About the Network

Opposition to foreign military presence has a long and rich history. Wherever there’s a military base, there is usually a movement resisting its encroachment on sovereignty and democracy. Around the world, communities, social movements, women’s organisations, political parties, environmental groups, intellectuals and religious groups have been campaigning in various ways through the years against foreign military presence, militarisation, and milsitary interventions. In some cases, such efforts have taken the form of a specific single-issue campaign. In others, the campaign has been part of broader movements for independence and social justice.

For these campaigns, the issue of foreign military presence has served as a rallying and unifying cause that has driven grassroots organising, educational campaigns, and political mobilisation. In a number of places, notably in the Philippines or in Puerto Rico, popular movements against foreign bases succeeded in adding to the social pressure that led to the termination of basing agreements with the United States. Even then, campaigns to force the US to clean up the toxic legacy of their vacated military bases continue. In many places, such as Korea or Japan, the campaigns have been going on for generations. In others, such as Ecuador, Paraguay, Uzbekistan or Bulgaria, the struggle has only recently begun.

Until 2004, most of these movements and campaigns have been mostly local or national in character – even if the reach of foreign military presence itself is global. While often very vibrant and dynamic, these movements were often isolated and disparate. Given the similar tactics the US uses to guarantee its military presence, as well as the similar experiences of those hosting them, much can be gained from greater and deeper linkages among local and national campaigns and movements across the globe. Local groups around the world can learn and benefit from sharing information, experiences, and strategies with each other.

The realisation that one is not alone in the struggle against foreign bases is profoundly empowering and motivating. Globally coordinated actions and campaigns can highlight the reach and scale of the resistance to foreign military presence around the world. With the trend of rising militarisation and resort to the use of force around the world, there is now an urgent and compelling need to establish and strengthen an international network of campaigners, organisations, and movements working with a special and strategic focus on foreign military presence and ultimately, working towards a lasting and just system of peace.

Momentum for the Emergence of an International Movement

The “war against terror” and the invasion of Iraq have added urgency to forming an international network. In an international anti-war meeting in Jakarta in May 2003, just a few weeks after the start of the invasion of Iraq, a global campaign against military bases was proposed as a priority action of the global anti-war and justice and solidarity movements.

Since then, this campaign has been gaining ground. A mailing list ( nousbases lists.riseup.net and nousbases-info lists.riseup.net) devoted to discussions on foreign bases has been created and is now the site of a vibrant exchange of information and of discussion.

The e-list now has over 300 members from over 48 countries, including a diverse group of campaigners, organisers and researchers . Over the course of 2004, participants informed each other on their campaigns and plans, and discussed cooperation and strategies in more than 4000 email exchanges. A website is also being set up and is envisioned to become the most important organisational and communication tool for the network; a site for posting the latest basing plans and campaign news and announcements. A project to comprehensively map the locations and forms of foreign military installations around the world is currently in full operation.

Efforts to organise and expand the Network are also ongoing, with workshops and seminars on foreign military bases now a regular presence in various Social Forums such as the European Social Forum in Paris in 2003 and in London in 2004, the Americas Social Forum in Ecuador in August 2004 and the Mediterranean Social Forum in Spain 2005. One of the biggest gatherings of anti-bases activists to date has been the series of workshops on military bases held at the World Social Forum in India in January 2004. Over 125 participants, including many long-time as well as new anti-bases campaigners, from 34 countries, began mapping out a coordinated global campaign against US bases. Priorities identified at the time were the development of a web site, joint planning for research, the setting of a date for a day of Global Action to highlight the issue of foreign military bases and a joint attempt to reach out to all campaigns and individuals that work against the presence of a foreign military base in their region or local community.

One year after the gathering in Mumbai, four sessions were organised by the Network during the World Social Forum in Por to Alegre , Braz il. The sessions managed to draw in new participants, and exchange updated analyses between Network members. Two out of four sessions were reserved to discuss the next phases in the development of the Network. The resulting joint planning can only be achieved by raising sufficient resources. This funding application is a direct consequence of the decisions made in Porto Alegre.

Relation With Other Campaigns And Movements

The current global campaigns targeting the network of foreign military bases, do n ot exist in a vacuum. In numerous forums, conferences and gatherings over the past few years, it has been acknowledged that the problem of foreign military bases needs priority attention from the peace movements and the global justice movements. The Jakarta Consensus, May 2003, the General Assemblies of the anti-war movements in Mumbai, Beirut and Porto Alegre in 2004 and early 2005 all call for prioritising on the issue of foreign military bases. Very recently, the final session of the World Tribunal on Iraq, in its recommendations mentioned the Network as one deserving all support.

Politically, the relevance of the debate around foreign military bases was exemplified by the Guantanamo Bay issue, the disagreements between the US, Russia, Iran and Uzbekistan with regard to US and Russian military bases in the Middle East, the resistance to proliferation of US military installations in the Andean region, while widespread popular resistance against foreign military bases in Japan (Henoko, Okinawa), Korea, Italy and Latin America (ig “Plan Colombia”) continues.

