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| Position Statement |
| Statement on Kosovo - May, 1999 |
| Association of State Green Parties, United States (ASGP) PEACE ACTIONS AND STATEMENTS OF ASGP MEMBER PARTIES CONCERNING THE WAR IN YUGOSLAVIA Steering Committee, Association of State Green Parties Nancy Allen, Maine Green Party (Co-chair) Anne Goeke, Green Party of Pennsylvania (Co-chair) Tom Sevigny, Green Party of Connecticut (Co-chair) Dean Myerson, Green Party of Colorado (Secretary) Tony Affigne, Green Party of Rhode Island (Treasurer) May 12, 1999 ===================================================== MEMBERS, ASSOCIATION OF STATE GREEN PARTIES ===================================================== Green Party of Arkansas Arizona Green Party Green Party of California Green Party of Colorado Green Party of Connecticut District of Columbia Green Party Georgia Green Party Hawai'i Green Party Massachusetts Green Party Maine Green Party Green Party of Michigan Green Party of Minnesota Nevada Green Party Green Party of New Jersey New Mexico Green Party Green Party of New York State Green Choice Party Green Party of Ohio Pacific Green Party of Oregon Pennsylvania Green Party Green Party of Rhode Island Green Party of Tennessee Green Party of Utah Green Party of Virginia Wyoming Green Party ===================================================== U.S. GREENS' OPPOSITION TO THE WAR ===================================================== Green Parties in the United States are opposed to the destruction of Yugoslavia's people, economy, environment, and democratic prospects, and many American Greens have been involved in actions to stop the madness of war -- but these actions have not been widely reported in the U.S. or international media. Since before the NATO bombing began in late March, our member parties have organized demonstrations, teach-ins, coalitions, and other anti-war actions, and several parties have approved formal statements about the Balkan conflict. As in Europe, however, there are diverse opinions among Greens in the United States, regarding the use of force against the Milosevic regime, the roles of NATO, the United States, and the United Nations, and the best strategies for building long-term peace in the region. While Greens in the United States work to develop a common position on the war, the Steering Committee of the Association of State Green Parties has asked for brief reports from our independent member parties, regarding their actions and official statements on the Yugoslavian conflict. Several parties have already responded, and their reports are summarized below. The actions reported here are also taking place in other states; we expect to receive additional reports in the next few days. We have also appended the official statements of state Green parties in New Mexico, Rhode Island, Michigan, and New York, as well as statements by related groups and anti-war coalitions in Washington, DC and Syracuse, New York. ===================================================== ACTIONS AGAINST THE WAR ===================================================== We appreciate the assistance of Amy Vas Nunes, Peter Schermerhorn, Jim Nicita, Victoria Linton, Joe Mustich, Karin Norton, Greg Gerritt, Ted Cloak, Ann Link, and Howie Hawkins, who contributed reports for this summary. GREEN PARTY OF CONNECTICUT Weekly vigils are held in at least six cities around Connecticut; many vigils were originally begun against the war in Iraq. All vigils have a Green presence, and some were begun and maintained by Greens. In April, the Connecticut Peace Coalition was formed by the Green Party, the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), the War Resisters League/New England (WRL NE), Vets for Peace, Libertarians, students and faculty at universities statewide, elders and others. As part of the Connecticut Peace Coalition, the party is planning: a) A May 22 rally in New Haven b) Possible entry into a Memorial Day Parade c) Transportation to the Washington, DC march to the Pentagon on June 5 d) Huge turnout for the Willimantic, CT July 4th Boom Box Parade e) Civil disobedience at Senator Joe Lieberman's office The Northeast Connecticut Greens issued a statement condemning both the ethnic cleansing and the NATO bombings. It is anticipated that the Green Party of Connecticut will adopt a resolution at the next State meeting on May 24. Several forums and teach-ins have taken place around the state, primarily at universities, with Green participation. In Northwest Connecticut, Greens have taken anti-war activities to the community airwaves, where we sponsor and produce television programs. GREEN PARTY OF COLORADO Greens in Boulder and Fort Collins have been participating in weekly peace vigils. Boulder peace vigils, each Saturday afternoon on the Pearl St. Mall, have been organized by the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center by Greens who have worked with the Center for years. Greens in Fort Collins have participated in Wednesday vigils. Boulder area Congressman Mark Udall originally voted in favor of the bombing, but recently changed his vote and voted to cut off funds for the bombing. Meetings held between acticivists from the Peace and Justice Center and the Congressman