STWR - Share The World's Resources

The following is a transcript of a talk given by John Pilger at Socialism 2007 Conference in Chicago this past June:

Without counting the human tragedy, armed conflict costs Africa around $18bn per year, seriously derailing development.  This report argues the case for swift progress towards a strong and effective Arms Trade Treaty, with the cooperation of all governments.

The word to anti-war critics of the world is that over sixty percent of the US public opposes the war but our streets are empty because our peace movement leaders are spineless and politically impotent, writes James Petras.

How recent U.S. wars of choice, driven largely by war profiteering, are plundering not only defenseless peoples and their resources abroad, but also the overwhelming majority of U.S. citizens and their resources at home.

Why does terror dominate our headlines and the attention of our governments going on six years after 9/11? The answer cannot be what George Bush says that it is: it is not the fault of people who hate democracy and freedom.

This time of year, when Americans celebrate their freedom, is a good time to re-evaluate the state of the major US project in the world today, the effort to bring "freedom" to Iraq.

Contrary to what the Bush administration has been saying for the last six years, terrorism is not the only challenge facing the United States. War, poverty, loose nukes and climate change all make us feel less secure than a decade ago. Over the last few years, the United States has addressed these issues with a blunt instrument. Like a fearful homeowner, we have stocked up on guns, added locks to the doors and windows, built higher fences around the property and even taken over several of our neighbors’ houses. Such an approach only increases the fear factor. More guns, higher walls and more spending give us an illusion of security.