Over 60 actions worldwide: Protest to end U.S./NATO proxy war in Ukraine!

Bronx, New York

A coalition of antiwar and peace organizations in New York City is gearing up for an upcoming march and rally to raise public awareness about how the United States deliberately provoked the war against Russia in Ukraine by aggressively expanding NATO to Russia’s borders. 

At the forefront of this movement is the demand for an immediate cessation of U.S. weapons and financial support for the NATO proxy war in Ukraine. The organizers emphasize the need for NATO to immediately withdraw from Ukraine, Africa, and all other regions where the military alliance perpetuates violence and instability. They also call upon mainstream corporate media to cease promoting war propaganda, to stop censoring antiwar voices and to present an accurate representation of the realities of the war on the ground.

The New York City Rally and March to End the U.S./NATO Proxy War in Ukraine is part of the International Week of Actions from Sept. 30 to Oct. 8. Over 60 actions are scheduled worldwide, demonstrating the global response to the call for an end to this destructive conflict. To join an action near you, see tinyurl.com/UNAC-list.

Many organizations and coalitions have endorsed the actions, including the Bronx Antiwar Coalition, United National Antiwar Coalition, Answer Coalition, Peace in Ukraine Coalition, CodePink, International Action Center, NYC/NJ Veterans for Peace, Black Alliance for Peace, International League of Peoples’ Struggle, Palestinian Youth Movement, NY Boricua Resistance and Workers World Party. Event organizers encourage all people and groups struggling against U.S. and Western imperialism in all its forms to join them in solidarity.

Analyzing NATO: a brute with weaknesses

Despite its claims of strength and unity, NATO has faced significant failures in various conflicts, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria — all places where prolonged wars brought great suffering — and now Ukraine. While the U.S./European military alliance projects an image of invincibility, its inability to impose a stable puppet regime indicates serious weaknesses.

The rebellion in the Sahel region of Africa is another testament to NATO’s limited reach and influence. West African nations — Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Niger — have risen up against NATO and France, demanding the withdrawal of foreign troops and restoring control over their countries and rich natural resources to their people. 

The uprisings in these lands, former French colonies, highlight a growing resistance to U.S./European foreign military intervention, forcing French imperialism to withdraw its military from some of them. 

Because the U.S. arms industry plays a major role in U.S., British, French and German capitalism, NATO — even if it fails to win wars — enriches the privately owned military-industrial complex. In a Sept. 15 Reuters article, arms industry executives agreed that global war fears are good for business. 

This sheds light on the basis for U.S. ruling-class backing of NATO’s war in Ukraine, suggesting that its interventions are driven by economic interests along with the political goal of dismembering Russia. The exponential rise in military spending and arms exports further proves that NATO’s objectives include perpetuating a state of endless war. 

Big armaments manufacturers get rich, Russian and Ukrainian people die, U.S. and European workers pay for it, and people of the world suffer, which sums up what NATO’s war has achieved. 

Merino is an organizer for the Bronx Antiwar Coalition, which can be followed on social media at instagram.com/bxantiwar/