The Lisbon Treaty Means More Militarisation

The Lisbon Treaty Means More Militarisation and Senseless WarsThe Irish Anti War Movement is calling on all our supporters to VOTE NO to theLisbon Treaty and to canvass your friends, work colleagues, neighbours, familyon this important issue. There is still time to swing the vote in favour of theNo side.Please print out the of our leaflet and hang it up in your workplace orcollege or distribute it to friends, family etc.If you can help with canvassing, stalls, leafleting etc. in these last criticalfew days please contact Michael Youlton on 086 8159487.The Irish Anti War Movement is calling on all our supporters to VOTE NO to theLisbon Treaty and to canvass your friends, work colleagues, neighbours, familyon this important issue. There is still time to swing the vote in favour of theNo side.Please print out this leaflet(http://www.irishantiwar.org/files/irish-anti-war-leaflet1.pdf [1]) and hang itup in your workplace or college or distribute it to friends, family etc.A number of articles have been included in this news letter if you are unsureabout what way you will vote please read them.If you can help with canvassing, stalls, leafleting etc. in these last criticalfew days please contact Michael Youlton on 086 8159487.________________________________________________________________________------------------------------------------------------------The Lisbon Treaty Means More Wasteful Militarisation & Senseless Wars [2]------------------------------------------------------------The Lisbon Treaty:* Imposes more military spending by all EU member states* Allows former colonial powers to dominate EU defence policy* Reinforces EU-NATO links hence U.S. influence over EU foreign policy* Creates a new EU common defence policy that further undermines Irish neutrality.* Obliges Ireland to aid and assist other EU countries in military conflicts* Will lead to more horrific wars such as those inflicted on Iraq,* Afghanistan and GazaRead more(http://www.irishantiwar.org/node/594 [3])________________________________________________________________________------------------------------------------------------------Treaty hides ticking time bomb of EU defence body [4]------------------------------------------------------------Lisbon Treaty seeks to incorporate an aggressive European Defence Agency intoEU, writes VINCENT BROWNETHE LISBON Treaty proposes to incorporate the European Defence Agency (EDA)within the institutional structure of the European Union.Among the tasks of the EDA will be to co-ordinate the military equipment of EUmember states to ensure there is greater efficiency and synchronisation of themilitary capacities of member states in the conduct of humanitarian andpeacekeeping projects. It also sponsors research on measures to improve theprotection of military personnel engaged in such missions.The EU has already participated in peacekeeping operations in the Balkans andin Africa, most recently in Chad and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Theseinitiatives have won widespread approval and support and the intervention inCongo, in particular, may have saved thousands of lives.If this was all the EDA was up to, how could any of us complain? We are all infavour of peace, in favour of rescuing populations from starvation, war andnatural disasters, and doing everything we can to protect our soldiers engagedin such laudable undertakings. But, regrettably, this is not all the EDA is upto and this is not all the Lisbon Treaty would facilitate, if endorsed by theIrish people.Read more(http://www.irishantiwar.org/node/595 [5])________________________________________________________________________------------------------------------------------------------Militarism and the Lisbon Treaty [6]------------------------------------------------------------Download Entire Pamphlet [7] (www.caeuc.org/files/CAEUCpamphlet4Feb08.pdf [8])The Lisbon Treaty widens the range of reasons to justify EU militaryinterventions abroad. It would integrate Irish forces into EU militarystructures and planning, which are dominated by states with colonial historiesand use military force for political-economic ends. All member states must paytowards the costs of militarisation.Neutrality in the gutterIrish neutrality - meaning we don’t participate in militaryalliances or allow our territory to be used by belligerents involved in war- has been thrown into the gutter. Our political elite have allowed overone million US troops use Shannon going to and from the US colony in Iraq. Thiscontravenes international law on neutrality (Hague Convention, 1907). Likewisethey refuse to search US planes en route to illegal secret prisons, for examplein Poland, Romania and Egypt -carrying prisoners to these torture centres.Irish troops are to take part in a French-dominated EU intervention into theconflict in Chad, ostensibly to provide security for refugees. For us the wellbeing of ordinary people is paramount. While this is a UN-authorised mission,France - as the former colonial power - has been giving military supportto the dictatorial regime in Chad that has rigged elections and used childsoldiers. Beneath humanitarian concerns lies a French desire to maintainwestern influence over the oil and uranium of the region. In the eyes of localpeople, Irish troops are likely to be indistinguishable from French forces,hated in much of Africa for their brutal colonial history.Read more(http://www.irishantiwar.org/node/593 [9])________________________________________________________________________[1] http://www.irishantiwar.org/files/irish-anti-war-leaflet1.pdf[2] http://www.irishantiwar.org/..../../../../../node/594[3] http://www.irishantiwar.org/node/594[4] http://www.irishantiwar.org/..../../../../../node/595[5] http://www.irishantiwar.org/node/595[6] http://www.irishantiwar.org/..../../../../../node/593[7] http://www.caeuc.org/files/CAEUCpamphlet4Feb08.pdf[8] http://www.caeuc.org/files/CAEUCpamphlet4Feb08.pdf[9] http://www.irishantiwar.org/node/593======================================================================To set-up a standing order with the Irish-Anti War Movement please go to the following link http://www.irishantiwar.org/files/standing-order-form.doc fill in the form and post to the Irish Anti-War Movement P.O. Box 9260 Dublin 1.To unsubscribe from this mailing list send a message to info@irishantiwar.org with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line.If you have subscribed using the button on the web site you can unsubscirbe this way as well.To contact the webmaster send an email to webmaster@irishantiwar.org or ring +353 0 878289243Irish Anti-War MovementTel (fixed) 353 (0) 1 8727912, Tel (mobile) 353 (0) 87 6329511 Postal Address Irish Anti-War MovementPO Box 9260Dublin 1======================================================================