Visit our website: HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------------------------- Dear Mr. Coombes, It has come to my attention that End the Arms Race (EAR) is holding a teach in Ottawa this October that will coincide with planned non-violent protest actions against the NATO PA meeting being held concurrently in that city. I am writing to urge you to include NATO on your list of topics for the following reasons: 1) NATO is the primary vehicle of US militarization in Europe. 2) NATO is the primary contributing source of tensions between Europe and Russia, thereby contributing to a re-escalation of the arms race in the region. This increase in tensions has, among other things: a) contributed to the reversal of force level commitments stemming from the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty, b) it has sparked the potential of global backsliding in terms of arms-control treaties such as the ABM treaty and the SALT II initiatives (not to mention the complete halt of SALT III negotiations), c) finally, with NATO increasing its "out-of-area" operations, many countries may be considering reneging on the commitments made by signing and ratifying the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). 3) Many NATO countries have already privately acceded to the US desire to build a National Missile Defense (NMD), with predictable results for global security. It is incumbent on anti-militarist organizations to highlight those portions of the private sector in Europe and Canada that are already collaborating with this unilateralist US policy. 4) The NATO alliance employs depleted uranium (DU) weapons, which represent a new and dangerous form of low-level nuclear warfare and nuclear proliferation. DU weapons disproportionately affect women and children - i.e. largely non-combatant populations - due to the fact that the skin tissues of these groups are more radiosensitive. Such considerations clearly make these weapons illegal under the Geneva conventions. 5) The NATO alliance - and the race to enter it - is contributing to the militarization of Eastern, Central and Southeastern Europe and causing increased budgetary distortions that are impeding the ability of these governments to provide much needed social services to populations impoverished by brutal "transitional reforms". There are a host of other issues for which to oppose NATO, but I've only focused on those most relevant to your organization to highlight why EAR should do more to speak out against one of the primary engines of militarization in the industrialized world. Please consider joining the organizing committee for the anti-NATO demonstrations by sending the message: subscribe no_to_nato to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. If the only reason you are not including NATO as an agenda item in your teach-in is a lack of qualified personnel to speak on the issue, I will volunteer my time to this cause. I hope that you will consider this appeal seriously. Thank you for your time and consideration, Sincerely, Konstantin Kilibarda (student) MA in International Relations University of Toronto ------------------------------------------------- This Discussion List is the follow-up for the old stopnato @listbot.com that has been shut down ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9spWA Or send an email To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This email was sent to: [email protected] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
