#NoWar2024 Conference: Resisting the USA’s Military Empire

Friday, Sept. 20-Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024

A global 3-day conference, streamed virtually, with in-person events in Sydney, Australia; Wanfried, Germany; Bogotá, Colombia; and Washington, DC, U.S.

Ending all wars means closing all military bases. The United States of America, unlike any other nation, maintains a massive network of foreign military bases around the world, over 900 bases in more than 90 countries and territories.

These bases are costly in a number of ways: financially, politically, socially, and environmentally. U.S. bases in foreign lands often raise geopolitical tensions, support undemocratic regimes, and serve as a recruiting tool for militant groups opposed to the U.S. presence and the governments its presence bolsters. In other cases, foreign bases are being used and have made it easier for the United States to launch and execute disastrous wars, including those in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, and Libya. Across the political spectrum and even within the U.S. military there is growing recognition that many overseas bases should have been closed decades ago, but bureaucratic inertia and misguided political interests have kept them open.

Join us virtually – or in-person in Australia, Germany, Colombia, and the U.S. – for the 3-day #NoWar2024 Conference to learn about the impact of the USA’s military base empire and how to resist it. The conference will travel virtually across the globe, visiting sites near U.S. military bases, from Australia, to Germany, to Colombia, with the concluding event in Washington, DC, the heart of the U.S. military base empire.

#NoWar2024 Schedule

All events will be livestreamed onto the Zoom platform.

Friday, September 20, 2024 (Sat Sept 21st Australian time)

#NoWar2024 kicks off at the Henry Carmichael Theatre (1st Floor), Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts, 280 Pitt Street in Sydney, Australia at 9:00am-1:00pm on Saturday, September 21 Sydney Local Time / 7:00pm-11:00pm Eastern Daylight Time (GMT-4) on Friday, September 20. Find the time in your time zone.

In-person registrations will open from 8.30am. Please aim to arrive by 8.50am.

Acknowledgement of Country: Pastor Ray Minniecon, Kabi Kabi and Gureng Gureng Elder
Welcome: Alison Broinowski, WBW Board Member and former diplomat

The United States has a history of strategic involvement in Australia that dates back at least to World War 2 in the two countries’ alliance against imperial Japan. Since that time the US military and strategic presence has been maintained in the form of military bases, joint exercises, regular ship visits and more. US military interests are strongly influential on our education systems from primary schools to universities and AUKUS represents a further deepening of the relationship. In a land already transformed by 240 years of colonialism what are the implications of all this?

  • Karina Lester, Indigenous anti-nuclear activist and ICAN Ambassador
  • Peter Cronau, journalist and author of The Base: Australia’s secret role in America’s global wars
  • Bob Carr, former Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs
  • Dr Sue Wareham, President, Medical Association for the Prevention of War
  • Moderator: Dr Keith Suter, global futurist and commentator on international affairs

For in-person attendees, refreshments will be available in the venue atrium.

For online participants, we will have time for breakout rooms to network with each other.

Our region is increasingly strategically complex, with an emergent China as just one of many dynamic forces at play. AUKUS and the ‘quad’ are just two examples of how Australia is positioning itself, while accommodating the United States’ strategic presence. But what might an alternative formulation of Australia’s strategic position look like? Should or could we be fully independent? What might a safe and secure Australia look like from the perspective of First Nations people and from young people? The answers are not easy and we may not always agree, but we have to have the discussion.

Audience discussion, led by a response from Rev Dr Chris Walker of Raising Peace.

The venue is between Bathurst & Park Streets, opposite Ted’s Camera Store.

Train & Metro
SMSA is a very short walk from the new Gadigal Metro station (Bathurst St exit is best) and from Town Hall. Please check for track work before Saturday – City Circle trains appear to be running while the Metro terminates at Chatswood.

Bus
Park St Buses – Get off at Town Hall or QVB
Elizabeth St buses – Get off at Hyde Park opposite Bathurst St

Light Rail 
Randwick Line (L2) or Kingsford Line (L3) – Get off at Town Hall or QVB

Coming by car is not encouraged. Check Google for the nearest parking stations.

This section of the conference is hosted by Raising Peace, an Australian alliance of more than 30 organisations that together are working to share ideas, knowledge and inspiration for a peaceful world.

Saturday, September 21, 2024 - International Day of Peace

Events take place at the International Peace Factory Wanfried, Bahnhofstr. 15 in Wanfried, Germany, from 2:00pm-6:00pm Germany Local Time / 8:00am-12:00pm Eastern Daylight Time (GMT-4). Find the time in your time zone. This section of the conference is hosted by the World BEYOND War International Peace Factory Wanfried chapter. Located at the former border between the eastern and western part of Germany, the International Peace Factory Wanfried is an old factory building that has been transformed into a gathering space for the peace movement.

Welcome by World BEYOND War Wanfried Chapter Co-Coordinator and Co-Founder of the International Peace Factory Wanfried Wolfgang Lieberknecht. Performance by Black and White and short video of “Overcoming borders by cultural cooperation” between Germany and Russia.

This session will explore the impact of U.S. and NATO military expansionism across Europe. Featuring Norwegian academic and political scientist Glenn Diesen; Karl Heinz Peil, campaigner with Stopp Air Base Ramstein and creator of Visualbases.org; former member of the German Bundestag
Heike Hänsel; and World BEYOND War Romania Chapter Co-Coordinators Maria Cernat and Florina Tufescu.

Moderator: Wolfgang Lieberknecht, World BEYOND War Wanfried Chapter Co-Coordinator and Co-Founder of the International Peace Factory Wanfried.

