Now this is different

Screen shot from El Mundo/EFE video of the demonstration

At least I haven't heard of a demo quite like this one in a while, a civil disobedience action aimed at NATO headquarters in Brussels. No, it wasn't a bunch of Birchers or Ron Paul fans opposing all treaties with foreigners. It was a group of activists from a number of countries opposing NATO participation in the Iraq War and the Afghanistan War.

News reports: Cientos de arrestados al intentar entrar en la sede de la OTAN en Bruselas El Mundo 22.03.08 (video included); Over 100 anti-war protesters arrested at NATO HQ Reuters 03/22/08.

"NATO Game Over" sites: NATO-GAME OVER 28.02.08 at.indymedia.org; NATO-Game over, War Resisters' International 24.01.08.

I don't know much about the groups organizing this. But from the news reports and the El Mundo/EFE video, it seems to have been a well-planned, disciplined action, including taking precautions to have media present to film things, which helps reduce the danger of police abuse. Speaking of police, the Belgian authorities apparently don't see the need to have a highly-visible phalanx of helmeted riot police to deal with a peaceful demonstration. Maybe not every democracy lives in the stae of constant fear that has more and more characterized American society for far too long.

From the Reuters report:

"Today is close to the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq and we are protesting against NATO's involvement and in particular European countries which are allowing themselves to be used as military hubs," anti-war campaigner Hans Lammerant told Reuters.

"NATO has 350 U.S. nuclear weapons deployed in Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Britain and Turkey. According to international humanitarian law these weapons are illegal."

The participation of EU countries in the Iraq War is small and/or indirect. But NATO troops from a number of countries are fighting in Afghanistan, and that war is generally unpopular among EU publics.

For American Democrats, the Afghanistan War is used a foil to contrast the Good War that's really against Al Qa'ida and terrorism to the all-round disaster known as the Iraq War.

But NATO is fighting the same kind of war in Afghanistan, a brual partisan war which foreigners are not going to win. Not the USSR in the 1980s, not NATO in the 2000s. I supported the initial intervention in Afghanistan. But after the escape of Bin Laden and other key Al Qa'ida figures at the Battle of Toro Bora in 2002, a major re-evaluation was called for. Now we're stuck in another open-ended counterinsurgency war, from which NATO and the US will eventually withdraw with not much more to show for it than what we have today.

Here's a couple of logos for the action, from the UK Bombsighting Web page:


Tags: afghanistan war, iran war, nato game over