Dear John,

President Joe Biden has tapped Kurt Campbell, his administration’s National Security Council Asia coordinator, for deputy Secretary of State. If the Senate confirms Campbell, he’ll be the latest in a line of American officials who are supposed to serve as diplomats, but instead wage war backed by arms dealers and fossil fuel companies.

Don’t let Congress approve another war-monger!

Biden’s cabinet is already stacked with war-mongers like Lloyd Austin, who sat on the board of Raytheon, and Antony Blinken, the co-founder of the secretive firm WestExec Advisors, which serves clients linked to the military-industrial complex. But Campbell especially has a track record of effectively drawing up strategies for war. And he has a roadmap for one with China.

In 2007, Campbell co-founded the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) with Michèle Flournoy, whose nomination for Defense Secretary you helped us deny her! CNAS’ donors are a who’s who in international arms trafficking, from Lockheed Martin to Northrop Grunmman. It’s also gotten funding from JP Morgan Chase and Exxon Mobil. CNAS pushed the Obama administration to continue the US war in Iraq and it regularly simulates war games between the US and China. 

In 2009, Campbell became Obama’s assistant secretary of state for Asia and Pacific affairs. He crafted the “pivot to Asia,” a push to expand US dominance and target China through increased troop deployments and military bases in Australia, the Philippines, and occupied Guam. The pivot also involved sending warships into the South China Sea and endorsing Japan’s remilitarization. 

Since joining the Biden administration, Campbell has worked to expand military alliances that aim to contain China. He advocates for collectively punishing China if it refuses US hegemony and has urged for more long-range ballistic missiles, guided-missile submarines, and high-speed strike weapons to be aimed at Beijing. All this costs taxpayer funds and puts the US on a war footing, exposing Biden’s attempts at diplomacy as a sham. 

Empowered at the State Department, Campbell’s policies would spell disaster for communities in the Asia-Pacific facing repression and human rights abuses linked to US militarism. His appointment would also increase the likelihood of violent confrontation with China. It’s time to get serious about peace and reject walking into another war.

Tell the Senate to reject Campbell as deputy secretary of state!

In Solidarity and Peace,

Cale, Jodie and the CODEPINK Team

PS: Don’t miss A Feminist View of the New Cold War, our conversation with journalist and television host Li Jingjing on December 5 at 5pm PT/8pm ET. She joins CODEPINK co-founder Jodie Evans to discuss China-US relations from a feminist perspective and the stories she covered during the Xi-Biden summit in San Francisco. RSVP Now!

PPS: Contact [email protected] to schedule a meeting and learn more about China Is Not Our Enemy's biweekly meetings, including our upcoming one on Monday, December 4 at 7pm ET.