Interested in joining DSA’s International Committee? You can learn more about the work of our subcommittees in this newsletter and apply here anytime. Next application review deadline December 31, 2021.
Quarterly IC Newsletter – Q1 2022
Period: 1/1/22 – 3/31/22
Volume 2 Issue 3
| This newsletter is based on reports from the IC Subcommittees, Steering Committee, and Secretariat submitted by 03/15. This corresponding newsletter for subcommittees that did not respond by this date will not be included in this newsletter will read: “Nothing Reported.” |
Main Activities & Results
Secretariat
Members of the Secretariat have been organizing with various parties around the world (Sweden, Ukraine, Russia) to try and develop a peace conference as part of this initiative
Steering Committee
The Steering Committee spent much of the quarter addressing the crisis in Ukraine, and our members’ responses to both the Ukraine statements and, separately, the NPC’s decision to absorb the Palestine Working Group into the IC. The SC spent time thinking through how to message both events to IC members. The SC also spent some time thinking about how to restructure IC leadership. They created a leadership survey and used the results to facilitate a leadership conversation about IC’s structure.
Americas
Nothing Reported.
Antiwar
The subcommittee has been especially active this month. We voted to endorse a March 1st national day of action to end U.S. support for the war on Yemen, and were able to facilitate DSA’s participation in local actions that week, through comrades in the New York City, San Francisco, and Metro DC chapters. We also collaborated with the Middle East & Africa Subcommittee to host a panel discussion on the U.S. role in the war on Yemen. That panel is now available on our Yemen solidarity page [link: international.dsausa.org/yemen-solidarity], along with the other resources for the day of action.
Besides that, we helped draft and voted to publish the International Committee’s statement calling for an end to NATO expansionism and U.S. militarization and interventionism in Ukraine and Eastern Europe. We are now working to develop an organizational response to Russia’s invasion together with our IC and NPC leadership.
We have continued our efforts to repeal the AUMFs through our Deauthorize Campaign, which hosted a training and call-in campaign February to support the inclusion of 2002 AUMF repeal language in the omnibus spending package.
We are continuing to collaborate with other subcommittees on a number of issue areas, including China, unfreezing Afghanistan’s foreign assets, and opposing the construction of a new military base in Okinawa together with our ZENKO comrades.
Asia & Oceania
Published statements:
– DSA IC calls for lifting the US travel ban on North Korea and ending the decades-long devastating economic sanctions (Published January 24, 2022).
– Collaborated with Econ & Trade, Middle East & Africa, and Anti-War Subcommittees on this statement: DSA IC demands the US stop starving Afghanistan and release $9.5 billion stolen from the Afghan people (Published December 14, 2021).
Webinars:
– Philippine Trade Unionists Under Attack (March 3, 2022). We hosted Filipino union leaders who spoke about ongoing government repression and how U.S.-based activists can stand in solidarity by holding the U.S. government accountable for its complicity.
– Voted to recommend that the IC Steering Committee approve co-sponsorship of Nodutdol’s ‘KEEP Stories From North Korea’ Webinar (March 1, 2022). Panelists spoke to their first-hand experience traveling to North Korea. They provided an alternative narrative about the North Korean people, promoted peace, and shared work on the campaign to lift the travel ban to North Korea.
– Upcoming webinar: NO-kinawa: Stop Construction of New U.S. Military Base in Henoko (March 19, 2022), hosted in coordination with ZHAP (ZENKO Henoko Anti-Base Project). This will cover the US construction of a new military base in an already heavily militarized Okinawa and the resistance to it.
Open Letters:
– Published the Open Letter to US Congressional Representatives marking our opposition to the US Innovation and Competition Act (USICA)/ COMPETES Act, which was signed by seven organizations, 25 DSA chapters, over two dozen prominent individuals, and over 400 individual signatories.
