A New Cold War against China Is Against the Interests of Humanity
No to NATO
(August 14, 2020) — We note the increasingly aggressive statements and actions being taken by the US government in regard to China. These constitute a threat to world peace and are an obstacle to humanity successfully dealing with extremely serious common issues, which confront it such as climate change, control of pandemics, racist discrimination and economic development.
We therefore believe that any New Cold War would run entirely counter to the interests of humanity. Instead we stand in favor of maximum global cooperation in order to tackle the enormous challenges we face as a species.
We therefore call upon the US to step back from this threat of a Cold War and also from other dangerous threats to world peace it is engaged in including: withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces agreement; withdrawal from the Paris Climate Change Accords; and its increasing disengagement from UN bodies. The US should also stop pressuring other countries to adopt such dangerous positions.
We support China and the US basing their relations on mutual dialogue and centring on the common issues that unite humanity.
Initial Signatories — Organizations
• ANSWER coalition (US)
• Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (UK)
• CODEPINK (US)
• Environmentalists Against War (US)
• International Action Center (US)
• Peace for Okinawa Coalition
• Pivot to Peace (US)
• Stop the War (UK)
• Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War (Canada)
More information and the posibility to support nd sign on https://nocoldwar.org/statement
Launch of an Appeal for a Nuclear Weapons Free Europe
(August 9, 2020) — On the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a new campaign is being launched to make Europe a Nuclear Weapons Free Zone. The campaign is being initiated by 8 campaigning organisations: the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation; Church and Peace; the International Network of Engineers and Scientists for Global Responsibility (INES); the International Peace Bureau (IPB); the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC); the European section of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW); Pax Christi International; and Quakers Europe. They have come together to express their concern about the global situation, which they say is more dangerous than it has ever been.
A supporting statement issued with the appeal points out that “arms control treaties are no longer upheld, and governments have started updating and expanding nuclear arsenals.”
Alongside this new technologies are minimising human intervention and shortening possible response times, and they say that this “shorten[s] the time available to consider possible responses” and therefore “the probabilities of a catastrophic accident or mistake are increasing dramatically”.
The statement goes on to say that “the world is at a crossroads and Europe has to make a strategic choice: remain part of the arms race or demonstrate global leadership by promoting a peaceful approach towards common global security.”
The campaign also points out that people have been calling for Europe to be nuclear-weapon-free, and for the removal of the US nuclear weapons held in their countries, for many years. More recently they have also lobbied their governments to ratify the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
“As the risks of nuclear confrontation grow in Europe and spread to the Middle East, China and the Korean peninsula and as we emerge from the pandemic, we have a chance to rebuild. Today we join our voices with those of the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and call upon our fellow citizens, politicians and governments to support a European nuclear-weapon-free zone as a matter of urgency.” — Lucas Wirl in the name of the initiating organization.
The Citizens’ Appeal calls on all European governments to:
• end the modernization of all nuclear weapons.
• end nuclear sharing.
• sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
More details, possibility to sign and support for the appeal are at www.nukefreeeurope.eu
Contact: Reiner Braun hr.braun@gmx.net +49 172 231 7475
Fourth International Congress against Military Bases and Wars
Day: Friday September 25th, 2020
Time: from 11am to 5.30 pm (Central European Summer Time)
Location: 10117 Berlin, Marienstraße 19/20 (Meeting room)
Virtualization: Hybrid conference with additional Zoom participation.
The Campaign “Stopp Air Base Ramstein” (www.ramstein-kampagne.eu) invites you to the 4th international congress against military bases and wars. We will discuss about the international political situation and how to enlarge our struggle against war machinery and warfare. A focus should be the discussion about the protection of the environment and how military bases, war machinery and wars are destroying the environment and the climate.
The Campaign “Stopp Air Base Ramstein” (www.ramstein-kampagne.eu) invites you to the 4th international congress against military bases and wars.
Key Points of the International Conference Will Be:
• the actual political situation and relevance of military bases and presence of war machinery in conflict regions worldwide
• what to do to come back to an international policy of cooperation
• exchange of information about the actions against military bases in different countries in the world
• analysis of social movements worldwide for cooperation in our struggle for disarmament
• coordination for future common actions, specially how to strengthen the international Anti Bases network
Corona changes many things including the structure and the arrangement of our congress. It will be a hybrid meeting with physical presence and video participation (details see last page).
We hope you can attend the conference personally in Berlin. All security needs demanded from the authorities will be handled by us.
Program
11:00 Opening plenary
Welcome Kristine Karch, No to War – No to NATO Campaign Stopp Air Base Ramstein, Heinz Bierbaum, President of the European Left
11.10 to 11.25 Opening Lecture
Ludo De Brabander, vrede vzw, Belgium
11.45 till 12.30 Talk
Environmental destruction and climate pollution by military bases with Pat Elder, World Beyond War, USA (zoom) and Karl-Heinz Peil, campaign Stopp Air Base Ramstein. Moderation: Kristine Karch
12.30 till 1.30 Case studies
Four military bases — our fights — one world
• Suzuyo Takazato, All Okinawa Peace Network,
Japan (zoom)
• A-Young Moon, Peacemomo, South Korea (zoom)
• N.N. Nomuos, Sicilia
• Conny Burkard-Schmitz, local initiative against the Air Base Ramstein, campaign Stopp Air Base Ramstein
Moderation: Alain Rouy, Mouvement de la Paix, France
Break
2.15 till 3.45 Further information
about fights against military bases and manouver (DEFENDER)
• Julietta Daza, activist, Venezuela (zoom)
• Ann Wright, Code Pink, veterans for Peace, Hawaii/USA (zoom)
• Angelika Becker, Netzwerk Cuba – informationsbüro – e.V.
• John Lannon, IAWM, Ireland
• Dave Webb, CND, UK
4.00 till 5.30pm Visions
for a world without military bases, nuclear weapons, and wars
• Introduction Reiner Braun, IPB, campaign Stopp Air Base Ramstein
• Alexander Neu, Member of the German Bundestag
Open discussion
Location
The meeting place is meeting room in Marienstraße 19/20. Detailed signs will be at the entrance door. Marienstraße is in the middle of the city of Berlin next to Friedrichstraße (S/U)
Participation by zoom
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/905850386
Meeting-ID: 905 850 386
Participation by You Tube
You Tube link via facebook.com/stoppramstein
Please register with the key word offline or online at info@ramstein-kampagne.eu Registration is needed because of health security orders by the authorities. For further questions please contact: Hr.Braun@gmx.net
www.ramstein-kampagne.eu/ | facebook.com/stoppramstein | twitter.com /Stopp Ramstein | youtube.com/MoveNOW.TV | instagram.com/stoppramstein/
