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TNI’s Under the Radar: Twenty years of EU Military Missions

For two decades, the European Union has been gradually moving towards becoming a de facto military power. This has happened beyond the sight of the European public, with scant oversight from democratic institutions or judicial accountability. This policy briefing by TNI critically reviews 20 years of the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) military missions, with a focus on the 10 most recent or current missions.

Under the Radar – 20 years of EU military missions (PDF, 10.83 MB)

Average time to read: 45 minutes minutes

Expert: It is impossible to achieve victory through weapons in the atomic world

Press Release

Obshchaya Gazeta, Leningrad Region, Russia, April 22

Original Publication in Russia: https://og47.ru/2024/04/22/ekspert-za-scyot-oruziya-v-atomnom-mire-nevozmozno-dobitsya-pobedy-42180

Healing People, Peace & Planet : World’s Indigenous Leaders at the First Global Summit on Indigenous Peacebuilding held in Washington DC Urges United Nations to include Indigenous Peacebuilding Approaches in Resolving Global Conflicts.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

30 April 2024, Binalakshmi Nepram Mentschel

We live in a world marred by conflict. The world of today urgently needs meaningful peacebuilding that works for all. 80 percent of conflicts around the world are happening in biodiversity areas where Indigenous Peoples live.107 wars are happening in the world today, displacing 117 million. Any peace-building efforts in global conflicts must involve and include Indigenous Peoples. Peace-making efforts are currently usually negotiated at high political levels, behind closed doors, and with violent groups – where Indigenous Peoples are rarely represented.

Djibouti: Closing Foreign Military Bases/ Fermeture des bases militaires étrangères

IPB supports the World Beyond War’s campaign to close all military bases in Djibouti through non-violent means. A military bases comprises land, structures, and gear specifically designated for the requirements of the military and overseen by the soldiers who typically reside and operate there when not engaged in foreign missions. Through agreements among nations, certain prominent nations maintain bases beyond their own territories. These bases serve as hubs for organizing and initiating military actions. We strongly support Djibouti’s call to close the eight active bases in their area.

Support the Let Cuba Live!

Today Cuba faces a blockade whose sole purpose is to force it’s people into submission; a blockade that is using new tools like the State Sponsors of Terrorism list to increase its strength and reach.

IPB support the Let Cuba Live Campaign. Join us in collecting 1 MILLION SIGNATURES for an urgent demand to take Cuba off the list of State Sponsors of Terror and continue its path toward peace, social justice, and human development.

Global Day of Action #StopSendingArms to Israel

On May 2, the Global Day of Action will mobilise a global coalition of arms experts, civil society organisations, climate activists, healthcare workers, faith leaders, journalists, academics, legal professionals, artists and students around the shared goal of calling on all states to halt the transfer of weapons, parts and ammunitions used to fuel atrocity crimes in Gaza.

Stop the War Coalition -Philippines Statement on Global Military Spending

PRESS STATEMENT

APRIL 25, 2024

References: Dj Janier (09336412694), Mercy Angeles (09063677594)

Stop the War Coalition Philippines joins the call to demilitarize as global military spending rises for the ninth consecutive year

Wars and military conflicts devastate entire portions of the planet. According to SIPRI estimates, global military spending climbed by 19% between 2013 and 2022 and has risen annually since 2015. Particularly for 2023, for the ninth year in a row, there has been a 6.8 percent increase in spending in real terms from 2022, with the world spending roughly $2443 billion US dollars. This is apparent in all five regions, with considerable rises in Europe, Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East.

For the Philippines, military spending has been steadily on the rise in recent years with the latest figures showing that we spent USD 3.965 Million or around 35 dollars per capita (source: demilitarize.org). Around 500 million USD in Foreign Military Financing from the United States is earmarked for the country. This is part of the 8 billion USD emergency aid package for Indo-Pacific allies under the Indo-Pacific Supplemental Appropriations Act that was approved by the United States House of Representatives. This in turn was part of an even bigger 95B USD package that will send aid to other US allies like Israel and Ukraine.

UNODA’s Statement on the Global Days of Action on Military Spending

Izumi Nakamitsu, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, issued the following message on the occasion of the 2024 Global Days of Action on Military Spending.

The figures released today by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) show that global military expenditures rose by 6.8 per cent in real terms to 2,443 billion US dollars in 2023 – a new record high. This amounts to approximately 2.3 per cent of global gross domestic product (GDP) or around 306 US dollars for every person on the planet.

Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2023

Published by: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)

Date: 22 April 2024

Authors: Dr Nan Tian, Dr Diego Lopes da Silva, Xiao Liang and Lorenzo Scarazzato

World military expenditure increased for the ninth consecutive year in 2023, reaching a total of $2443 billion. The 6.8 per cent increase in 2023 was the steepest year-on-year rise since 2009 and pushed global spending to the highest level SIPRI has ever recorded. The world military burden—defined as military spending as a percentage of global gross domestic product (GDP)—increased to 2.3 per cent in 2023. Average military expenditure as a share of government expenditure rose by 0.4 percentage points to 6.9 per cent in 2023 and world military spending per person was the highest since 1990, at $306.

IPB Statement on Recent Escalation in West Asia

18 April 2024, Germany

The International Peace Bureau (IPB) is deeply concerned over the continued escalation and open violation of international law in West Asia. Both the Israeli attack on the Iranian embassy in Syria and Iran’s launching of missiles and drones from its own soil toward Israel represent blatant attempts to exacerbate tensions and expand direct confrontation to a regional scale. We unequivocally condemn these actions and demand that all states involved, both directly and indirectly, reject any further military responses and make use of diplomatic channels for immediate de-escalation.

We reiterate the complex and prolonged nature of regional conflicts in West Asia and underline that any attempt to solve these disputes through military action risks throwing not only the region into direct and deadly conflict, but also states outside the region. Any such war would result in immeasurable death and suffering of innocent people and an acute risk of nuclear weapons use which would put the entire planet at risk. States in the region must recognize that they cannot choose their neighbors and must instead work toward a policy of common security for all in the region.

Long-term solutions for peace in the region are only possible in a climate of peace when the active violence of Israel’s assault on Gaza and ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people has stopped. We therefore reiterate our call for an immediate ceasefire and negotiations in Gaza that create the necessary space for discussions on long-term solutions that preserve the humanity and underline the need for common security of all Palestinians, Israelis, and peoples of the region.