Invest in peace, not war

This year’s NATO summit will be US President Donald Trump’s first. It will be held in May at NATO’s brand new headquarters in Brussels, a city that hosts both NATO and the European Union - two institutions that co-operate closely on their military policies.

NATO and its member states participate in illegal wars and military interventions, from Yugoslavia to Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, Syria, the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean. They contribute massively to international instability, fuelling the arms race and militarization. NATO remains committed to humanity’s biggest threat: nuclear weapons.

From summit to summit, NATO perpetuates, enforces and extends its policy of war and domination.

And the world shows us the consequences: entire countries devastated; millions turned into refugees, facing terrible suffering and even death; environmental disaster; an increase in violent extremism and terrorism; military tension and confrontation; nuclear weapons proliferation and the increasing risk of a nuclear war.

And in response to these appalling consequences, NATO pursues yet more militarism and war:

All NATO member states are required to increase their military budgets, to 2% of GDP. At a time of economic crisis and austerity, that means stealing more money from social needs, education, justice, international development and environmental protection budgets – all of which are essential to build a more peaceful and stable world.

NATO member states will have to spend 20% of their defence budgets on military equipment: warships, war planes, drones, bombs, technology and more. The powerful armaments lobby rubs its hands in anticipation. By fuelling the arms race, NATO makes a mockery of diplomatic mechanisms for conflict resolution.

NATO is escalating tensions with Russia, deploying troops and weapons at its border and installing a missile defence system. All this boosts military development and prevents the construction of peaceful relations and mutually beneficial understanding.

NATO and its member states multiply interventions outside their territory and increase their presence through worldwide partnerships and ‘coalitions of the willing’. They enlarge their economic, political and military domination, instead of investing politically and financially in the UN to achieve its goal of a peaceful, secure world.

NATO extends its nuclear policies as a supreme ‘guarantee’ for the allies’ security, notwithstanding the fact that the majority of countries in the world are negotiating a treaty to ban nuclear weapons. In the meantime, US nuclear weapons in Europe – under the guise of NATO – are being modernised at a cost of many tens of billions of dollars.

We don’t want EU militarisation or the creation of a European superpower, as increasingly promoted by the EU leadership. Military closure of European borders is not the answer to the challenges of migration. Refugees are welcome.

NATO is the world's most aggressive war machine. We urgently need a peace and sustainable development. We call on all peace-loving people and organisations to join the protests against the NATO Summit, in Brussels and worldwide. Let’s put pressure on our governments to invest in social welfare, not in war.

Our demand to our governments is clear: we must leave NATO and NATO must be dissolved.

Sign the call? Send an e-mail to info@stopnato2017.org