Press release of the International Coordinating Committee of the international network No to war – no to NATO

January 2017/01/30

Protest against NATO at its next summit in Brussels on 24/25 May 2017

The duty of the peace movement is to formulate fundamental, peaceful alternatives to the militarists and proponents of war who come either from backgrounds of neoliberal globalization or national populism. In each case, war is the continuation of politics, and militarism is an essential element of their politics, with NATO as a primary instrument.

Our alternative is: No to War and overcoming NATO

The importance of the next NATO summit in Brussels on May 24/25 doesn’t derive primarily from new political US-European constellations, but from the following realities:

1. The summit will evaluate the decisions of the NATO summit in Warsaw. Fundamental there was the aggressive extension of NATO to the East with the deployment of military troops and equipment of to Poland and the Baltic States along the Russian border. The historically unprecedented movement of troops and material via Bremerhaven is merely a first step in violating the NATO-Russia Founding Act of 1997 and especially the 1990 Charter of Paris. The continuation of this confrontation will be on the agenda in Brussels.
2. The modernization of nuclear weapons arsenals – also in Europe – is on the agenda. Thus far, the statements of the new US-administration on nuclear weapons are in line with Obama’s modernization commitments, along with presidential statements that potentially increase the dangers of the uncontrolled use of these apocalyptic weapons. Furthermore, the new president of the USA seems to embrace a politics of proliferation, which clearly violates international law.
3. A new round of burden sharing of NATO’s military expenses is on the Brussels agenda. The 2%-goal of Wales and Warsaw will be evaluated and possibly increased. This increase augments that of the USA, which is massively increasing its military spending, including preparing for possible war against China.
4. This new division of labor demands a new role for EU. EU will steadily become a military superpower with military operations and interventions of its own in the periphery of Europe and Africa. Brexit opened the doors for EU militarization. The EU summit that followed made significant decisions for a program of common defense research, battle groups, honed coordination and communication, mandated further deployments (Mali) and increased the militarization of member states. These decisions have been combined with propaganda against the “aggressive Russians”.
5. Development of global NATO by new cooperation in Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore) as well as increasing already existing cooperation with Japan, South Korea as well as Colombia. NATO’s engagement in Asia with its high conflict potential is surely not enhancing peace in this area.

The signs point to confrontation, continuous interventions, and unrestrained arms races.

The coordinating committee of the international network No to War – No to NATO affirms its primary commitments:

Peace is possible only through cooperation, global disarmament, and the abolition of all nuclear weapons. NATO, the global military and interventionist alliance, must be overcome. How this will be achieved depends on national and international conditions. Among possibilities is the dissolution of NATO, its transformation into a cooperative European civil security structure reinforced by drastic disarmament, or the resigning of individual countries from NATO.

We will continue to act for the end of NATO and to increase our efforts for the NATO summit in Brussels.

The international network No to War – No to NATO conducted actions at all summits since 2009 and will participate actively in the international protests in Brussels.

We support and actively organize the international actions which were agreed upon in a preparatory meeting in Brussels in December 2016:

1. International Counter Summit
2. International Demonstration
3. Civil Disobedience Actions
4. Assessment of the possibility and desirability of organizing a camp

We call on all to participate in the next preparatory meeting on February 4 in Brussels

(for all relevant information write to or check http://www.no-to-nato.org/2017/01/invitation-for-2nd-international-meeting-in-brussels-february-4-to-prepare-nato-counter-summit/). The preparation of large, peaceful protests is a challenge for all peace movements. We will work towards having large, colorful, mighty and peaceful actions in Brussels on May 24/25.

We call on the peace activists and social movements in our countries to come to Brussels. NATO belongs in the dust bin of history.

The international coordinating committee No to War – No to NATO
30 January 2017
www.no-to-nato.org
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