Copyright guampdn
Right to Democracy will host a virtual dialogue on the “effects of militarization in U.S. territories,” bringing together leading scholars to examine how the rapid expansion of joint exercises, base build-outs, and live-fire training across the Pacific and Caribbean is reshaping life on Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and Puerto Rico. To register, go to https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_mjFkj-U3RO6X0OlcrUSm9Q. Dialogue date and times: (AST/EDT) Oct. 29th, 6 p.m.(SST) Oct. 29th, 11 a.m.(ChST) Oct. 30th, 8 a.m. Panelists will offer historical context, assess the effects of current escalation of activities, and discuss how these dynamics interact with the territories’ democratic deficits and the enduring colonial legal framework under which they are governed. Right to Democracy co-founder Adi Martínez-Román and solidarity director and cross-territorial fellow Hadiya Sewer will serve as moderators. The panel will bring expert voices and a cross-territorial perspective to the phenomenon of militarization in the territories, and the unique problems territories face. The dialogue will include the contribution of the following participants: Guam: Kenneth Gofigan Kuper, PhD, associate professor of political science, University of Guam’s Micronesian Area Research Center, and director of Pacific Center for Island Security, providing independent foreign-policy analysis for the Asia-Pacific.Northern Mariana Islands: Theresa “Isa” Arriola, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Concordia University; and chair, Our Common Wealth 670 on Saipan, a community advocacy group dedicated to research, education, and public awareness regarding military impacts in the Marianas.Puerto Rico: Melody Fonseca Santos, PhD, associate professor of political science, University of Puerto Rico–Mayagüez. Her research and teaching focus on international relations critical theory, U.S. foreign policy toward the Caribbean, and feminist and gender studies. “Communities in the territories have lived for generations with decisions made about our lands, waters, and futures without our consent and with U.S. national security interests in mind,” Martínez-Román of Right to Democracy and event co-moderator said. “This conversation connects the expertise of scholars from our archipelagos to uncover shared challenges—and to underscore why understanding the intersection between militarization and colonial rule is not optional but urgent.” Right to Democracy’s Sewer said “militarization is never just about bases or training schedules” but also about “environmental risk, cultural survival, public health, and the everyday ability of people—who lack full democratic voice—to shape what happens to their homelands.” “This panel explores the effects of militarization when the legal structure itself enables vulnerability,” Sewer said. The session will be recorded and posted on Right to Democracy’s virtual dialogues page. Simultaneous English/Spanish translation will be available.
