These are nothing but arms sales tactics by Major Powers i.e. USA, UK, France, Germany, Sweden...
Say “No” to War and Media Propaganda: Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire
While the United States, United Kingdom and NATO are pushing for
war with Russia, it behooves people and their governments around the
world to take a clear stand for peace and against violence and war, no
matter where it comes from.
We are at a dangerous point in our history of the human family
and it would be the greatest of tragedies for ourselves and our children
if we simply allowed the war profiteers to take us into a third world
war, resulting in the death of untold millions of people.
NATO’s decision at its summit in Wales (September 4-5) to create a
new 4,000 strong rapid reaction force for initial deployment in the
Baltics is a dangerous path for us all to be forced down, and could well
lead to a third world war if not stopped. What is needed now are cool
heads and people of wisdom and not more guns, more weapons, more war.
NATO is the leadership which has been causing the ongoing wars from
the present conflict in the Ukraine, to Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and
others.
NATO’s latest move commits its 28 member states to spend two percent
of their gross domestic product on the military, and to establish a
series of three to five bases in Eastern Europe where equipment and
supplies will be pre-positioned to help speed deployments, among other
measures.
“We are at a dangerous point in our history of the human family and it would be the greatest of tragedies for ourselves and our children if we simply allowed the war profiteers to take us into a third world war, resulting in the death of untold millions of people.”
This decision by the United States/NATO to create a high readiness
force with the alleged purpose of countering an alleged Russian threat
reminds me of the war propaganda of lies, half-truths, insinuations and
rumours to which we were all subjected in order to try to soften us all
up for the Iraq war and subsequent horrific wars of terror which were
carried out by NATO allied forces.
According to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OCSE) observation team, NATO’s reports, including its satellite photos
which show Russian combat forces engaged in military operations inside
sovereign territory of Ukraine, were based on false evidence.
While NATO is busy announcing a counter-invasion to the non-existent
Russian invasion of Ukraine, people in Ukraine are calling out for peace
and negotiations, for political leadership which will bring them peace,
not weapons and war.
This spearhead military force will be provided by allies in rotation
and will involve also air, sea and special forces. We are also informed
by a NATO spokesperson that this force will be trained to deal with
unconventional actions, from the funding of separatist groups to the use
of social media, intimidation and black propaganda.
No doubt the current Western media’s demonisation of President
Vladimir Putin and the Russian people, by trying to inculcate fear and
hatred of them, is part of the black propaganda campaign.
NATO’s latest proposals of 4,000 soldiers, and a separate force of
10,000 strong British-led joint expeditionary force also proposed, is a
highly aggressive and totally irresponsible move by the United States,
United Kingdom and NATO. It is breaches the 1997 agreement with Moscow
under which NATO pledged not to base substantial numbers of soldiers in
Eastern Europe on a permanent basis.
NATO should have been disbanded when the Warsaw Pact disintegrated
but it was not and is now controlled by the United States for its own
agenda. When speaking of NATO, one of President Bill Clinton’s officials
said “America is NATO”. Today NATO, instead of being abolished, is
re-inventing itself in re-arming and militarising European states and
justifying its new role by creating enemy images – be they Russians, IS
(the Islamic State), and so on.
In an interdependent, interconnected world, struggling to build
fraternity, economic cooperation and human security, there is no place
for the Cold War policies of killing and threats to kill and policies of
exceptionalism and superiority. The world has changed. People do not
want to be divided and they want to see an end to violence, militarism
and war.
The old consciousness is dysfunctional and a new consciousness based
on an ethic of non-killing and respect and cooperation is spreading. It
is time for NATO to recognise that its violent policies are
counterproductive. The Ukraine crisis, groups such as the Islamic State,
etc., will not be solved with guns, but with justice and through
dialogue.
Above all, the world needs hope. It needs inspirational political
leadership and this could be given if President Barack Obama and
President Putin sat down together to solve the Ukraine conflict through
dialogue and negotiation and in a non-violent way.
We live in dangerous times, but all things are possible, all things are changing … and peace is possible.
The original source of this article is Inter Press Service
Copyright © Mairead Maguire, Inter Press Service, 2016
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