(The following article is from the August 1-31,  2010 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)

By Roy L. Piepenburg

The Canadian Peace Alliance, renowned for its reliability in reporting peace movement news, released some stunning figures concerning the spending of G20 nations in preparation for war, and/or actual participation in war: "The G20 nations account for 87% of global military spending, with $1.29 trillion spent in 2009, 95% of arms production, possession of 98.5% of nuclear weapons and 96.5% of troops in Afghanistan."

     Keep those statistics in mind as you recall some of the recent excellent articles in People's Voice about the gross disparities in the `have not nations' when it comes to the poor quality of health and education services, meagre per capita income, intolerable longevity and decimation of the environment, just to mention several facets of their privation. These dire circumstances can all be attributed to the continued colonization and exploitation of those nations by the imperialist G20 nations, whose only real interest is their selfish national economic interest.

     Historically, the U.S.A. has been foremost in its imperialistic bent. Their involvement in Afghanistan is a case in point. The future construction of a trans-Afghanistan pipeline to tap the rich oil resources in the Caspian Sea region clearly serves American interests. A recent media story about the vast strategic mineral resources in the same nation was based on the assessing of that wealth by none other than the U. S. Geological Survey. The corrupt Afghan puppet government complicates the U. S. strategy to reap economic benefits through bloody militarism.

     But, the U. S. strategy has ancient historical roots going back to the period of American imperialistic expansion in the late 19th century. Woodrow Wilson, U.S. president, 1912-1920, said in 1907: "Since trade ignores national boundaries and the manufacturers insist on having the world as a market, the flag of the nation must follow him (e.g. Latin America), and the doors of the nations which are closed against him must be battered down.... Concessions obtained by financiers must be safeguarded by ministers of state, even if the sovereignty of unwilling nations be outraged in the process. Colonies must be obtained or planted, in order that no useful corner of the world may be overlooked or left unused (e.g. Afghanistan)."

     At the G20 summits, there are always hollow commitments made to better the quality of life in the `have not nations,' and billions of dollars are earmarked for that purpose. The unfortunate reality is that those commitments are not honoured. Why not? The obvious answer is that, collectively, they spend so much on their military, that only crumbs are left over for poor colonized nations' needs.

     The challenge exists for all human beings on the left to reverse this unfair, inhuman circumstance. When we have a socialist global village, the inequities will disappear. The warrior nations will be subdued and drastically reoriented for Earth peace and universal social justice.