may have helped to sway his opinion, as well as many letters that were forwarded to him. NEW MEXICO On April 10, the Green Council of the Green Party of New Mexico approved a resolution calling on the United States government to "cease its military actions" against Yugoslavia (and Iraq). [SEE ATTACHED STATEMENT] The party's 1998 candidate for Congress in the First District has been leading weekly anti-war demonstrations, in which many other Green Party members take part. Party members have been active in building statewide peace coalitions including Peace Action New Mexico, and work with the Peace Caucus of the American Public Health Association. The party is planning a statewide action in support of the June 5th march on the Pentagon. The party's opposition to the war has been widely reported by New Mexico's news media. GREEN PARTY OF RHODE ISLAND For the last six weeks members of the Green Party of Rhode Island have been taking part in weekly rallies against the war, at the Federal Building in Providence, in conjunction with other local groups seeking peace. Party members have spoken out at teach-ins, lectured in schools, tabled, and met frequently with other activists working to generate more resistance to the war. Rhode Island Greens joined a peace delegation that met with U.S. Senator Jack Reed (who unfortunately continues to support the bombing), and another that met with Senator John Chafee's staff. The party's most recent general meeting included an extensive debate about the situation in Kosovo; a special meeting a week later was devoted entirely to preparing a statement which has been distributed at subsequent events. The party's April 24 statement demands an end to the NATO bombing, an immediate cease-fire on the ground, a return to negotiations, an international peace-keeping force, the repatriation of refugees, ecological, political and economic restoration, and an all-parties Balkan peace conference. [SEE ATTACHED STATEMENT] D.C. GREEN PARTY Along with the Washington Peace Center and the International Socialist Organization, the D.C. Green Party initiated a statement in opposition to the U.S./NATO bombing that was released on March 23. It has been signed by 22 Washington, D.C., area peace and justice organizations. [SEE ATTACHED STATEMENT] Along with the Peace Center and the ISO, the D.C. Green Party helped organize demonstrations to protest the bombing on March 24 and March 25 at the White House. The D.C. Green Party, Washington Peace Center, International Socialist Organization, and Washington Area War Tax Resistance initiated a coalition to organize against the war over Kosovo which is called D.C. Stop the War Now! D.C. Stop the War Now! adopted four demands to guide its organizing: 1) Stop US/NATO bombing of Kosovo and Serbia Now, 2) No US/NATO ground troops in Yugoslavia, 3) U.S. and NATO admit and aid all refugees, 4) Serbian government stop killings and expulsions. It is central to the position of the D.C. Green Party and D.C. Stop the War Now! that they are opposed to the war--they actively call for an immediate end to both the U.S./NATO bombing campaign AND the ethnic cleansing carried out by Serbian forces in Kosovo. D.C. Stop the War Now! has organized five demonstrations since March 29, two at the White House and three neighborhood rally/speakouts at Dupont Circle and in Adams Morgan. They also participated in a national demonstration held April 23 on the Mall in D.C. while NATO was holding its 50th anniversary summit. The rally, organized by Fourth Freedom Forum and Peace Action, was planned as a call to NATO to 'de-nuke.' D.C. Stop the War Now was invited to provide an anti-war component to the rally, which became a major message of the rally. Martin Thomas of the D.C. Green Party moderated the rally which was broadcast across the country on C-SPAN and Vicki Linton of the D.C. Green Party spoke against the war. D.C. Stop the War Now! held a panel discussion on April 9 at which Michael Beer, director of Nonviolence International; Sladjana Dankovic of Women in Black/Serbia; and Kani Xulam of American Kurdish Information Network spoke. Over 80 people attended the event. A second panel event will be held on May 19 featuring Ken Silverstein, co-editor of Counterpunch, and Manal Omar formerly with the UN Oil for Food in Iraq program. The D.C. Green Party is also continuing its organizing against the U.S. war on Iraq with participation in the D.C. Coalition to Stop the War on Iraq, which participated in the April 27 national day of actions against the sanctions. GREEN PARTY OF NEW YORK STATE The Green Party of New York State has taken anti-war action through its locals, participating in demonstrations against bombing by US/NATO and ethnic cleansing by Balkan nationalists. These demonstrations have occurred in New York City, Westchester County, Woodstock, Albany, Binghamton, Ithaca, Rochester, Buffalo, and Syracuse. A march and demonstration on April 9 co-sponsored by the Syracuse Greens drew over 100 participants. An environmentalists' petition against the war is being circulated by the Capital District Greens (Albany). GREEN PARTY OF MICHIGAN ----------------------- Greens in Michigan have taken part in peace vigils in Traverse City and will participate in a demonstration