestinians.
• call for our allies to ask the US to stop supplying weapons to the Israeli Government.
• indicate Australia’s support for the rulings of the International Court of Justice stating that continued occupation of the Occupied Territories is illegal, that UN member states must not render aid or assistance in maintaining that state, and that Israel’s action in Gaza does not constitute self-defence.
• support recognition of the Palestinian State and its full membership of the UN.

It won’t be easy for the Australian government in September to ignore the UNGA and widely publicised global opinion.

Peace Weeks run from 12 to 21 September, with numerous international events responding to citizens’ concerns about the danger facing us all. The Alliance for Peace Building has global activities from 10 to 12 September, there’s an International Peace Festival from 21 to 28 September, and a Summit for the Future from 22-23.

In Australia, Raising Peace has events from 14 to 23 September, including the Australian segment of the three-country event for WorldBEYONDWar on 21 September, the International Day of Peace.

https://johnmenadue.com/australias-to-do-list-stop-supporting-war-avoid-becoming-us-satrap/

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