Every year in South Korea, August 15th commemorates the day the country gained independence, ending 36 years of Japanese occupation. At the time, independence activists had been preparing for liberation and were able to immediately establish self-governance on the liberated Korean peninsula. The U.S. military government soon entered and occupied the South, trampling on the will of the people, by reinstating pro-Japanese forces, and pushing to establish a separate government for only the southern half. Despite the people's struggle to keep Korea as one, the US consolidated its division of the peninsula into North and South Korea. Nearly 80 years later, the U.S. military is still stationed in South Korea, and South Korea’s conservative vested interests are exploiting the division to strengthen the U.S.-Japan military alliance under the pretext of countering threats from North Korea. As our carousel “Unfinished Independence” explains: August 15 is not a celebration of independence, but a reminder of the unfinished struggle for achieving liberation.
U.S. imperialism and military occupation continues to divide and intervene against people’s liberation and self-determination. In Palestine, the struggle for liberation is still ongoing after 76 years. And in Venezuela, a country that has been at the forefront of resistance to U.S. imperialism, presidential elections were held last month. The ISC sent a delegation to witness the elections and has written the article “A Month Long Controversy Over Venezuela’s Presidential Election” exploring the Venezuelan election process. But the US-backed opposition is disputing the results and inciting anti-government protests in Venezuela and worldwide, continuing to destabilize the country, a clear violation of sovereignty.
This violation of sovereignty continues in East Asia as well. To contain a rising China and maintain its domination, the U.S. is expanding its military presence across Asia-Pacific from Hawai’i, to Okinawa, the Philippines, and South Korea. In addition, it conducts ever more frequent joint military exercises in the Pacific, the South China Sea, and around the Korean Peninsula. This not only threatens peace in the Asia-Pacific region, it also raises questions around sovereignty and environmental destruction.
But we must not forget that people's struggles have been ongoing from the past to the present. In the recent international webinar “The U.S. Destabilizing East Asia,” hosted by No Cold War, activists from Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Hawaii, Australia, and South Korea gathered to discuss peace in East Asia. In Venezuela, people are also taking to the streets to defend the Bolivarian Revolution, and solidarity activities have been organized around the world. Our article based on our trip as international observers in the election was also part of our solidarity efforts with the Venezuelan revolutionary democratic process.
To build a world where everyone has the right to live in dignity and reach their full potential, we must bring together all those that have been oppressed and repressed by an imperialist order that maximizes the profits and interests of the smallest minority at the expense of the overwhelming majority and the planet. That’s why in our carousel “Marsha Pay it no mind Johnson,” we honor the birthday of drag queen and gay liberation organizer Marsha P. Johnson. Her activism and work for gay liberation reminds us that solidarity among the exploited and oppressed can build the power we need to realize a world of dignity where everyone can realize their full potential. |