this Saturday, May 15 in Ann Arbor. The party also developed and approved a statement against the war. [SEE ATTACHED STATEMENT] ===================================================== STATEMENTS BY STATE GREEN PARTIES ===================================================== GREEN PARTY OF RHODE ISLAND PEACE IN YUGOSLAVIA! The Green Party of Rhode Island is greatly concerned by the current situation in the Balkans. Human Rights violations, military adventurism, a refugee crisis, the destruction of the economy, and severe ecological damage have created a horrific situation. An outbreak of lunacy by all of the military participants has effectively silenced all of the voices of reason and democracy in the Balkans and made it much harder for people working to end the madness to be heard anywhere. Ethnic cleansing and NATO bombing are both signs of madness and both must end. People who have been forced from their homes must be able to return home, their safety must be guaranteed, and they must receive help in repairing their homes, communities, and lives. The destruction of the environment in the Balkans must be halted and reversed. Without a repair of the environment and the economy the specter of violence will arise again and again and the prospects for democracy and the respect for human rights will continue to be poor. As first steps for a healed Balkans the Green Party of Rhode Island calls for: 1. An immediate end to the NATO bombing and a halt to the continued deployment of troops. 2. An immediate cease fire by all combatants including NATO, Yugoslavia, Serbian militias, and the UCK/KLA. 3. A return to negotiations by all parties under the auspices of the United Nations and neutral parties. 4. The creation of an International Peace Keeping Force made up primarily of people from nations not currently involved in the fighting. The United Nations General Assembly and the nations of Europe should be involved in the creation of this force. 5. The repatriation of refugees must happen as soon as their safety can be guaranteed, and they must have sufficient help in the process of rebuilding their homes, communities, and lives. Sufficient attention must be paid to the repair of civic institutions and democracy. 6. The repair of environmental damage to the Balkans is critical to the success of all efforts to stop the violence. Sufficient resources must be allocated to this effort and international involvement is critical. 7. As soon as is practical a larger Balkan Peace Conference must be convened to help all of the peoples of the Balkans resolve their differences and heal their wounds. Peace, democracy, and respect for human rights are the core values under which a lasting peace can be created, and must underlie all of the work of the conference. NEW MEXICO GREEN PARTY Resolution on the current situations in Iraq and Yugoslavia and the United States' response April 10, 1999 WHEREAS, our Green Party Platform contains the following passages on the question of violence: "We trust in NONVIOLENCE as a weapon of PEACE. We understand the right of self-defense yet believe we must move beyond behavior that perpetuates violence. We oppose structural and direct violence of all kinds -- assaults against individuals, families, the environment and biosphere, nations and society." "It is essential that we develop effective alternatives to our current patterns of violence at all levels, from the family and the streets, to nations and the world. We will work to demilitarize our society and eliminate weapons of mass destruction, without being naive about the intentions of other governments. We recognize the need for self-defense and the defense of others who are in helpless situations. We promote nonviolent methods to oppose practices and policies with which we disagree, and will guide our actions toward lasting personal, community and global peace." "As we look back at the wars and deprivations of the past, and set our minds to overcoming continued conflicts and violence, we realize the difficulties inherent in encouraging democracy, and of advancing the cause of PEACE. GREENS support sustainable development and social and economic justice across the globe. Reduced militarism and reliance on arms policies is the key to progress toward collective security."; and WHEREAS, the government of Iraq maintains itself in power by violence against any who would disagree with it, and especially against minority peoples within its borders, namely the Kurdish people in the north and the Shiite Muslim people in the south; and WHEREAS, moreover, the government of Iraq persists in attempting to amass weapons of mass destruction despite the sanctions against doing so imposed by the United Nations; and WHEREAS, the government of Yugoslavia is conducting genocidal violence against a minority population within its borders, namely the ethnic Albanians of Kosovo; and WHEREAS, Iraq and Yugoslavia are sovereign nations under international law, and it is therefore unlawful for other states or groups of states to attack them without the consent of the United Nations, unless those other states or groups are themselves under military attack by Iraq or Yugoslavia; and WHEREAS, there is no claim or evidence that the United States is under attack by