The No to NATO network invites all peace friends and colleagues to support us in the preparation of actions against the next NATO summit in Vilnius (11+12 July 2023)

Action-Meeting via zoom on

Friday, 10th February at 16:00 CET (Berlin/Amsterdam)

Register in advance:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0kd–sqD0rG9QjilmwjfezlL5embr9PmCT

as agenda we propose:

• preparation and mobilization for next webinars

  • 2023/02/23 zoom webinar 17:00 CET*
    The role of NATO in the Ukrainian war

  • Peparation of the webinar

    “NATO’s geostrategy interessets toward China. How strong are really AUKUS and QUAD? “    
    thanks @Cora that you take the lead, define the date and the speakers

  • Webinar on “women focusing on the impact on women and women’s perspectives on alternatives”, proposal from Cora

• • what will be the next webinars, a list of proposals are below

• preparation of the 24h peace wave (lead IPB and WBW)

• further discussion and installation of a programm group for the counter summit
• further discussion and installation a group who takes care for the event location

• a group who will make the call for a boot for a counter summit on the baltic see

• editorial team for
  • a fact sheet on NATO (online and offline)
  • a newspaper minimum two language, better three

• further actions against NATO in 2023

• Start the discussion about a long-term strategy of our Network against NATO

• further next steps and AOB

Please register in advance: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0kd–sqD0rG9QjilmwjfezlL5embr9PmCT

Hope to see and hear you soon.

ciao kristine

Some further information about the last activties of our network:

Here is the statement EU-NATO marriage reflects cold war mentality

Alain has it already translated into French and it will be visible on website the next days.

Invitation to the first webinar in 2023:

2023/02/23 zoom webinar 17:00 CET*
The role of NATO in the Ukrainian war

Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcpdu2srjkpH9Ltevuz00q-H3UDd3or7QX8

For your information the minutes of our last ICC meeting and proposals for possible actions are below.

Minutes: No to NATO ICC Meeting  January 13, 2023

Participants: Kristine, Reiner, Tamara, Ludo and Alain

We discussed these possible plans this year:

• A webinar series in the lead up to the NATO summit
• A webinar in February “NATO’s role in the war in Ukraine”
• Calling for a Weekend of Action “Stop the War, No to NATO, Peace Now” February 24-26
• A newspaper format in 3 languages that we could circulate in electronic copy and hard copy about NATO in Eastern Europe around the time of the NATO summit
• Planning a counter-summit in Helsinki, Finland
• A speaking tour of Reiner going to Vilnius, Wroclaw, Bucharest, Riga speaking about the IPB report “Our Common Future” and the issue of peace in Europe
• A peace boat in the Baltic Sea
•  

NEXT STEPS:

*Next meeting No to NATO Planning meeting on February 10*

*Short Appeal on the NATO Website for supporting all the protest actions one year after the start of the Ukrainen war, Reiner wrote a text and I will put it to the webside tomorrow.

*Ludo developped a statement to the EU/NATO marriage (see meeting last week)

*Februar 23rd the webinar “NATO’s role in the war in Ukraine”

 

Upcoming events to bear in mind:

Munich Security Forum, February 17-19: https://securityconference.org/

Stop the War Coalition “Stop the War in Ukraine National Demonstration” on Sat. Feb. 25 : https://www.stopwar.org.uk/events/stop-the-war-in-ukraine-national-demonstration/

This is the “No to NATO” Conference in the UK on Sat. Feb. 25: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/no2nato-conference-25-february-london-tickets-505912466807

NATO Summit in Vilnius, July 11-12: https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_208802.htm#:~:text=NATO%20Secretary%20General%20announces%20dates%20for%202023%20Vilnius%20Summit,-09%20Nov.&text=I%20am%20pleased%20to%20announce,on%2011%2D12%20July%202023.&text=We%20face%20the%20most%20complex,environment%20since%20the%20Cold%20War.

Agenda/Proposals for Actions – to be discussed in further meetings, next meeting is February 10th at 20h CET

    In preparation for the NATO summit, four (or more or less)  webinars should be planned with the goal of further de-legitimizing NATO and its militarism and advocating for a replacement of the logic of war with a culture of peace and common security.
    The topics of the NATO – Summit (as far as currently foreseeable) and thus also focal points of our criticism will probably be:

• NATO’s role in Ukraine.
• Tightening of the 2% of GDP, demands go to 3 – 5%, Poland and Baltic States.
• New fighter jets and “modernization” of US nuclear weapons in Europe, incl. new US nuclear weapons returning to UK.
• Role of NATO in the Balkans.

 Proposals for the webinars, only working titles:

• NATO’s Responsibility for the Ukraine War (Feb. 23, 2023).
• Can Latin America become an example of antimilitarism?
• Voices from Colombia (Angelo Cordono), Venezuela (Julieta Daza), Brazil (Monika Valente), Chile (Pablo Ruiz), Ecuador (Pedro Paez). We have to take care, that we will not criticize the new leftist governments too much, we have to analyze the real power structure in this countires and discuss possible support for alternatives. (How dangerous the situation is show the last actions in Brazilia by Bolsonaro and co.)
• NATO’s geostrategy interessets toward China. How strong are really AUKUS and QUAD?
• Military spending and NATO’s demands for 5% of GDP.
• New and modernized US nuclear weapons in GB and Europe.
• NATO in the Balkans, planned NATO maneuver (from WBW: while NATO is threatening to use Sinjajevina for war training in May 2023! Save Sinjajevina points out that it “recently submitted to the Government and the European Union a petition with more than 22,000 signatures demanding the immediate cancellation of the decision on the military training ground and the declaration of Sinjajevina as a protected area.”).
• NATO, Turkey and Kurdistan.

 As further mobilization ideas are:

• Publication of a multilingual peace newspaper (online/offline), in which, in addition to the war and rearmament policy, the peace policy alternatives should be the focus.
• In preparation, a “fact sheet on Global NATO” (online+offline).

Proposals for actions around the NATO summit:

• Realization of a hybrid counter-summit in which besides the war and high armament situation, alteratives to these should be discussed more intensively. This counter-summit should take place in Vilnius. 
  First considerations for the counter-summit. The program should be developed by a joint working group.

• A public evening event in Vilnius on the topic of peace should be considered,
• as well as the organization of a demonstration. Both require local partners.

• Voices (via text and video) of celebrities/people: we stick to it: Overcoming NATO means creating peace, with individual reasons for rejecting NATO.
• Worldwide online peace demonstration – “No to war and militarism – yes to peace and disarmament – for a world without nuclear weapons” (peace wave), in which at least 100 actions in 60 countries are organized networked according to the time zones. This worldwide online demonstration will take place parallel to the NATO summit.