Cama Hall, Fort, Mumbai, India

The perceptible shift in India's Foreign Policy over the recent years towards closer strategic ties with the US and Israel, has created an urgent need for all progressive forces to come together to examine, critique and counter the sinister dimensions of such a shift and also work out and offer an alternative people's foreign policy geared towards the goal of creating a just and peaceful world.

The Indo-US nuclear deal, India's stand vis-à-vis Iran's nuclear programme, its increasing cooperation with the apartheid state of Israel, together with the consequent abandonment of the long-standing support to the Palestinian quest for an independent nation, epitomise a betrayal of India's claims of having a sovereign and independent foreign policy.

India's increasing military ties with the USA, joint military exercises, its emergence as the biggest arms purchaser from Israel and its ill-concealed ambitions to emerge as a regional hegemon basking in the reflected glory of the global hegemon, will have serious ramifications not only on India's independent and sovereign status but also for all of Asia in terms of its security, trade and development. Last but not the least, this is a setback to the process of both regional and global disarmament.

Hence, there is a strong need to take stock of the evolution of India's Foreign Policy so far and also to demystify and decode the concept of "Foreign Policy" so as to bring it into the domain of "people's politics".
 
It bears reiteration that the Foreign Policy of a country impacts the lives of ordinary people in a number of ways. 'War' is of course the most evident and extreme example. But then, immigration policy, international trade treaties, defence deals in the global market and even nuclear policy are  all closely intertwined with the Foreign Policy, and seriously impact the lives of common people. So there is an immediate need for a wider engagement and debate on the issues concerned.

It is precisely in this context, that the Citizens Against War and Occupation - an all-India body, has decided to have an international conference on "People's Foreign Policy" in Mumbai from 7 - 8 December 2006.

The main themes of the conference will include opposition to US hegemony (including discussions on WMDs and the 'Global War on Terror'), crises in West and Central Asia, South Asian issues like nuclearisation, militarisation and ongoing conflicts, economic dimensions of the Foreign Policy, evolution of India's Foreign Policy, etc.

This conference is meant to be not an end in itself but a launching pad for a sustained nationwide campaign. The idea is to have a series of meetings in many more cities and regions capitalising on the momentum generated by the conference. Participants are expected from India and its neighbours and as well as from West Asia, including  resource persons like Kalpana Sharma, Aijaz Ahmed, Bhadrakumar, Chaudhury Manzoor Ahmed, M.V. Ramana, Farhad Mazhar, Arjun Karki, Achin Vanaik, Anuradha Chenoy, Kamal Chenoy, Karamat Ali, Asim Roy, Pallab Sen Gupta, Mazher Hussain, Christopher Fonseca, Gautam Navlakha and others

All those activists, individuals, political parties, socio-political movements, civil society organisations and groups that are in opposition to India's strategic alliance with Israel and the United States and therefore support their unconditional and immediate withdrawal from Central and West Asia are invited to attend and be a part of this conference and collective endeavour.

We expect that that this conference will be a landmark attempt on the part of the people's movements and progressive political forces to forge a meaningful alliance to stake their rightful claim in formulating a people-oriented foreign policy for our country. We hope to have you amongst us on both the days and actively participate in the debates that ensue, thus providing the necessary intellectual and political impetus to the anti-war movement world over.  

A limited number of accommodations will be available to the delegates on the first come first served basis.

For further information on programme and venue please contact on the below mentioned address or email id.



 Citizens against war and occupation
All India Federation for Trade Union, All India Peace & Solidarity Organisation, All India Trade Union Congress, All India Youth Federation, Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament & Peace, COVA, Delhi Science Forum, Development Research & Action, Focus on the Global South, Henrich Boll Foundation, Indian Social Action Forum, Indian Social Institute, Lok Raj Sangathan, NAPM, National Federation of Indian Women, Nirantar, People's Union for Civil Liberties, Popular Education & Action Centre, SAMA (Resource Centre for Women & Health), SEEDS, SEWA, Third World Studies Centre, VISION, NTUI, PEACE MUMBAI

Local Hosts: PEACE MUMBAI
AIPSO, BUILD,  New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI), PEACE,  COVA,  Yuva Bharat,  CEHAT, Salokha , Vidrohi,  Action Aid International, Shodhan Weekly, , Peoples' Media Initiative, Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India Marxist (CPM), Jan Morcha,Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (CNDP), National Alliance of Peoples Movements (NAPM), India Center for Human Rights and Law (ICHRL), Asia South Pacific Bureau for Adult Education (ASPBAE), Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action (YUVA), National Youth Federation (NYF), Pakistan-India Peoples Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD), Bombay Urban Industrial League for Development (BUILD), Focus on the Global South, India, Indo-Pak Youth Forum for Peace, Media for People, Vikas Adhyayan Kendra (VAK), Akshara, Documentation Research and Training Center (DRTC), Explorations, Initiative, Institute For Community Organization and Research (ICOR), Movement for Peace and Justice (MPJ), Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Bombay Aman Committee.


Citizens Against War and Occupation, C/o. Focus on the Global South, India, A - 201, Kailash Apartments, Juhu Church Road, Juhu,, Mumbai - 400 049. India
Tel : +91-22-6592 1141 / 51, Telefax : +91-22-2625 4347 , Email : This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it