http://www.stoppanato.se/english/guides.htm
GUIDELINES
For a citizens' inquiry on the furtive accession of Sweden to NATO
The purpose of these guidelines is to provide an initial orientation, and
thereby to facilitate, the citizens' inquiry proposed in the public appeal,
”Stop the Furtive Accession to NATO”. According to that document, the main
questions to be investigated are:
What are the small-- and perhaps even large -- steps that have thus far been
taken?
Who has taken those steps, with what means and motives, and with what
legitimacy?
Which elected representatives have allowed that to happen, and for what reasons?
The questions themselves provide some indication as to what sorts of
information and research are required. The first priority, of course, is to
develop a list of the various steps in question. There may be some differences
of opinion about which steps ought to be included, and a special section of the
inquiry's website will be set aside for a discussion of that matter.
When the various steps have been at least provisionally identified, each of
them can be studied within the framework of the three basic questions noted
above. The final report will summarize and interpret the findings that result.
Interest seldom lies
As a point of departure, it can be useful to consider which interests might
derive some benefit from Sweden's accession of NATO. By itself, an interest
analysis cannot be regarded as solid evidence of anything in particular: It
sometimes happens that groups and individuals, intentionally or not, act
against what appear to be their own interests. But such an analysis can provide
useful clues about where to start looking for facts and relationships. Among
the interests that might conceivably be relevant in this context are:
United States of America
NATO and its member-states
Swedish political parties, including key figures
Business communities, both Swedish and international
Military personnel, Swedish and foreign
Intelligence/subversion agencies
Mass media
Lobbyists
Think tanks
Academics
Labour organizations
The list can doubtless be expanded and refined; and as with every interest
analysis, an important task will be to elucidate possible connections and
co-ordinated efforts among various interests.
Information sources
When the legendary U.S. journalist, I.F. Stone, was asked how he managed to dig
up so many secret items of information in connection with his many revealing
articles, his standard answer was that remarkably little was actually secret.
Most information was accessible in official documents, published reports, news
media, etc. ”All” that was required was for someone to devote the necessary
time, effort and thought to sifting it out and analysing it.
Concerning the furtive accession of Sweden to NATO, there is surely much to
gain by the application of I.F.Stone's method, because most and perhaps all of
the small steps of the process have been at least partially taken in full
public view. (This fact has sometimes been adduced as evidence that nothing
furtive has occurred. But the furtive aspect concerns the eventual accession to
NATO, not the individual steps of the process. That is what is meant by the
phrase, ”the tyranny of small steps”.)
Among the Swedish and international sources that may yield useful information
are:
Public documents such as laws, bills, government decisions, public inquiries,
legislative debates, etc.
Well-informed individuals, including politicians, military personnel, public
officials, experts of various sorts, etc.
Information channels including news media, think tanks, lobbyists, educational
institutions, commercial and other interest groups, political parties, research
institutes, etc. These may be able to cast light on the various steps toward
NATO membership. But they should also be studied in order to determine what
sorts of information about USA/NATO and related issues reach and do not reach
the general public. This relates to the knowledge and ideas that are conveyed,
and to the relative influence of the various channels in terms of audience size
and composition.
Methodology
As I.F. Stone explained (see above), there is often much to gain by making use
of the valuable information that lies waiting to be discovered in libraries,
public archives and other open sources such as the Internet. It is a matter of
carefully sorting through printed and digital sources, and of
watching/listening to various types of recording.
To get at more concealed facts and relationships, it may be essential to find
well-informed individuals who are willing to impart their knowledge. The
challenge is to identify promising interview subjects, and to get them to
openly or anonymously convey tips and information.
Considering the issues that the inquiry is likely to touch upon, there should
be at least a potential for various forms of co-operation with investigative
journalists, scholars, university students and others who for their own reasons
are dealing with the same or related questions. The citizens' inquiry might be
able to contribute with useful information and contacts, and participate in
joint efforts of mutual interest.
Again, the task is to develop answers to the three basic questions. That would
include a thorough description of each step toward NATO, including its
rationale, the individuals and organizations directly involved, and both the
consequences thus far and the future implications of the furtive accession
process.
Then it is a matter of determining who took each step, with what means and
motives, and with what legitimacy. A key question in this context is: Who have
the decision-makers represented in each case - the people of Sweden, or other
interests? To the extent that the relevant decisions have not been
democratically arrived at, which elected representatives have allowed that to
happen and why?
The final report will summarize and analyse the knowledge accumulated and, to
the extent possible, identify remaining gaps in that knowledge. The challenge
will be to develop a comprehensive view which, among other things, identifies
patterns and inter-relationships. The entire body of knowledge and related
discussions will be published on the inquiry's website.
Investigators
Everyone who wants to help shed light on the furtive accession process is
welcome to contribute to the inquiry. But until a reasonable number of
interested parties join the effort, it will of course be impossible to devise
any research plan or division of labour. To begin with, therefore, most
essential tasks will necessarily be carried out by the project co-ordinator.
As soon as possible, a research advisory council will be established to review
and assess contributions prior to publication, and also to assist volunteers
who lack research experience and/or self-confidence.
All public inquiries are quite properly subjected to critical review, and it
may be assumed that this one will become the focus of especially sharp scrutiny
for at least three reasons:
It deals with sensitive issues that concern powerful Swedish and international
interests.
Despite their obvious importance, the issues have been largely neglected by the
research community-- because, according to some sources, the study of them is
fraught with risk to professional careers.
What will hopefully be a strong element of ”amateur” voluntary contributions.
The answer to all potential criticism is maximum openness. Every aspect of the
inquiry will be openly presented and thereby subject to debate. As for the
”non-professional” component, there will be no pretence that the inquiry is
anything other than what it is-- i.e. a joint effort carried out by every
manner of interested citizen, with the help of whichever Swedish and
international professionals choose to contribute their expertise.
The final result can hardly be worse than what has thus far been achieved in
this area of inquiry by prominent institutions. The heavily state-subsidized
Swedish Institute of International Affairs, for example, has dealt with the
NATO issue in a manner that can only be regarded as propagandistic.**
As with all initiatives, the most important precondition for success is a firm
belief that it is possible to succeed-- something that can at times be
difficult to conjure up, especially at the outset of a large and complex task.
It can therefore be useful to meet often in order to pose questions, discuss
methodological and other problems, share experiences, etc. It is intended that
a special section of the inquiry's website will be established for that purpose
and, if there is sufficient interest, it may also be possible to arrange
physical meetings of project participants.
Finally, it should be emphasized that these guidelines are by no means written
in stone, and may very well need to be further developed during the course of
the project.
Al Burke, Project Co-ordinator
17 June 2009
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Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato
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