Campaigns:
– ZENKO Henoko Anti-Base Project (ZHAP) Coordinating Committee: DSA helps convene meetings composed of representatives from Asia & Oceania and Anti-War Subcommittees and ZENKO (Japanese anti-imperialist coalition).
– Asia & Oceania and Labor Subcommittee continue to meet regularly to organize support for the Philippine Human Rights Act (PHRA), which is aimed at suspending US security assistance to the Philippines in order to further human rights in the country.
– Asia & Oceania, Anti-War, and Econ & Trade continue to meet to formulate responses to escalating humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan
Working Groups:
– Political Education: Meets monthly
– Member Engagement: Meets quarterly
– IC US-China Relations Project Group: Meets monthly
Europe
The SC was revived under interim leadership after the co-chairs resigned prior to this quarter. Building relationships with leftist orgs in Europe, support for Irish unification, and anti-NATO organizing are some of the topics of interest. Members contributed to the statements written on the war in Ukraine.
Climate and Economics
The Climate and Economics Subcommittee is newly formed from the merger of the Ecosocialism and Economics and Trade Subcommittees. This merger came as a result of a close working relationship between the two bodies, an overlapping issue area, and a desire to maximize our shared impact. Most of our work this quarter has been spent preparing for and completing this merger.
The rest of our work this quarter has been preparatory: as discussed below, we have planned a political education series on international economics, and have worked to define and shape a single-focus campaign for the coming year.
Middle East and Africa
We held a meeting with the Kenyan Communist Party, held a internal movie night of the film concerning violence, had a joint panel with Anti-War on the Crisis in Yemen and worked on goals and rule setting within the subcommittee.
Labor Subcommittee
We organized two successful webinars.
On February 23, Revolutionary Grounds: Starbucks Workers United featured as panelists Andres Giordano, President of the Chilean Starbucks Union,, and two leaders of the organized Starbucks sites in Buffalo. Also on the call were members of Starbucks Workers United throughout the USA, other fast food workers and two leaders of the Unite Union in New Zealand representing fast food workers. The webinar was co-sponsored by the DSLC and EWOC, along with Starbucks Workers United and the Chilean Sindicato Starbucks. Jana Silverman, co-chair of the Americas subcommittee, facilitated and helped organize the webinar. David Duhalde maintained the contact with Giordano following his election observation mission in Chile. The purpose of the webinar was to provide international resources for the ongoing organizing drive at Starbucks USA.
On March 3 we organized a webinar on solidarity with labor in the Philippines, featuring panelists from the SENTRO and KMU confederations plus Chrissi Fabio of the Philippines Human Rights Action Coalition. The webinar was co-sponsored by Bayan, Akbayan North America, the Malaya movement, and other Filpino diaspora groups. It was facilitated by Carlo Francisco and organized by a small cross-committee team that included Nell Geiser of the Labor subcommittee, and Ron Joseph and Anlin Wang, co-chairs of the Asia-Oceania subcommittee.
Activities Planned for Next Quarter
Secretariat
The Secretariat will continue to be organizing with various parties around the world and will work with the Steering Committee to think through the leadership structure for the next term.
Steering Committee
The Steering Committee will continue to work on its bylaws and begin soliciting leadership applications for the next term.
Americas
Nothing Reported.
Antiwar
We hope to follow up with members on the Yemen day of action, since we have not had much chance to debrief yet, as well as connecting with DSA members that participated in chapters we had no prior communication with.
We hope to continue our work towards AUMF repeal and to oppose any further escalations in the war in Ukraine.
Asia & Oceania
IC US-China Relations Project Group: Formulating a possible long-term campaign for the cross-subcommittee group.
Political Education:
– A webinar on the Farmers’ Protests in India.
– A panel on the US military presence in the Asia-Pacific region.
– At least 1 new reading group.
Building more ties with Left groups in Asia & Oceania.
Europe
A delegation to Ireland, and political education events. Both would need to support the delegation.
