The 2021 summit of the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) takes
place at its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium on June 14, bringing
together the heads
of state and government of its 30 member countries.[1]
Summits are meetings of the North Atlantic Council, NATO's principal
political
decision-making body, at its highest level. They are not held regularly
but, according to NATO, at important junctures in its decision-making
process, to address issues "of overarching
political or strategic importance" such as when a new policy is
introduced or a major initiative launched. The last summit was held in
July 2018.
In
the recent period, with the end of the bipolar division of the world,
the U.S. imperialists who dominate the aggressive alliance have sought
to provide an ongoing justification for
NATO's existence as an instrument to advance their aims in the new
conditions.
At a time when the U.S. claims that
China and
Russia pose a threat to global stability, NATO is using these
countries as the pretext to demand increased war
funding from member governments.
Another important
aspect of the summit is how NATO is further
insinuating itself into the political and social affairs of member
countries and the direction
of their economies to serve its
aggressive aims. This is happening when more than ever
peoples the world over are affirming their right to be the
decision-makers in all matters that affect their lives and continue
to reject the use of force to sort out differences between nations and
peoples.
NATO is attempting to give itself a
progressive and democratic
veneer as a benevolent political actor, saying that it consults with
experts, youth, civil society and the private sector to
set its direction, that all its decisions are made by consensus, and
that it supports a rules-based international order. Meanwhile, it
demands increased military spending from its member
countries in contradiction with the people's wishes, and allegiance to
its "shared values" to the extent that criticism of NATO and its
warmongering are to be deemed acting in the service of
foreign powers, by which it usually means Russia and China.
Anti-NATO protest in Brussels, June 13, 2021
In an
article discussing the agenda of its 2021 summit, NATO says
this year's summit is "a pivotal moment for the Alliance and for
collective security. In an age of geopolitical
competition, Allies are stepping up in response to the challenges of
today and tomorrow. These include Russia's pattern of aggressive
behaviour; terrorism; cyber attacks and disruptive
technologies; the rise of China; and the security implications of
climate change."
As
if NATO is not the creation of the U.S. in the first place, under U.S.
command at all times, the media report Biden has given it unequivocal
U.S. backing, as opposed to Trump who was floating the idea of
dispensing with it altogether and not wasting any time permitting U.S.
allies to make trouble expressing their contradictions. "The United
States is fully committed to our NATO alliance, and I welcome your
growing investment in the military capabilities that enable our shared
defences," U.S. President Joe Biden told an online session of the
Munich Security Conference on February 19. He also confirmed the U.S.
commitment to NATO's so-called collective defence, adding, "An attack
on one is an attack on all. That is our unshakeable vow."
With
the U.S. back in the fold and that existential crisis averted,
NATO claims that at this summit, "there is now a unique opportunity to
strengthen the bond between Europe and North
America, and prepare NATO for the future. This is why the NATO 2030
initiative to continue adapting the Alliance is at the heart of the
Summit." NATO 2030 will be the main
preoccupation for this year's summit.
Canada will
be represented at the NATO summit by Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau. A June 2 press release from the Prime Minister's Office
states, "At the NATO Summit, Prime
Minister Trudeau will join other leaders to recommit to working
together to address future trans-Atlantic security threats and
challenges, and to strengthen shared security commitments that
keep our people safe." It adds that "NATO is a cornerstone of Canada's
international security policy. It is the primary international forum in
which to engage other nations on transatlantic
defence and security."
This could not be further
from the truth. None of the NATO Summit's
agenda addresses the basic concerns of Canadians about having an
independent self-reliant economy that can
produce all that the people require, not one that is subservient to the
needs of the U.S. war machine and war economy. NATO and its
warmongering agenda are in direct contradiction with
Canadians' desires for peaceful and friendly relations of mutual
benefit with other countries, and for the use of actual diplomacy --
not
coercive diplomacy that is the specialty of the U.S.,
that Canada also practices -- to sort out differences between
countries.
None of the summit agenda deals with the need for Canadians to have a
say in all matters that affect their lives.
NATO is
a Cold War relic that is a danger to humanity. What NATO
refers to as preparing for the future only promises further
destruction, despair and retrogression, not progress for
humanity. Canada must get out of NATO and NATO must be dismantled.
Note
1. In
1949, there were
12 founding members of NATO: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland,
Italy, Luxembourg, the
Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United
States. The other member countries are: Greece and Turkey (1952),
Germany (1955), Spain (1982), the Czech Republic,
Hungary and Poland (1999), Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,
Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia (2004), Albania and Croatia (2009),
Montenegro (2017) and North Macedonia
(2020).
This article was published in
Volume 51 Number 14 - June 13, 2021
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2021/Articles/MS51141.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