either Iraq or Yugoslavia; and WHEREAS, our United States Government is engaged in military action against Iraq and Yugoslavia, with the avowed purpose of ending the infractions outlined above, but without the consent of the United Nations; and WHEREAS, our government seems to intervene in such matters only when to do so is in "the national interest", as for example Guatemala (1954), Nicaragua (1980s), Cuba (1960-today), Dominican Republic (twice), Haiti (1990s); and WHEREAS, indeed, our government has actively aided, and continues to aid, governments in the commission of similar or worse infractions, when that is in "the national interest", as for example Mexico (Chiapas), Indonesia (East Timor), Chile (1970s), El Salvador (1980s), Haiti (1980s), Colombia (today), and the list goes on; and WHEREAS, "the national interest" is all too often more accurately the interest of the very rich and large corporations whose campaign contributions have kept our existing bipartisan government in office these many years; and WHEREAS, the military actions against Yugoslavia and Iraq, and the military infrastructure required to sustain them, are costing hundreds of millions, even billions of tax dollars extracted from the American citizenry; and WHEREAS, many Americans, and especially New Mexicans, lack income, health care, and educational resources sufficient to make equal opportunity and economic and social justice more than mere catch-phrases, or can acquire those social goods only by working such long hard hours as to degrade the quality of their lives: THEREFORE BE IT NOW RESOLVED that the Green Party of New Mexico demands that our United States government cease its military actions against Yugoslavia and Iraq and commence the drastic reduction of its military infrastructure; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that part of the resulting savings be used to pay our dues owed to the United Nations and to provide the United Nations with well-trained, well-armed, and well-paid peace making and peacekeeping forces to intervene when sovereign states undertake large-scale human rights violations, including genocide, against peoples within their borders, such interventions to be made without considering the interests of any third party state or corporate entity or entities; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that another portion of the resulting savings be used to alleviate the sufferings of the displaced Kosovars and to help them return to their homeland if and when that becomes possible; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that our United States Government take the lead in modifying the U.N. sanctions against Iraq to provide for detailed controls on imports into Iraq such as to prevent weapons development but allow the rebuilding of the Iraqi civilian infrastructure and, of course, allow the importing of sufficient food and medical supplies to permit at least the beginning of a restoration of the quality of life formerly enjoyed by the Iraqi population; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the remaining millions of the savings from military reduction be used to improve the lives of poor and working-class Americans, especially with respect to income, nutrition, health care, child care, and education. NEW YORK (GREEN CHOICE PARTY) Green Choice of New York calls for an immediate end to NATO bombing in Yugoslavia. The bombing has not prevented genocide and forced expulsion of citizens from Kosovo. It has resulted in loss of life and property of civilians. Future loss of life will occur through lack of access to health workers and medical facilities as a result of damage to infrastructure such as roads, bridges and electrical plants. Environmental degradation has resulted from damage to chemical plants and oil refineries. Whatever democratic voices existed before the war within Yugoslavia have been silenced by the extreme patriotism the war has provoked. NATO actions have mocked the UN and international law and placed the power to resolve the conflict in the hands of the US instead an unbiased international body where it belongs. NATO must stop the bombing immediately. The UN must conduct negotiations to settle the Balkan conflict that include pro-democracy forces and organizations in all the Balkan countries. The War Crimes Tribunal must indict Slobodan Milosevic for systematic torture, rape, murder and forced resettlement, as well as Franjo Tudjman for crimes committed in Bosnia, and William Clinton for bombing of civilian targets in Serbia such as homes, buses, trains, hotels, hospitals and embassies. GREEN PARTY OF MICHIGAN WHEREAS one of the four pillars of Green political thought is non-violence, and WHEREAS we do not necessarily understand non-violence to preclude actions of self-defense, or the presence of peace keeping troops agreed upon by negotiations between opposing parties, but do understand non-violence to preclude aggressive use of military force by parties whose self-defense is not at issue, and WHEREAS we support autonomy and safety for all people of Kosovo, and WHEREAS NATO actions in Yugoslavia represent a violent, aggressive use of military force and that the result of these actions have been an increased threat to the autonomy and