Climate and Economics
Climate and Economics is currently in the process of planning an Intro to Global Economics and Trade 10-part political education series. Speakers for the first of these, to take place in April, are already booked. The remainder are in progress.
We are also working to refine a campaign for the coming year which, at this point, seems likely to focus on demands for Global South debt cancellation.
Middle East and Africa
A discussion with Europe (hopefully) on the situation being faced by African students and migrants in Ukraine, Okavango Delta Campaign and a talk regarding the increased amount of Coups in West Africa.
Labor Subcommittee
We intend to continue the ongoing solidarity work described in the two webinars above, as well as continuing work on solidarity with the Myanmar labor unions and with the Puerto Rican utility workers launched in previous quarters. Subject to fuller discussion within the sub-committee, we will probably focus more on the Americas, especially on cross-border solidarity with workers in countries like Mexico, El Salvador, Haiti, Colombia, Brazil, etc., which have large worker diasporas as well in the USA. The hope is to become more strategic, by planning out in advance concrete working plans with relevant members of other IC subcommittees and with the DSLC whenever possible.
Communications (Tweets, pictures, videos, etc.)
January 2022:
Tweets: 28
Profile Visit: 66.3K
Tweet Impressions: 1.21M
Mentions: 2,475
New Followers: 541
February 2022:
Tweets: 44
Profile Visit: 308K
Tweet Impressions: 3.89M
Mentions: 8,583
New Followers: 867
March 2022:
Tweets: 48
Profile Visit: 243K
Tweet Impressions: 3.27M
Mentions: 3,999
New Followers: 909
Top Tweet: https://twitter.com/user/status/1488320942933745670
Top Mention: https://twitter.com/ichbinilya/status/1504360812059807744?s=20&t=jaiCToniTRgMZeoe-zlBBg
TOP TWEETS OF Q1 2022:
- https://twitter.com/dsa_intl_comm/status/1484166262892736525
- https://twitter.com/user/status/1488320942933745670
- https://twitter.com/DSA_Intl_Comm/status/1504198630483259396
Contact Us!
Steering Committee: [email protected]
Secretariat: [email protected]
Secretariat Members:
Voting Members:
Jack L. (Liaison to: Americas, Migration & Refugees) [Los Angeles Chapter]
Marvin G. (Liaison to: Europe) [NYC Chapter]
Morgan D. (Liaison to: Americas, Migration & Refugees) [Chapter: New Orleans]
Sepehr M. (Liaison to: ME&A) [NYC Chapter]
Paul G. (Liaison to: Labor)
Obinna I. (Liaison to: Asia/Oceania)
Rachel E. (Liaison to: Ecosocialism)
Nina M. (Liaison to: Antiwar)
Ivana V. (Liaison to: Econ & Trade)
Steering Committee Members:
Voting Members
Chip G. (Liaison to: Antiwar, Europe) [Metro DC Chapter]
Carrington M. (Liaison to: Econ & Trade, Ecosocialism) [NYC Chapter]
Lindsey S. (Liaison to: Antiwar, Asia/Oceania) [NYC Chapter]
Arpi K. (Liaison to: ME&A, Asia/Oceania) [New Orleans Chapter]
Luisa M. (Liaison to: Americas)
Eshaan V. (Liaison to: ME&A, Ecosocialism)
Cruz BM. (Liaison to: Americas, Labor)
Ali M. (Liaison to: Europe)
International Committee’s Subcommittees
Americas
Co-chairs: Tom W. [West Suburban IL Chapter], Jana S.
Antiwar
Co-chairs: Aditi S. [NYC Chapter], Dylan A. [NYC Chapter]
Asia & Oceania
Co-chairs: Ronald J. [Philadelphia Chapter], Anlin W. [Philadelphia Chapter]
Climate & Economics
Co-chairs: Melanie B., Michael G. [Metro DC Chapter]
Middle East & Africa
Co-chairs: Mirah W., Miles C.
Europe
Vacant
Labor
Vacant
Migration & Refugees
Vacant