Saturday, June 11, 11am, Mershon Center for International Security Studies, 1501 Neil Ave., Rm. 120

The “Know NATO” workshop will explore the historic and actual impacts of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO].

Before the upcoming NATO summit that is scheduled to take place July 8-9 in Warsaw, Poland, the “Know NATO” workshop will enable peace researchers, educators, and activists to gain and share knowledge of that summit, which will be taking place during heightened global instability and conflict.

The wars in the Middle East, Ukraine, Africa, and Afghanistan have left hundreds of thousands dead, destroyed these countries’ infrastructure, and ruined the conditions for political stability and social peace. The terrorism that has spread around the world is a terrible legacy of these conflicts. Millions of refugees have been forced to flee their homes in search of a safe place for them and their families to live.

The promise of a peaceful world after the end of the Cold War has failed.

One of the reasons is the enlargement of the NATO to the east. We are presently in the middle of a new East-West arms race, seen clearly in the area of Central and Eastern Europe. The war in the east of Ukraine, in which thousands have lost their lives, is a terrible example of this rivalry. The proposals of NATO to expand further to the East threaten to escalate this conflict. The NATO proposals of the present Polish government to station permanent NATO bases in Poland and build a new Missile Defense Shield in the country would place its people on the frontline of these new hostilities. In times of austerity, NATO is urging all member states to raise its military spending to at least 2% of Gross Domestic Product [GDP]; which social policies will be impacted?

When the governments and Generals meet in Warsaw, an alternative voice must be heard. The “Know NATO” workshop will share plans by a coalition of the peace and anti-war movements to hold a number of events during the NATO summit in Warsaw. During the “Know NATO” workshop, alternatives to NATO militarization, such as the politics of common security and disarmament and global solidarity, will be explored.

Contact: Mark D. Stansbery [Columbus Campaign for Arms Control], walk@igc.org 614-517-7237

In conjunction with Ohio Peace Festival.