Political Science forum blasts US’ imperialist efforts on continuing aggressions
by Isagani Miguel Ranillo
With the United States (US) maintaining its thrust to control countries in times of critical aggressions and conflicts, calls to end US imperialism were amplified in a forum organized by Political Science 182-WBD students of the University of the Philippines Manila.
Prof. Sarah Raymundo from the UP Center of International Studies and Prof. Bobby Tuazon from the UPM Political Science Committee and the Center for People Empowerment in Governance emphasized the unrelenting US imperialism and its hand in global conflict such as Israel’s genocide against Palestinians and the maritime territorial disputes between the Philippines and China in the said forum entitled “From the River to the Sea: America’s Role in Middle East and Southeast Asian Geopolitical Dynamics” held last May 15 at the UPM Little Theater.
Hon. Richard Espinoza-Lobo, Chargé d’affaires of the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela also attended and imparted his insights on the dilemma.
The US war machine
The US-led imperialism is a global infrastructure of military war, economic sanctions, and massive disinformation, Prof. Raymundo said.
The US instigation of international conflict has resulted in a spectrum of harms, all worsening with each interference — one of which is the perpetuated conflict between China and Philippines on the West Philippine Sea dispute.
The decades-long dispute between China and the Philippines, which has only intensified amid recent developments, is rooted in the overlapping claims over the Spratly Islands, which was ruled to be within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) by the 2016 Arbitral Agreement.
At present, Chinese vessels have tailed and water cannoned vessels of Filipino fishermen and navy. China has also deployed its coastguard to detain suspected trespassers, even in the contested waters within the Philippine EEZ, without trial.
According to Tuazon, both countries could have settled the maritime dispute with the 2017 Bilateral Dialogue Mechanism had there not been any third-party interference.
He added that settling the dispute only requires the implementation of a pending proposal from 1988 between then President Corazon Aquino and former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping that aimed to shelve territorial disputes and foster joint development.
As per the proposal, 40% of the extracted resources would go to China and 60% to the Philippines.
However, such diplomatic approaches between the Philippines and China have been thwarted by US intervention. For instance, President Bongbong Marcos has recently invited a US oil company to develop the natural gas in the South China Sea, which Tuazon exclaimed to be “a slap into the face of China.”
“Right now, we are challenged by a Pacific apocalypse akin to the bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki, or maybe even worse by the US because of its campaign against China,” Raymundo warned.
The Philippines is not the only victim of this imperialist agenda. Palestine, through its proxy Israel, has been maimed by the US not with diplomatic sabotage but with the culling of its people.
Raymundo explained that the Palestinian revolt against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, was a result of the inhumanity of Zionist Israel as it claimed dominion over the territory.
Tuazon noted that since 1947, Palestine has lost more and more of its territory to Israel through war and armed conflict. This was all made possible because of US meddling that emboldened Israel’s agenda through its funding of billions of dollars to Israeli forces.
He cited that roughly 36,000 have been killed, 77,643 have been injured, and 8,000 others flagged as missing at present. More than the bombings and shootings, Israel has cut off access to food supplies, water, and power, leaving Gaza in a humanitarian crisis.
Raymundo elaborated that the genocide in Gaza is a phenomenon manufactured by the US to secure a foothold in the Middle East. With Israel as its imperialist outpost, they aim to subdue any threats to US hegemony in the region, be it countries or liberation groups.
“It’s basically a terrorist base of the US in the Middle East,” she said, as Israel has resorted to bombing hospitals, schools, and refugee camps along the Gaza Strip.
Both Lobo and Raymundo shared how Zionists have slowly infiltrated the region and outnumbered native populations over time. Native populations have been displaced into smaller parcels of land while foreign Zionists flock to Israel.
Maintaining global hegemony
Tuazon explained that US involvement in the Philippines’ dispute with China is motivated by its interest to keep China — a staunch economic rival — from further economic ascent, using the Philippines as its proxy.
In concurrence, Raymundo said that because of its strategic location, the Philippines became a tool of the US in preventing the creation of new value chains in Asia.
According to her, the US and the West in general currently monopolize value chains globally, as seen in how white-collar professionals — such as nurses, engineers, and the like — funnel down the drain from the global south to the global north.
The same can be said about their poaching of Palestinian land. Raymundo expressed that, “Zionism is a colonial program — a colonial plan — of western oligarchs who want a share of the spoils of the Ottoman Empire.”
She also illustrated the intersectionality of the conflicts in the Philippines and Palestine. As the Philippines is a top purchaser of Israeli weapons, Israel — and the US by extension — benefits from continued militarization of the Philippines, as seen in more Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreements (EDCA) and other military treaties between the Philippines and the US.
Why conflict prevails
Estelito Mendoza, former Solicitor-General of the Philippines, as cited by Tuazon, said that the 2016 Arbitral Agreement on the West Philippine Sea dispute — which ruled in favor of the Philippines — lacks any enforcement mechanism. Thus, even with a formal ruling, China cannot be compelled to surrender entirely.
“The best means to resolve the maritime row is through amicable settlement,” Mendoza said, as cited by Tuazon. But President Marcos’ indulgence in US involvement pushes that further away.
Both speakers explained that in the Middle East, Israel has continued to deny any form of negotiation with Palestinian liberation forces, such as those of a two-state model and exchange of hostages, and has instead wreaked further havoc on Gaza.
At the same time, efforts to enforce a permanent ceasefire in Gaza by the United Nations (UN) have been obstructed by the US with its veto power as a member of the UN Security Council, Tuazon said.
As it appears, a key point to turning the tables in Gaza is changing the minds of US oligarchs. Similarly, in revitalizing Philippine sovereignty, President Marcos must be compelled to heed the people’s calls.
“Reforms never come from above, reforms happen because there is a strong demand that comes from below,” Raymundo emphasized.
The importance of such, as Raymundo highlighted in response to a question, is shown in how collective action in the US has compelled US President Joe Biden to acknowledge the genocide in Gaza. But in pursuit of the best possible outcome, she asserted, there remains a need to form massive, sturdy movements.
The onslaught of war that besets the globe, as Raymundo described, must come to an end, and sovereignty must return to the hands of individual nations.
“The only way forward is to defeat US imperialism and fascism,” Raymundo stressed.
