The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) and the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) in Sri Lanka will hold a public meeting in Colombo on August 18 on the US “pivot to Asia” and the threat of world war.

A hundred years after the outbreak of World War I and 75 years since the beginning of World War II, the US and other imperialist powers are driving mankind again toward the disaster of world war, this time with nuclear weapons. Having installed an extreme right-wing regime in Ukraine through a fascist-led coup, the US and Germany are recklessly provoking a confrontation with Russia aimed at reducing it to a semi-colony.

The Obama administration is aggressively building a system of military alliances in Asia aimed at encircling China. The US “pivot” to Asia is drawing every country into the maelstrom, including India and Sri Lanka. Washington is exploiting the Sri Lankan government’s war crimes and human rights violations to force it to distance itself from Beijing.

With the backing of the US and other imperialist powers, Israel is waging a genocidal war against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Behind a pretence of “neutrality,” both the Indian and Sri Lankan governments are covering up for Israel by putting the Israeli slaughter and Palestinian resistance on the same plane. US imperialism has transformed the whole Middle East into a tinderbox that threatens to spark wider wars.

The only way of halting the drive to war is through the unification of the international working class on a socialist program to abolish capitalism. The building of an international antiwar movement, unifying workers throughout the world, is the urgent task of the day. Only the SEP and its sister parties of the International Committee of the Fourth International are fighting for this perspective. We urge workers, youth, intellectuals and WSWS readers to attend our meeting in Colombo to discuss these vital political issues.

Date and Time: Monday, August 18, 4 p.m.
Venue: Public Library Auditorium, Colombo.