With the theme “Forging people’s solidarity and resistance to fight imperialist wars,” the International Conference on Imperialism and Wars of Aggression was successfully held on June 18-19, 2025, in the University of the Philippines (UP) – Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines.
A total of 211 participants joined the conference, representing 61 organizations from Australia, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Manipur, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Taiwan, the United States, Venezuela, and the host country, the Philippines.
OPENING AND INTRODUCTION. The conference opened with the welcome address of Rolando delos Reyes II, president of the host All UP-Academic Employees Union – UP Diliman chapter. This was followed by the opening remarks of Amirah Lidasan from Peace for Life, calling to fight wars of aggression and intensify struggles for liberation.
The Keynote Address, which framed the context of the conference’s theme,
was delivered by Liza Maza, president of Makabayang Koalisyon ng Mamamayan and former general secretary of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle. She opened her speech by inviting the assembly to observe a moment of silence for the tens of thousands of Palestinians killed by Israel’s genocidal war. She outlined the current global turmoil, marked by intensifying rivalries among imperialist powers that manifest in various flashpoints across the globe. Maza emphasized that, historically, the US remains the most militarist, aggressive, and plunderous imperialist country despite the existence of other centers of power like China and Russia. The challenge, she stressed, is how to stop the advance of the imperialist war, through organized resistance and broad peoples’ unity.
INTERNATIONAL SITUATION. Cody Urban of Resist US-led War Movement presented an overview of the international situation. He described how the world is gripped by widespread wars, escalating militarization, and preparations for greater conflict. At the center of the intensifying imperialist conflict is the US—still the leading threat to global peace—relying heavily on its vast military power amid economic decline and China’s rise. Despite its massive military budget and global network of allies and puppet regimes, the US empire is increasingly isolated and vulnerable. This presents a critical opportunity to build an international united front to resist US-led wars and fight for lasting peace. He stressed that understanding the four major contradictions of imperialism is key.
Urban identified key flashpoints of US-led war in the world, zeroing in on Asia and the Pacific. The US has intensified its military focus in the region to counter China through the “Island Chain Strategy” that establishes US military presence in three main chains across the region. This extensive military force posture places local populations in the direct line of fire and highlights the Pacific’s central role in the US global military strategy, with discussions even extending to potential “Fourth” and “Fifth” island chains in the Indian Ocean.
Across the region, people are rising in resistance—challenging militarization, puppet regimes, and imperialist control. As US imperialism becomes increasingly overstretched, workers, oppressed nations, and independent states are coming together in a global struggle for peace and self-determination. Mass mobilizations and armed liberation movements in places like the Philippines, India, West Papua, and Burma reflect this growing wave of resistance. Now is a crucial moment to unite these struggles across the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast and Northeast Asia, and the Pacific to dismantle US dominance and build a future rooted in peace, liberation, and international solidarity.
PLENARY SESSIONS. Through the sessions, organizations from different countries were able to share their experiences and strategies of grassroots resistance toward building a strong, collective defiance against imperialism.
The first session on imperialism and war discussed the military expansion of the US in Asia, with Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines as key flashpoints. US militarism, particularly in these countries, is intensifying as part of the strategy to contain China and North Korea. It also represents capitalist expansion with a fascist character, destabilizing global systems and exacerbating geopolitical tensions. Speakers for this session are Raymond Palatino from Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN; New Patriotic Alliance, Philippines), US Bases Recovery Institute (Republic of Korea), National Anti-Imperialist Liberation Solidarity (NAILS; Australia), and Asia-Wide Campaign Against US-Japanese Domination (AWC; Japan).
The next session on economic plunder and militarism pointed out how the rush for resources and profit has led to land grabs, forced displacement, and environmental destruction, as explained by People Rising for Climate Justice. Communities are militarized to facilitate state-backed development aggression and suppress people’s resistance – exemplified by the Defend Panay Network’s sharing of the Indigenous Tumandok’s struggle.
Last but not the least is the session on fascism. It highlighted the political repression and war crimes faced by people’s movements in developing countries, exacerbated by US warmongering as governments strengthen their military power through “cooperation” with the US. BAYAN discussed the guilty verdict of the U.S. government, as well as the Marcos Jr. and Duterte regimes, in the International War Crimes Tribunal regarding the U.S.-directed Counterrevolutionary War in the Philippines. The Forum Against Corporatization and Militarization (India) provided an in-depth analysis of the impacts of the counter-insurgency program Operation Kagar in Central India, while Beranda Migran (Indonesia) addressed how revisions to the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) Law will encroach on civilian affairs, as Indonesia pursues more neoliberal policies under the Golden Indonesia national development plan.
SOLIDARITY MESSAGES. Participants also expressed their solidarity with the conference. Present were Richard Gregorio Espinoza Lobo, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Venezuela in the Philippines, and Jun Sasamoto of the Confederation of Lawyers of Asia and the Pacific. The Promotion of Church People’s Response, an ecumenical political organization of Church people, and the Congress of Teachers and Educators for Nationalism and Democracy-University of the Philippines Diliman (CONTEND-UP) also gave messages of solidarity.
Video messages were sent by Jitten Yumnam of the Centre for Research and Advocacy – Manipur and Co-convenor of the International Indigenous People’s Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation, and Razan Zuayter of the Arab Group for the Protection of Nature and Global Co-chairperson of the People’s Coalition on Food Sovereignty. Zuayter discussed the situation in Palestine and the APN’s efforts to help rehabilitate Gaza’s agriculture sector. The Korean Committee for Solidarity with World People of the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) sent a statement highlighting the moves of the U.S. to expand its military blocs in the Korean Peninsula, which it stated are driving the Northeast Asia region to the brink of war.
WORKSHOPS. To kick off the workshop, five organizations—the US Bases Recovery Institute, AWC, Resist US-Led War Movement, the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD), BAYAN, and NAILS—shared their work. They specifically highlighted their campaigns and activities that confront imperialist wars and aggression, to help the plenary define common points of action and possible ways of working together.
The workshop defined specific calls and possible undertakings against US-led war and aggression, such as research and education, campaigning, alliance building, joint actions, cultural productions, learning exchanges, and solidarity activities. The plenary was consulted on the lines of communication and coordination to carry these out.
The Manila Commitment was also read and adopted. It is a pledge to intensify opposition to US-led wars and aggression both domestically and across Asia-Pacific, explore new areas of struggle, strengthen communication and coordination with like-minded groups, and involve new individuals and organizations in the global, regional, and national fight against US imperialism.
SYNTHESIS AND YOUTH RESPONSE. Aaron Ceradoy of the Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants and Chairperson of the Board of Convenors of the Asia Pacific Research Network delivered the conference’s synthesis. This was followed by the youth response from Gabriel Magtibay, Secretary-General of the League of Filipino Students, who vowed to continue the anti-imperialist struggle with vigor, carrying it out wherever people are oppressed—from schools to workplaces to communities.
CLOSING. Mary Ann Castillo, President of the Nexperia Philippines Workers’ Union, closed the conference with a powerful call for global solidarity—that the event would serve as a springboard for deeper coordination among people’s movements against imperialist war, military bases, economic aggression, and fascist repression, while promoting people’s sovereignty and just peace. She emphasized that collective struggle is the key to victory, drawing inspiration from the courage and determination demonstrated in their union’s successful strike. ###
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