safety of the people of Kosovo, and in light of the fact that this action is illegal under international law, and WHEREAS we believe that a return to negotiations is possible and feasible and that a return to negotiations will best be served by stopping the NATO military attacks on Yugoslavia, and WHEREAS Greens hold positions in the parliaments of various NATO nations, and could have significant influence on those governments, and WHEREAS we have membership in the Association of State Green Parties, and the Greens/Green Party USA, and both of these organizations have alliances with European Greens, THEREFORE, we call on the Association of State Green Parties, and the Greens/Green Party USA to take a strong stand against the present United States and NATO actions in Yugoslavia. Furthermore, we call on the Association of State Green Parties, and the Greens/Green Party USA to communicate to European Greens the following points: 1) that we consider participation in the NATO air war antithetical to the pillar and principal of non-violence; 2) that we call on European Greens in governing coalitions to use their political position to stop the air war and avoid ground involvement or persuade their coalitions to stop participating in this military campaign; 3) If European Greens in governing coalitions are not able to change NATO policy or their own countries' policy, we call on these parliamentary Greens to withdraw from their governing coalitions; 4) If European Greens in governing coalitions are unwilling to take these actions we support those European Greens who oppose these parliamentary Greens. ===================================================== STATEMENTS OF RELATED GROUPS AND ANTI-WAR COALITIONS ===================================================== D.C.-AREA PEACE AND JUSTICE ORGANIZATIONS Opposing the U.S.-led NATO bombing of Serbia. March 23, 1999 We call on President Clinton to stop his plans for war, and promote negotiations for peace and justice in the Yugoslav province of Kosovo. We assert that, as NATO is a military organization, and the recent talks took place under threat of either the deployment of an occupying army to the Yugoslav province of Kosovo or of a massive bombardment of Serbia, these talks did not constitute peace negotiations, but war talks. The deaths of hundreds, possibly thousands, of Serb soldiers and civilians in a U.S.-led NATO bombardment is not the answer to the plight of the Kosovo Albanians. We recognize the legitimate right of the Kosovars to self-determination, but military action will not bring peace, rather a massive bombing campaign such as Clinton outlined Friday, March 19, would threaten to widen the war and destablilize the entire region. Neither NATO nor the United States have a right to intervene militarily in the internal struggles of a sovereign nation. Therefore, we also oppose deployment of a NATO occupying force in Kosovo. We recognize and deplore the oppression and violence suffered by the Kosovo Albanians at the hands of the Serbian government forces. We condemn the human rights violations of the government of Slobodan Milosevic. We call on the international community to take all necessary nonviolent, diplomatic steps to promote the democratic resolution of the conflict in Yugoslavia and stop the continued violence against the people of Kosovo. Signed by: All Souls Church Unitarian Social Justice Cluster American Friends Service Committee-D.C. American Kurdish Information Network Baltimore Libertarian Party Earth Culture Education for Peace In Iraq Center GREEN PARTY OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Gray Panthers of Metropolitan Washington Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA Hiroshima Nagasaki Commemoration Committee International Socialist Organization Libertarian Party of D.C. Little Friends for Peace Maryland Libertarian Party Metro D.C. Committees of Correspondence Nonviolence International Olive Branch Community Sojourners Stand for Our Neighbors Washington Action Group Washington Peace Center Washington Area War Tax Resistance SYRACUSE (NEW YORK) AREA ORGANIZATIONS NATO: A Threat to Peace and Democracy in the Balkans and the World A statement by affiliates of the Black Radical Congress, Green Party USA, and Peace Action April 23, 1999 Stop the Bombing Stop the Expulsions Negotiate a Peace Settlement Return Kosovars to their Homes Democratize the UN and Dissolve NATO Stop Police Murders at Home As NATO holds its 50th Anniversary celebration in Washington, DC today, we believe it is time to question the very existence of NATO. The Cold War is over, but NATO is expanding. Instead of the long-awaited 'peace dividend' from arms and military spending reductions, the US and NATO are at war in the Balkans. The renewal of war, ethnic cleansing, and an expanded refugee crisis in the Balkans demonstrates that NATO is a threat to peace. NATO initiated this war by issuing an ultimatum to Yugoslavia to sign the Rambouillet agreement and agree to a NATO occupation of its province of Kosovo/a, or get bombed. NATO's ultimatum violated the basic precepts of good faith negotiations and international law. NATO has failed completely in its original stated goal of protecting the Albanian Kosovars from ethnic cleansing by