In this session, organizers from across Europe will share examples of effective nonviolent strategies and tactics used for successfully preventing military bases or military training grounds across the region, as well as ongoing anti-bases movements. Featuring Jan Tamáš of the No to Bases Initiative that successfully blocked a U.S. military base in the Czech Republic; Persida Jovanovic and Milan Sekulovic of the Save Sinjajevina campaign that successfully blocked a NATO military training ground in the beautiful mountain pastures of Montenegro; Bernhard Trautvetter, who will speak about ongoing movements in Germany to close the Ramstein and Büchel bases; and Reiner Braun, former Executive Director of the International Peace Bureau, who will speak about upcoming opportunities to take action in Germany.

Meet other conference participants! We’ll have time for virtual networking for those joining on Zoom and in-person networking for attendees in Wanfried, Germany. 

Events continue at the Auditorio de la Unión Nacional de Empleados Bancarios, Diagonal calle 34 #18-21, in Bogotá, Colombia from 2:00pm-6:00pm Bogotá Local Time / 3:00pm-7:00pm Eastern Daylight Time (GMT-4). Find the time in your time zone.

Welcome by World BEYOND War’s Latin America Organizer Gabriel Aguirre and introduction to the conference theme. Live performance by Bogotan artist La Tata Mendoza, who has forged a career rich in exploration and fusion of traditional rhythms with electronic and contemporary influences.

This session will explore the U.S. military’s infiltration into Latin America. Panelists will detail the impacts of the network of U.S. military bases across the region, particularly through the lens of gender and environmental justice. Featuring Diana Salcedo López, president of LIMPAL, the Colombia section of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF); Alejandra Rodríguez Peña, member of the Olga Castillo Collective, an organization that works for justice and reparations for victims of sexual violence by U.S. military personnel in Colombia; Laura Benítez, a marine biologist and activist opposing the construction of a U.S. base on Gorgona Island in Colombia; Paola Renata Gallo Pelaez, Co-President of Mopassol, a movement opposing the construction of a U.S. military base in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina; and Victor Gaute, Vice President of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples.

Moderator: Alejandro Parra Macías, founding member of the Collective Action of Conscientious Objectors ACOOC.

This session is sponsored by Conscience Canada.

In this session, organizers from across Latin America will share examples of effective nonviolent strategies and tactics used for successfully preventing or closing military bases across the region, including in Vieques, Puerto Rico; Providencia Island, Colombia; and Manta, Ecuador. Featuring Myrna Pagán, founder of Vieques Conservation and Historical Trust and Vidas Viequenses Valen; Edgar Jay Stephens, leader of the Providencia Fishermen’s Cooperative; and Ricardo Armando Patiño Aroca, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defense of Ecuador during the government of Rafael Correa.

Moderator: Alicia Cabezudo, General Coordinator for Latin America & the Caribbean of the Global Alliance for Missions & Infrastructures for Peace-GAMIP.

Meet other conference participants! We’ll have time for virtual networking for those joining on Zoom and in-person networking for attendees in Bogotá. 

The auditorium of the National Union of Bank Employees (UNEB) is located 450 meters (5 minutes walking distance) from the “Calle 34” station of Bogotá’s TransMilenio. Free parking is available on the street in front of the UNEB auditorium.

El auditorio de la Unión Nacional de Empleados Bancarios (UNEB), está situado a 450 metros (5 minutos caminando) de la estación “Calle 34” del TransMilenio de Bogotá. En la calle hay aparcamiento gratuito frente al auditorio de la UNEB.

Sunday, September 22, 2024

Events conclude at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, 1313 New York Avenue NW, in Washington, DC, the heart of the empire, from 1:00pm-5:00pm Eastern Daylight Time (GMT-4). Find the time in your time zone.

The final day of the conference kicks off with opening remarks from CODEPINK Co-Founder Medea Benjamin, followed by spoken word poetry by Marjan Naderi, an Afghan-American poet and performer, and the former D.C. Youth Poet Laureate (2020).

This session is sponsored by Dr. Michael D. Knox and the US Peace Memorial Foundation.

After traveling the globe and exploring the impacts of U.S. military bases in different regions of the world, we conclude the conference in Washington, DC, the heart of the empire. In this session, we will map out the extent of the empire using World BEYOND War’s bases mapping tool and examine the local and global impacts of these bases. Featuring World BEYOND War’s Co-Founder and Executive Director David Swanson and Dr. Cynthia Enloe, author of Bananas, Beaches and Bases.

Moderator: Jessica Sun, a member of the Leadership Team for the Pax Christi Young Adult Caucus.

Featuring Jared Hayes, Environmental Working Group (EWG)’s Senior Policy Analyst, who has extensive experience on PFAS contamination at U.S. military bases; Kazuyuki “Kaz” Nakazato, the Director of the Okinawa Prefectural Government (OPG) Washington D.C. Office; and Megan Russell, Coordinator of CODEPINK’S China is Not Our Enemy Campaign.

Moderator: Pat Elder, Director of Military Poisons.

World BEYOND War’s Board President Kathy Kelly will offer closing words with key takeaways from the 3 days of sessions and next steps for continued engagement in the global nonviolent movement to end all war.

Meet other conference participants! We’ll have time for virtual networking for those joining on Zoom and in-person networking for attendees in Washington, DC, including browsing the expo booths of our sponsoring organizations. 

New York Avenue Presbyterian Church is conveniently located near to the McPherson Square Metro Station (Orange/Blue/Silver Lines) and the Metro Center Metro Station (Red/Orange/Blue/Silver Lines). There is also free street parking.

Sponsors & Endorsers

Sponsors

War Abolisher Sponsors:
Peace Champion Sponsors:
Peacemaker Sponsors:
Peace Patron Sponsors:

Endorsers