Whereas, U.S. military spending for FY 2011 is projected to be $1.4 trillion and this massive, wasteful spending is the might behind US transnational corporate domination and the enrichment of the military-industrial complex;

Whereas, It comes at the expense of states and local communities, struggling with a $180 billion collective deficit, devastating cuts to social services and education, and massive layoffs of public workers;

Whereas, US military spending plus the cost of two wars and hundreds of U.S. military bases worldwide are a chief obstacle to funding massive federal jobs creation, public education, health care, mass transit, affordable housing, other infrastructure needs and aid to the states and municipalities;

Whereas, Militarization of the economy negatively impacts economic growth, the same money could create far more jobs in the public sphere. Deep cuts in military spending are a social imperative;

Whereas, Despite the Obama administration exemption of cuts in military spending, there is a growing recognition of the destructiveness of high military spending and the costs of militarism;

Whereas, A 2009 Pew Research Poll revealed a total of 55% of Americans wanted to decrease (18%) military spending or keep it the same (37%); only 40% wanted it to increase.  Some members of Congress have renewed a call for a 25% cut and the elimination of Cold War weapons systems as a first step;

Whereas, The Obama administration is under intense pressure from the right wing, some corporate ruling and military circles to continue militaristic policies and the historic imperialist trajectory of US foreign policy. However, the Obama administration, also reflecting counter-currents, has taken some important steps in the opposite direction. This creates new opportunities to demilitarize the economy and change our foreign policy;

Whereas, The Obama administration has declared its support of a nuclear-free world while at the same time has responded to pressures from Cold Warriors and the military industrial complex. Small steps forward include the new START treaty with Russia, and the narrowing of terms for use of nuclear weapons. At the same time, the administration recently requested a 14% increase in spending for nuclear warheads in fiscal year 2011 and a $5 billion increase over the next five years;

Whereas, The Obama administration has continued on track to withdraw U.S. forces, bases, and military contractors from Iraq in accordance with the Status of Forces Agreement;

Whereas, However, the administration’s escalation in Afghanistan further exacerbates problems there, in neighboring nuclear-armed Pakistan and the region. The war has cost the lives of more than 1,000 U.S. troops, and over 20,000 Afghans, including many civilians, and has devastated the country’s infrastructure;

Whereas, U.S. and NATO military presence allows the Taliban to represent itself as a fighter against foreign occupation, and, the withdrawal of the U.S. military and NATO from Afghanistan on a speedy timetable requires a plan that helps the people of Afghanistan and the region to recover from more than 30 years of war and U.S. imperialist intervention. UN-sanctioned negotiations, which involve the countries in the region, the Afghanistan government and all the armed militias, is the only basis for a total and complete withdrawal of troops. It requires a policy of international and regional cooperation instead of military confrontation;

Whereas, The continuing Israeli-Palestinian crisis and denial of the national aspirations of the Palestinian people involve violations of human rights and international law, inflame international tensions, and cost American taxpayers billions of dollars in military spending that could be used for human needs in the U.S.

Whereas, The continuing crisis and denial of Palestinian national sovereignty is promoted by and serves the interests of extreme right-wing, militarist elements in the U.S., in Israel, and elsewhere. It is contrary to the real interests of the Palestinian and Israeli people as well as the people of the United States

Whereas, Sentiment is growing among influential circles within our country that a two-state solution is a vital U.S. interest, and there is a growing grassroots movement for strong U.S. action to make that widely accepted solution a reality, including a growing section of the U.S. Congress;

Whereas, The Cold War U.S. policy of isolating and seeking to undermine socialist Cuba has been a failure that has cost lives, promoted and sponsored terrorism, isolated the U.S. internationally, and hurt both the Cuban and American people;

Whereas, Trade with Cuba can be an enormous job-creating factor and economic boost for American workers and farmers;

Whereas, Bipartisan U.S. sentiment is growing for normalizing economic, cultural and political relations with Cuba;

Whereas, Addressing these and other global challenges, during the current economic crisis, requires an energized and expanded peace movement, which is embedded in the struggles for economic justice and against budget cuts while at the same time mobilizing opposition to the wars and responding to new foreign policy crises;

Whereas, The peace movement must work to build broader alliances with others fighting for social, racial and economic justice, including labor, civil rights and immigrant rights organizations, and community groups, and municipal and state governments reeling from the crisis; and

Whereas, Communists and the left can play an important role in bringing our strategic and tactical thinking to the peace movement and other social movements, and in helping build the organizational capacity of a broad people’s movement that can change foreign policy, end militarism while solving the economic and jobs crises; therefore, be it

Resolved, That the CPUSA shall step up efforts to help the peace movement build strategic alliances with labor and community organizations working for economic and racial justice, as well as with the environmental movement, to develop and fight for a comprehensive jobs program and help create a green demilitarized economy and to help change the thinking of the American people further in this direction;

That the CPUSA calls for dramatic and long-term cuts in the military budget, including closing all foreign military bases, and for directing these resources to fund human and community needs, including care for veterans, and repair the damage of US imperialist policies, wars and occupations;

That the CPUSA supports the need for conversion of military related industries and their jobs to peaceful uses, so as not to create any economic hardship for workers and their families;

That the CPUSA will step up its involvement in movements calling for slashing the military budget and support the call for an immediate 25% cut in military spending and the elimination of Cold War weapons systems;

That the CPUSA will work in the electoral arena to defeat extreme right-wing candidates supported by the military industrial complex;

That the CPUSA supports all efforts to strengthen the Non Proliferation Treaty and steps toward nuclear disarmament, including ratification of the START treaty and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty by the U.S. Senate;

That the CPUSA supports global collective diplomatic action to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons to non-nuclear states and strongly supports the renewal of the grassroots nuclear disarmament movement that will help to keep nuclear abolition on the political agenda. We support the call for the Obama administration to initiate multilateral talks for a nuclear weapons convention as the boldest way to fulfill the administration’s pledge for a world free of nuclear weapons;

That the CPUSA strongly opposes the redeployment of troops or military resources from Iraq to Afghanistan or other areas in the region and supports the struggle of democratic forces in Iraq, especially the Iraqi labor movement, to expand democratic and political rights, able to develop Iraq free of domination by U.S. transnational corporate interests;

That the CPUSA supports the right of the Afghan people to self-determination and sovereignty and will work with the broad peace movement to build support for US and NATO withdrawal. The CPUSA calls for a rapid, sustainable withdrawal plan including a massive international development aid plan funded through United Nations agencies and Afghan led NGOs; and an enhanced role of surrounding countries with a stake in the long-term stability of Afghanistan, including China, Russia, India, Pakistan and Iran in helping to resolve the security, political and economic development of Afghanistan; and

That the CPUSA will work to defeat the right-wing attempts to derail the Obama Administration plans to end the Iraq war and remove the U.S. occupation forces, including all military contractors and bases.

That the CPUSA will deepen its involvement in building a broad movement to support the Obama administration’s positive moves for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, to resist right-wing efforts to derail that process, and to ensure that the U.S. takes strong and sustained action to bring about prompt establishment of a viable Palestinian state side by side with Israel.

That the CPUSA will step up its efforts to take advantage of new openings to build a broad movement, involving labor, farmers and other non-traditionally-left forces, to end the embargo and travel ban against Cuba and to normalize relations with Cuba, including building support for legislation in Congress that moves in this direction. These efforts shall include building broad understanding of and support for freeing the Cuban Five as part of steps toward normalizing relations with Cuba.

Resolution adopted by the 29th National Convention of the Communist Party USA, New York, NY May 21-23, 2010.

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