the Yugoslav government. Now NATO leaders are saying the goal is to preserve NATO's credibility. Going to war to justify one's credibility and very reason for existing is a terrible reason for war. We strongly oppose the ethnic cleansing by Milosevic, but the bombing is strengthening Milosevic and not weakening him. The consequences of this war have been devastating for the Balkans and for the prospects of world peace. It is a major political turning point in world politics, revolving around the question of whether US-led NATO becomes the "rogue superpower," unilaterally assuming the role of global police force, supplanting the consensus-building processes of the United Nations and international law, and precipitating a new cold war, a remilitarization of Central Europe, and a much heightened risk of nuclear world war or whether peace movements in the world and particularly in the NATO countries can mobilize public opinion to force NATO countries to return to the United Nations and international law and use negotiations, genuine economic assistance, and legitimate peacekeeping forces to resolve conflicts, including the questions of Kosovo/a, Kurdistan, Rwanda, and other areas of the world where genocidal violence is taking place. We believe that continued bombing and a ground invasion of Yugoslavia by NATO will only worsen the situation in the Balkans and threaten world peace. Among the negative consequences of the NATO bombing campaign in Yugoslavia are: -the withdrawal of OSCE human rights monitors and independent journalists, who by shining the light of world opinion on Kosovo/a had limited the violence toward both ethnic Albanians and Serbs, who had suffered atrocities in roughly equal numbers before the NATO bombing from the conflict between the Kosovo/a Liberation Army and Yugoslav forces according to the UN Human Rights Commission report released April 1; -increasing Serbian nationalism and consolidating political support for the Milosevic regime; -destruction of the political space for the democratic, anti-nationalist, nonviolent movements in Yugoslavia and Kosovo/a; -acceleration of Yugoslavia's brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing in Kosovo/a and a massive increase in the number of ethnic Albanian refugees; -political and military support to the armed struggle the Kosovo/a Liberation Army whose Albanian nationalist goals are the mirror image of the Serbian nationalist movements' goals; -increased repression and violence against the democratic, anti-nationalist opposition in Yugoslavia, forcing it underground or into exile; -destruction of the economic infrastructure of Yugoslavia, leading to increased hardship and hunger, decreased medical care, increased deaths, and hardened attitudes among the civilian population of Yugoslavia; -civilian deaths and injuries throughout Yugoslavia and Kosovo/a as a consequence of the bombing and the ground war; -massive environmental damage from the release of toxic chemicals from bombed industrial facilities and the use of heavy anti-tank shells using radioactive depleted uranium; -destabilization of the democratic anti-Milosevic government in the Yugoslav province of Montenegro; -destabilization of Macedonia where ethnic tensions between Albanian and other ethnic populations are exacerbated by the massive influx of ethnic Albanians; -destabilization of the truce in Bosnia; -a nationalist, militaristic backlash in Russia to the security threat posed by NATO as their fall elections approach; -a decision by the Russian Duma to indefinitely postpone ratification of the START II nuclear weapons reduction treaty with the US; -threats to retarget Russian and Belarus nuclear weapons at NATO countries; -threats by Russia to renounce its no-first-use of nuclear weapons policy, which NATO for its part rejected again last year; -threats by Russia to discard the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with the US as NATO bombing accompanies a new Star Wars initiative from the Clinton administration; -consolidation of an anti-NATO bloc of countries feeling threatened by NATO's unilateral actions, including Russia, Yugoslavia, Belarus, Armenia, and possibly China and India; -undermining the authority and credibility of the United Nations; -a growing fear around the world of US-led NATO as the "rogue superpower" intervening at will without regard for international law and the consensus-building processes in the United Nations; -increased regional and US/NATO-Russian/CIS tensions in the oil-rich Caucasus and Central Asia, with Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Uzbekistan opting out of the Commonwealth of Independent States over the CIS statement condemning NATO's bombing campaign in early April; Russia intercepting military equipment bound for Chechnya from Lithuania via Azerbaijan on April 13; Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Ukraine holding joint military exercises under the auspices of NATO's Parnership for Peace on April 16; Armenia increasing its weapons procurement from Russia, jeopardizing the shaky truce between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan; and Georgia expelling Russian peacekeepers who have been enforcing the truce with Abkhaz separatists in Georgia; -further