The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) and the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) in Sri Lanka will hold public meetings in the northern city of Jaffna and the central highlands city of Kandy 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 after the beginning of World War II, the US and other imperialist powers are again driving humanity 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.

Moreover with the backing of the US and other imperialist powers, Israel waged a murderous war against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, further fueling the explosive situation in the Middle East. Posing as neutral, Sri Lanka and India effectively backed Israel’s slaughter of civilians, equating it to the limited defensive action by Palestinian militants. Now the Obama administration has launched its own air war in Iraq in a bid to shore up its dominance in the region.

Throughout Asia, the Obama administration is building up military forces and aggressively consolidating a system of alliances and strategic partnerships aimed at encircling China. The US “pivot” to Asia is drawing every country into the maelstrom, including India and Sri Lanka.

The only way to halt the drive to war is 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 meetings in Jaffna and Kandy to discuss these vital political issues.

Jaffna
Veerasingham Hall,
Sunday September 7 at 2 pm

Kandy
Kappetipola Hall (near central Market)
Thursday September 18 at 4 pm