>From: "MR JAVIER BERNAL" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Organization: University of Lincolnshire & Humberside > >STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.HOME-PAGE.ORG > > > >On http://www.transnational.org from February 19, 2000 > >Send "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" the e-mail address of a someone you think >would like to receive PressInfos. > > > > >TFF P r e s s I n f o # 8 8 > > >E U M I L I T A R I Z A T I O N : > >N E U T R A L I T Y A N D D E M O C R A C Y A T S T A K E > > > >"On 10 February European Commission President Romano Prodi declared >before a >Latvian audience that "any attack or aggression against an EU member >nation >would be an attack or aggression against the whole EU, this is the highest >guarantee." > >This - sensational - statement of high policy has not been commented upon >by >any government, politician or media in the European Union. This may be >interpreted as if Mr Prodi´s statement is agreed EU policy. > >If implemented as stated this statement marks a quantum shift of EU from >an >socio-economic union into a military defence alliance. Such a development >might risk to promote the development of a renewed cold war in Europe, >says >TFF director Jan Öberg. > > >Quotation >^^^^^^^^^ >- "European Commission President Romano Prodi surprised his Latvian >audience >Feb. 10 by declaring that "any attack or aggression against an EU >[European >Union] member nation would be an attack or aggression against the whole >EU, >this is the highest guarantee." If implemented as stated, this marks a >quantum shift in EU policies from the purely economic into the security >realm - a change that Russia cannot afford to ignore. Now Russia will feel >just as threatened by EU expansion as it has by NATO expansion." > >- "But it is Prodi's statement that will truly shock Russia. The fact that >the proclamation came from the European Commission's president - the >highest >non-rotating position within the EU superstructure - indicates that the >intent to implement security guarantees is no mere trial balloon, but new EU >policy." > >- "If the EU fully adopts Prodi's plans, it would conjure a nightmare >scenario for Russia. A soft-power EU and hard-power NATO would become >formal >partners in Western expansion. Traditionally neutral countries such as >Austria, Finland, Ireland and Sweden would be co-opted into a NATO-EU >military structure. An economically powerful EU, backed by a militarily >powerful NATO, would dig in along vast lengths of Russia's eastern border. >Russia's acquiescence to EU expansion will rapidly come to an end, and >what >little is left of the Russia-West "friendship" may be completely gone." > >>From Stratfor.com - Global Intelligence Unit February 11, 2000 at >http://www.stratfor.com/SERVICES/giu2000/021100.ASP > >End of quotation >^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > > >Neutrality and democracy >^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >"The EU is entering a phase of militarization. This development will have >implications for the member countries pursuing a policy of neutrality. >peace, globalism and democracy. Due to size, complexity and information >speed, transparency, dialogue and accountability may shrink in Western >democracies. The public debate in security policy-making is being >drastically reduced and is inversely proportional to the huge implications >for future security in Europe. > >Government projects and statesmen's self-assumed 'duty to take >responsibility for European democracy' (peace, human rights, values...) are >increasingly being perceived as non-popular or anti-popular. A case in point >is the ordinary citizen's feeling of deception, the sense that 'those up >there don't care about us.' This is the stuff that political apathy and >parties of discontent à la Mr. Haider's are made of: top leaders' remarkable >contempt for the citizens who elected them as their representatives >combined >with their inability to provide a people´s based security in the age of >uncontrolled globalization," says Oberg. > >"Neutral countries could contribute to a pluralist Europe from an >independent global perspective based on common security and humanism >and the >central role of the United Nations in a normative, security-building >process. Instead they are being co-opted into a NATO-EU military defence >alliance structure highlighted by the statement of Mr Prodi. Sweden - once a >special UN member - is now the acquiescent actor tailing after EU powers >and the United States. > > >Step-by-step militarization >^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >At no point has the European Commission President been given a mandate >to >express security guarantees to members and candidate member countries. >Europeans are, on the contrary, continuously being told that there is >nothing extraordinary about the ongoing militarization. It is said to be a >"natural process" of improving democratic peace-keeping in Europe. What >we >get is step-by-step decisions in one direction such as: > >(1) subordination of the West European Union (WEU) under the EU; ever >closer >military-industrial integration; a decision to set up a new EU intervention >force of 60.000 soldiers to be ready by 2003; the establishment of a series >of military decision-making bodies: a security political committee, a >special military committee, and an advisory professional military staff. We >get step-by-step co-ordination between the EU and NATO. > >(2) Former Secretary-General of NATO, Mr. Javier Solana, has been >rewarded >for his actions during the Kosovo crisis and become not only >Secretary-General of the EU Council of Ministers and High Representative >for >Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) but also Secretary-General of >WEU. > >(3) We get a far-reaching and fateful NATO expansion and now a EU >President >who uses the formulation of NATO's charter to convert the EU into an >alliance. > >(4) Study recent statements from leading ministers, top generals, EU >leaders >and NATO. They invariably state 'that we have learnt in Kosovo' that we need >more military capacity, more force. NATO's Secretary-General, Lord >Robertson, tells the world that "the time for a peace dividend is over >because there is no permanent peace - in Europe, or elsewhere. If NATO is >to >do its job of protecting future generations, we can no longer expect to have >security on the cheap." > >(5) In contrast, very little movement toward the building of capacity for >peaceful conflict-management and violence-prevention." > > >In democracies, never only one way >^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >Jan Oberg continues: "Again, this is not known to be anchored in the >political will of Europeans in general. True democracy can only be defended >by a convivial civil society debate - not by elites accumulating weapons. > >Empire building in centre-periphery structures is a specialty of the >cosmology and politics of major European colonial powers. For one who, >over >the last thirty years, has witnesses the development of the 'European >project' there can be no illusion that today's European Union is what TFF >adviser Johan Galtung - in 1972 - termed a superpower in-the-making. > >Kosovo is the modern catchword for a decade-long failure of EU to develop a >common foreign and security policy capacity. When intellectual analysis >and >principled politics crumble, the disaster becomes a recipe! It's time to >wake up and see that the emperors of Peaceful EU are not naked but >dressing >up in uniforms. > >Will Sweden keep on just acquiescing?" asks Jan Oberg. > > > >(c) TFF 2000 > >You are welcome to reprint, copy, archive, quote or re-post this item, but >please retain the source. > > > > > > > >_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ > >Dr. Jan Oberg >Director, head of the TFF Conflict-Mitigation team >to the Balkans and Georgia > >T F F > >Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research >Vegagatan 25, S - 224 57 Lund, Sweden >Phone +46-46-145909 (0900-1100) >Fax +46-46-144512 >Email >[EMAIL PROTECTED] >http://www.transnational.org > > >_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ > > >______________________________________________________________________ >To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb > __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. 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