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.
