Fight Back News Service is circulating the following commentary by Jess Sundin, a member of the Twin Cities based Anti-War Committee and the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War.

A new day had dawned in Nepal. After fighting a decade-long people’s war, which led to a coalition government replacing martial law imposed by the King of Nepal, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) is leading the Constituent Assembly elections in Nepal. The vote counting is not completely finished, but at the time of this writing the CPN (Maoist) has won a total of 120 seats, with the opposition Nepali Congress Party coming in a distant second at 37 seats. The Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) won 33 seats, but following the their election defeat their ministers have resigned from the coalition government cabinet.

Commentary

Commentary

Minneapolis, MN – Thousands gathered in Minneapolis, June 23-24, celebrating Twin Cities Pride, an annual two-day festival for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBTQ) community and their allies. The Anti-War Committee participated by staffing a table and marching in the parade under the banner “Out now: Queers out of the closet, U.S. out of Iraq!” The Anti-War Committee has always sought to make connections between the people’s struggles and Pride 2007 was no exception. Like the GLBT community, the Iraqi people are engaged in a struggle for liberation. Though their circumstances differ widely, queer people have at least two things in common with Iraqis: The oppression of both groups is used by politicians to divide people and both groups are expected to wait for recognition of their rights.

Commentary

The Georgian government launched an all out attack on South Ossetia, Aug. 8, to annex the region by force. South Ossetia is a small region that borders southern Russia with a population of 70,000 people. The Georgian regime, led by President Mikhail Saakashvili and backed by the U.S. and NATO, attacked the South Ossetian capital city of Tskhinvali. Many buildings were bombed and damaged with large numbers of South Ossetians reported killed by the Georgian military’s brutal attack. The people of the city were left without running water or electricity. Tens of thousands sought refuge, fleeing in terror north towards Russia. In addition to the savage attacks on civilians, the Georgians comprising part of the peacekeeping force in the region fired on their Russian counterparts, killing at least 15 soldiers and wounding 150.

The Bush administration is bringing the Korean peninsula to the brink of war. U.S. threats against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (the DPRK, or North Korea) and Washington’s withdrawal from the 1994 nuclear accords have led to a dramatic escalation of tensions. A growing tide of demonstrations against the presence of U.S. troops has rocked South Korea.

The Philippines is a country of extremes. There are very rich people and wealthy U.S. corporations in the Philippines. But most people, millions of them, are very poor. The Philippines is also a country that has been at war for over thirty years-a war between the haves and the have-nots.

In light of the intense repression carried out against protests at the Republican National Convention, we are reprinting material that Terri Smith, of Minnesota Homeland Security and Emergency Management, presented at the Fifth Annual Governor’s Homeland Security Conference, Sept. 29-Oct. 1 at the Embassy Suites in Des Moines, Iowa.