 About the Conference

The basic requirements for an effective network on foreign military bases are now present. What remains to be achieved are to:

– strengthen and complete the network by reaching out to all organisations working against foreign military presence, but not yet within the network because of barriers of language, geography, etc;
– formally establishing the network by reaching a consensus on this network’s basis of unity and common objectives;
– clarify and sharpen understanding of the network’s role in global and local struggles; including developing ways to draw on and strengthen relationships with existing international activist movements and networks (e.g. anti-war, anti-nukes and anti-corporate globalisation)
– develop how the broader network can support local and national campaigns against military bases;
– come up with priorities and a common plan of action for concrete campaigns and projects; and
– reach agreements on organisational arrangements for facilitating communication, coordination, and decision-making.

The best way to accomplish these necessary steps is to convene an international inaugural conference on foreign military presence.

While working towards theses outputs, conference participants would share information and ideas and develop stronger personal contacts with each other. Such networking is both a key output in itself and a requirement for strong and effective coordination.

Participants

The goal will be to have at least one representative from each country or territory hosting foreign military forces. The organisers will target individuals and organisations who are working locally on the issue and are part of a constituency. Most of those who are expected to attend are already members of the existing list-serve but special effort will be given to looking for bases campaigners who are not yet integrated into the social forum process or other international anti-war networks, particularly where barriers of language or geography have prevented organisations, particularly grassroots ones, from being involved. Around 100 invited participants are expected, and 250 local participants.

Process

An open call was sent for organisations who want to become part of an international organising committee (IOC) that will become the primary coordinating and decision-making body in organising the conference. This committee now has 25 members. Geographical representation was taken into account.

Once convened, the committee finalised the project proposal and conducted consultations. In February 2005, after discussing the proposals during the Network meetings in Porto Alegre, the IOC sent a formal invitation to groups and organisations which expressed an interest was to host the Inaugural Conference.

After a period of lengthy consultation, it was decided that the C onference be held in Ecuador. A broad coalition of groups in Ecuador offered to host and are committed to organizing the conference along with a broad group of organizations from around the world. Organising of this conference is the biggest item in this funding application.

The International Network Against Foreign Military Bases, has chosen – up till now – to remain a loose network of organisations, It acknowledges, however, that in the future the organisational processes may need to be institutionalised. The Inaugural Conference is expected to be the starting point for that.

In the current Network structure, an International Organising Committee (IOC) has been put in place to organise the meetings at the Social Forums, and to evaluate the progress of the agreed on projects and activities. During the Social Forum meetings in January 2005, the IOC was given a mandate by the network to follow through the proposals for organising the Conference

Current members of the IOC are: (as of 4 April 2006)

Pakistan Peace Coalition ( Pakistan)

American Friends Service Committee (US)

US Peace Council (US)

Nonviolence International (US)

Bangladesh Krishok Federation ( Bangladesh)

Gathering for Peace (The Philippines)

For Mother Earth ( Belgium)

Campaign for the Demilitarisation of the Americas (CADA)
(Latin America)

Focus on the Global South

Asociación Cristiana de Jóvenes del Ecuador - ACJ Ecuador/
YMCA Ecuador

Fellowship for Reconciliation (US)

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) ( UK)

Bases Action Network ( Okinawa)

LALIT (Diego Garcia / Mauritius)

Regional Advisory Foundation on Human Rights (INREDH) ( Ecuador)

Asian Peace Alliance - Japan

Cuban Movement for Peace and Sovereignty ( Cuba)

Stop the War Coalition ( Greece)

SEATINI ( South Africa)

Japan Peace Committee ( Japan)

Transnational Institute

For the Inaugural Conference in 2007 in Ecuador, the National Organising Committee, or NOC, consisting of representatives of all local groups and organisations involved in hosting the Inaugural Conference, was recently formed.

Members of the NOC are currently:

Peace and Justice Service [Servicio Paz y Justicia] (SERPAJ-E)

American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) Ecuador

Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador [Confederación de Nacionalidades Indígenas del Ecuador] (CONAIE)

Regional Advisory Foundation on Human Rights [Fundación Regional de Asesoría en Derechos Humanos] (INREDH)

Campesino Social Security [Seguro Social Campesino] (CONFEUNASSC)

Pro-Human Rights Collective [Colectivo Pro-Derechos Humanos] (PRODH)

Tohall í Movement [Movimiento Tohallí]

Altercom

Ecumenical Human Rights Comisión [Comisión Ecuménica de Derechos Humanos] (CEDHU)

Conscientious Objector Group [Grupo de Objetores de Conciencia] (GOCE)

Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) [Asociación Cristiana de Jóvenes] (ACJ)

Migrants, Refugees, and Displaced [Migrantes, Refugiados y Desplazados] (MIREDES)

Llactacaru Migrant Association [Asociación de Migrantes Llactacaru]