DRAFT

Platform paper of the international coalition

“No to war – No to NATO”

NATO is a child of the Cold War and the East-West confrontation. After more than 60 years of existence, NATO is an increasing obstacle to achieving world peace. Since the end of the Cold War, NATO has reinvented itself as a tool for military action by the “international community”, including the promotion of the so-called “war on terror”. In reality, it is a vehicle for US-led global dominance via use of force with military bases on all continents, bypassing or co-opting the United Nations and the system of international law, accelerating militarisation and escalating arms expenditure – NATO countries account for 75% of global military expenditure. Pursuing that expansionist agenda since 1991, designed to advance strategic and resource interests, NATO has waged war in the Balkans, under the guise of so-called “humanitarian war”, and since 2001 has waged a brutal war in Afghanistan, where the tragic situation is escalating, and the war has expanded into Pakistan.

In Europe, NATO is worsening tensions, feeding the militarism with so-called “missile defence”, a massive nuclear arsenal and a nuclear first strike policy. European Union policy is increasingly tied to NATO, especially since the Lisbon Treaty has come into force. Through the Partnership for Peace and other forms of cooperation NATO has woven a global web spanning almost all continent. NATO’s ongoing and potential expansion into eastern Europe and beyond, and its “out of area” operations are making the world a more dangerous place. The conflict in the Caucasus is a clear indication of the dangers. Each advance of the NATO border increases the possibility of war, including the use of nuclear weapons.

The old NATO born out of confrontation of the two blocks with arms race, nuclear missiles, and nuclear war plans lost its function at the end of the Cold War. The new “global NATO” threatens hundreds of thousands, even millions of people and the environment, prevents the demilitarization of international politics, and blocks solutions to global challenges.

The international network “No to war – No to NATO”

“No to war – No to NATO” is an international network of groups and organisations from a wide political spectrum united in their opposition to NATO, NATO’s war in Afghanistan, and NATO’s increasingly aggressive global role. It is open to all groups and organisations who share our opposition to NATO, as long as they do not support oppressive regimes or ideologies, and do not practice or endorse racism, sexism, and other forms of oppression.

While the network itself does not have a position on the use of violence in general (e.g. military defence, liberation and independence struggles), the network is committed to only use non-violent means in its activities against NATO: demonstrations, civil disobedience and nonviolent direct action, conferences, education, and other activities. Our struggle against NATO is part of a movement for a more peaceful world.

To achieve our vision of a peaceful world, we reject military responses to global and regional crises – these are part of the problem, not part of the solution. We reject all attacks on international law and the sidelining of the United Nations. Instead, we need an international collaboration based on respect for international law and the neglect of NATO’s intervention in the sovereignty of nations. We refuse to live under the terror of nuclear weapons, and reject a new arms race. A drastic decrease of military expenditure and without nuclear weapons is necessary – directing resources instead to meeting human needs. We must close down all foreign military bases, and all military structures used for war and military intervention. We call for the abolition of NATO: it should be dissolved and dismantled. We must democratise and demilitarise the relations between peoples, push for conflict resolution and common security, and establish new forms of peaceful cooperation to build a more secure and just world.