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http://www.chicagoflame.com/issues_2001/102301/news_main.html. The Flame The Independent Student Newspaper at the University of Illinois at Chicago October 23, 2001 University hosts NATO officials; heated debate ensues By Jemimah Noonoo Flame staff writer Queries posed to two North Atlantic Treaty Organization officials Wednesday during a university-sponsored briefing soon generated into heated, tension-filled debates. At one point during the discussion, a NATO official left the room with a student to answer his question privately. Although it is customary for questions-and-answer sessions to follow a presentation, students and other attendees popped out inquiries well before NATO briefing officers finished their prepared statements. “I’ll walk out with you and answer the question because the rest of the people might want to hear the presentation,” one NATO official told an audience member while his colleague continued his presentation. The NATO briefing team came to the University of Illinois at Chicago to give a brief history of the organization and discuss changes in today’s security environment as a result of international terrorism. The event was co-sponsored by UIC’s Department of Political Sciences and its Office of International Services. The NATO military officers spoke to about 50 people in UIC’s Cardinal Room about the role of the alliance in the post-Cold War era. The officers described NATO as an international military alliance formed after World War II to counter the perceived threat of the Soviet Union. Since its inception in 1948, it has expanded into a group of 19 nations comprising the United States and 18 European countries. Officials said some of the present challenges facing the alliance are Middle Eastern political unrest and international terrorism, the latter becoming salient after the events of Sept. 11. International terrorism is the alliance’s No. 1 concern at this time, one official said. They discussed Article 5 of the NATO charter, which states, in part, “an attack against one NATO member will be viewed as an attack against all NATO members.” Before Sept. 11, the officers said, terrorism was dealt with by independent nations. Wars had traditionally been fought between nations and could not be declared against a non-state actor, according to international law. However, one NATO official said Wednesday, suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda network since have assumed the role and identity of international entities. Thus, NATO has provided aircraft in the fight against terrorism in the past two weeks, officers said. That last set of statements did not seem to sit well with some audience members. Some people began shooting out questions at the officers about the role of NATO in the U.S.-led war against terrorism. “Isn’t it true NATO is the symbol of globalized military domination?” asked Rick Rozoff, a former instructor at Northeastern Illinois University. His statement was met with applause from some people in the audience. “Is NATO trying to supersede the United Nations?” asked Constantine Fleveris, a UIC graduate student in electrical engineering. One official answered: “The UN exists to defend humanitarian rights of individuals, not nations.” “Won’t military action just cause more terrorism?” asked Cosmima Menghez, an alumna of UIC. As some students and other attendees continued to probe the panelists, a visibly affected officer said, “It’s not about NATO expansion or domination. It is about accessibility. We don’t recruit countries, they come to us.” The NATO officers defended potential involvement in Afghanistan, saying it would be in accordance with Article 5 of the alliance charter. However, some attendees disagreed. “NATO has been throwing together ad-hoc coalitions that are disingenuous,” Rozoff told the officers. “They operate collectively when it’s to their convenience, and unilaterally when it’s to their convenience.” At press time, it had not been confirmed whether NATO would go further than providing aircraft support to U.S. troops in Afghanistan. “I think we can count on NATO to take action in Afghanistan,” said Glenn Allen , a student member of the International Socialist Organization. “It’s going to kill innocent Afghanis. They say it counters terrorism, but it will only bring more terrorist attacks.” __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send your FREE holiday greetings online! http://greetings.yahoo.com ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9WB2D Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
