“Clear and outspoken support for the people of Gaza, calling for an end to the genocide, has been unequivocal from many Latin American countries – Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua have all been outspoken”
By Kate Hudson, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
We are living in very dangerous times. Earlier this week we watched the annual announcement of the time on the Doomsday Clock. It continues at 90 seconds to midnight – the closest they have ever been. In setting the hands, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists said the decision was based on concern over the war in Ukraine, the extensive modernisation and expansion of nuclear arsenals, and the crisis in nuclear arms control – which has all but shut down. The ongoing war on Gaza was also cited as a crisis that could lead to a nuclear exchange between regional powers.
What is our government’s approach to this massively dangerous situation? In his first major speech as Defence Secretary, Grant Shapps stepped up Britain’s commitment to war-fighting and destruction, and indicated his desire for Britain to be in the driving seat in stoking further conflicts. We are in a pre-war world, he stated, not a post-war world and he revealed his world view: pretty much like President Bush’s ‘Axis of Evil’, but on steroids. In 2002, Bush identified the ‘enemies’ as Iraq, Iran and North Korea. A year later, Iraq was effectively destroyed. Shapps has more ambitious targets on his list: to Iran and North Korea, he has added Russia and China. In five years, he says, we could be looking at multiple theatres of war, including all of these.
Of course Shapps has no thought for how potential war can be prevented, how international relations can be reset to stop the drive to war. He thinks only of how to contribute to it, to prepare for it, and in doing so, to make it far more likely. His priority is to throw weapons and money at everything, from Ukraine, to Gaza, to the Red Sea, to the Indo-Pacific. He brags of pushing ‘defence’ spending to 2.5% of GDP, of exceeding £50 billion a year; and Britain’s power to influence world events is couched solely in terms of military might and destructive power – with the added bonus that this can be great for British industry.
Of course Britain is a microcosm of the policies and attitudes of the global north – by which I mean imperialism. And it couldn’t be clearer: huge changes are taking place in the world, changes with long roots, but ones that are being accelerated by the war in Ukraine and the genocide in Palestine. These changes are shaped by two main factors. On the one hand, by the Global North’s loss of economic power and its determination to retain its dominance through increasing militarisation. On the other, by the Global South’s growing political demand for sovereignty and economic development. So we’re seeing a seriously shifting global dynamic, in which the disastrous and criminal policies of the west are accelerating resistance across the globe. Latin America is at the heart of that, with the desire to take control of their own sovereignty and resources, to free themselves from economic imperialism, not to mention from lawfare, political and military intervention. And this desire is increasingly mirrored elsewhere.
In recent years we’ve seen how the US response to the economic rise of China has led to a reordering of military alliances in east Asia and the Indo-Pacific region. Britain has been an eager partner of US military expansionism – the AUKUS pact between US, UK and Australia is a key example, providing Australia with nuclear-powered submarines, and pulling Australia further into the US military orbit. In fact it was noticeable that Australia has participated with the US and UK in the recent attacks on Yemen. This military expansionism is causing serious regional concern and opposition.
The drive against Russia, after decades of gradual surrounding by NATO expansion is another example, and one which is taking its toll on the world economy. As well as the direct impact of the war, there has been a massive impact on the production of energy, metals, and foodstuffs, of which Russia and Ukraine are major producers. This has led to increased cost of food and fuel across the globe.
We’ve seen an increasing level of resistance to US demands for support for the war in Ukraine, with many developing countries refusing to support it. Leaders from Africa, Latin America and Asia have made clear that they are unhappy with the war in Ukraine and the campaign pressuring them to break ties with Russia. As Namibia’s Prime Minister has said, ‘We are promoting a peaceful resolution of [the Ukraine] conflict so that the entire world and all the resources of the world can be focused on improving the conditions of people around the world instead of being spent on acquiring weapons, killing people, and actually creating hostilities’. She has also said that the money used to buy weapons, ‘would be better utilised to promote development in Ukraine, and elsewhere, [and] in Europe itself, where many people are experiencing hardships’. The refusal across Latin America, to send weapons to perpetuate the war has been a welcome and principled one, in spite of the pressure that has no doubt been exerted. And further, a number of Latin American countries have also sought to play a peacemaking role. President Lula of Brazil took such an initiative, as did Lopez Obrador in Mexico.
Clear and outspoken support for the people of Gaza, calling for an end to the genocide, has been unequivocal from many Latin American countries, Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua have all been outspoken, and Nicaragua also asked to participate with South Africa in its case at the ICJ. ‘History will not forgive those who are indifferent,’ Cuba’s president has warned.
President Petro of Colombia has spoken out against the attacks on Gaza from the start. When Israel bombed the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, Colombia recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv, as did Belize and Chile, and Bolivia severed its diplomatic relations with Israel, shortly followed by Honduras. Cuba and Venezuela cut diplomatic ties with Israel a long time ago, are condemning Israel in the strongest terms.
The world is changing. The moral bankruptcy and criminality of imperialism is ever more clearly exposed. Latin America is at the heart of the resistance to that, and so are we, in our support for the people of Gaza, in our unceasing opposition to the genocide and our calls for a ceasefire. And we stand together, today and always, with the people of Latin America.
- Kate Hudson is the General Secretary of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), you can follow Kate on Twitter/X; and follow the CND on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter/X.
- This article is a published version of the speech given by Kate Hudson at the Latin America Conference 2024.
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