Women and Reconfiguration

of the U.S Military in Asia after 9.11

DATE 20 JAN 2003 TIME 9:00AM – 12:00PM VENUE A4


T

he Bush War has faced us once again with the urgent and keen need to drastically reexamine the notion of security from feminist perspective, particularly in Asia. After the 9.11 incident, the U.S has put the world into the storm of violence. As the “anti-terrorist” war cum neo-liberal globalization is ravaging the lives of women directly as well as releasing fundamentalist and other sexual violence in many parts of Asia, we clearly identify militarism as the currency of power linking patriarchy and violence. It has been clearly shown that wherever militarism goes women, peripheralized people, and in fact people are being trampled down in the name of "national security" and “international security.” The global regime the U.S and its national, local allies are dead-set on establishing is militarist, statist, and masculinist regime. In resisting it, we call for a world that is de-militarised, feminist, and people-centered, and peaceful. To struggle for such a world, we need to renew our conceptual tools, critiquing ‘national security’ on the basis of ‘people’s security.’ Now we see growing peace movement all over the world, and we believe that for this movement to lay a real base of peace women’s security as the essential element of people’s security must be firmly embedded in it. This is the task we take up as our common challenge.Coming together in this workshop, we share our experiences, exchange views, and share our strategies that will interact and multiply. Come!


Keynote Speech

-Women’s Struggle for Re-examination of ‘Security’ (Kamla Bhasin/social scientist/India) (15min)


Guest Speech

-Intersection of Gender, Race, Class, Action in the Militarization of US Post-911. Focus on Military Recruitment of Youth in Inner-Cities (Margo Okazawa-Rey/ East Asia-US-Puerto Rico Womens’ Network/America) (20min)


Country Case Speech

-Threat of US Bases and Japanese Remilitarization on Okinawan Women, and Women’s Response (Suzuyo Takazato/ Okinawa Women Act Against Military Violence/Japan) (20min)


-Impact of US Bases on Women in Korea, and Women’s Dialogue between North and South Korea to Stop the "Next Iraqi War" (Gyonglan Jung & Young-Nim Yu/ Women Making Peace, Korean Women's Peace Network/ Korea) (20min)


-The Return of the US Military, Impact of the "War on Terror" on Women Living in Mindanao, and Women’s Creation of a "Peace Zone" (Samira Ali Gutoc/ Young Moro Professionals Network INC, former chairperson, former chairperson of Muslim Youth and Students Alliance/ Philippines) (20min)


-Impacts of the "War on Terror" on Women Living in Aceh, and Women’s Response (Raihana Diani/ Acehnese Women Democratic Organization (ORPAD)/ Indonesia) (20min)


-Impact of the Reconfiguration of US Military Power and the Acceleration of National Militarization on Women (Nighat Said Kahn/ ASR Resource Center/ Pakistan) (20min)


-Impacts of the Reconfiguration of U.S Military on Women, Focused on the Regional Conflict in Kashmir (India) (20min)


Special Speech: Remembering Yayori Matui

-How can Asian Women beyond a Border and Difference? – What Yayori Taught Me (Hikaru Kasahara/ People’s Plan Study Group/ Japan) (5min)

-A Short Message from Women’s Fond for Peace and Human Rights (Akemi Hosoi/ Women’s Fund for Peace and Human Rights/ Japan)

-Yayori’s Contribution for the Birth of APA and APA’s Challenge to Reflect Gender Perspective in Its Strategy (A group member of Asian Peace Alliance) (10min)


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For More Information about Asian Peace Alliance:

URL: http://www.asian-peace.net Email: arena@asianexchange.org