militarization of US domestic policy as the prison-industrial complex takes its place next to the military-industrial complex as a powerful self-serving interest driving the public policy process and creating a climate in which police brutality against blacks, latinos/latinas, Native Americans, and other ethnic minorities in the US is common; -increased military spending and a further diversion of resources and attention from pressing needs at home for education, health care, jobs, housing, environmental clean-up, and rehabilitative assistance for hundreds of thousands of ex-offenders; No balance sheet of the positive and negative consequences of NATO's bombing campaign can be made because there is no positive side from the point of view of peace and justice. NATO is now pursuing this war for its own interests in sustaining and expanding its own power. The "humanitarian" pretenses of NATO's bombing campaign are not credible. Where have the NATO countries been when humanitarian assistance and international pressure is still needed in the aftermath of the genocide in Rwanda? If NATO had a humanitarian concern to stop ethnic cleansing, it would start in its own backyard, with NATO-member Turkey. Turkey has conducted a genocidal campaign since 1984 to wipe out Kurdish identity in southwest Turkey, where Kurds comprise one quarter of Turkey's total population. Turkey's campaign against the Kurds has resulted in the killing of 35,000 Kurds, the destruction of 4.000 Kurdish villages, and 3 million Kurdish refugees. Turkey's campaign against the Kurds has been carried out with arms and technical advice supplied by the US and other leading NATO countries. If NATO had a humanitarian concern to stop ethnic cleansing, it would not have supported diplomatically and militarily the ethnic partitioning of Bosnia, ratified the results with the Dayton Accords, guaranteed the results with NATO occupying forces, and appeased ethnic cleansers and war criminals like Franjo Tudjman of Croatia and Slobadon Milosevic of Yugoslavia by building them up as the "guarantors" of peace in the Balkans. NATO would have not excluded the Kosovars from the many negotiations that led up to the Dayton Accords. NATO's role in appeasing and supporting the nationalists and militarists of the Balkans and the current plight of civilian populations of Kosovo/a and all of Yugoslavia require the urgent intervention of the United Nations. A United Nations mandate to re-start negotiations, demand a cease fire by all sides, and authorize an international peace-keeping force independent of NATO is the path for resolving this conflict and restoring the possibility of a post Cold War world on the path of peace and disarmament. We believe that pursuing a negotiated settlement under UN auspices is the most realistic means of ending the war and establishing a peace that permits the Kosovars to return home with security. With the UN involved, Russia can bring Yugoslavia back to the table and the US and NATO countries can bring the Kosovar Albanians back to the table. Indeed, Germany's peace proposal last week was presented with this approach in mind and, despite its immediate rejection by both Clinton and Milosevic, it is still being pursued by Germany and Russia. Instead of bombs, the NATO countries must contribute economic aid to the process. The price of peace will not be cheap. In order to secure their cooperation in a peace process, Russia, along with those other countries in the region that have been devastated by the policies of economic speculators, will need real economic aid now, not more austerity imposed by the IMF and western financial institutions. An economic reconstruction plan for the Balkans is needed to rebuild the countries of the former Yugoslav Federation, whose economies collapsed in the 1980's under the imposition of impoverishing loan repayments and "structural adjustment" policies by western financial institutions. It was against this backdrop of economic devastation that nationalist leaders on all sides were able to mobilize chauvinistic struggles to grab land and wealth at the expense of other ethnic groups. Economic reconstruction is needed to address this important root cause of the Balkan Wars of the 1990s. The $6 billion Congress is now asked to appropriate for the bombing campaign and the $100 billion it is committing to NATO expansion should be redirected to genuine economic assistance for the Balkans and Eastern Europe. Money invested in peace will repay itself many times over in a reduced need for military expenditures in the future. Replacing NATO as the unilateral global police with the United Nations and the rule of international law will not come without massive pressure from peace movements and all concerned citizens, particularly in the NATO countries. We are working to build that movement in order to stop the carnage in the Balkans now and then move on to replace NATO with a more democratic United Nations as the institutional framework for world peace. The Cold War is over but NATO still consumes the long awaited "peace dividend" that we need for economic reconstruction at home and abroad. We will not let NATO find a new mission for itself by spreading war in the Balkans and precipitating a new Cold War. |
