More from the NATO FREE FUTURE summit

These photos came from the opening session of the summit.  There was a total of 300 people registered, many more showed up later in the day after they finished with their marches.

Feminist Criticism of NATO workshop

This workshop was done by Ingeborg Breines (Norway), Inge Hoger (member of parliament in Germany) and a couple of women whose names I did not catch (they were not listed in the program either).    They started with a discussion of the causes of war:  capitalism, chauvinism, racism, militarism, patriarchy (the dominance of males).  The values associated with this is power, hierarchies, rivalry, competition, deep individualism, and exploitation of nature.  No place for female values like concern, conciliation, solidarity, collective values.  Since women are the ones usually responsible for child rearing, they end up being invisible in our societies.

Structural power is socially created, strongly connected with capitalism, militarism, racism, and sexism.  NATO is a tool of war, which means militarization, which means only working under a patriarchal structure and and hierarchical structures. 

The presence of troops in a country means that rape, violence and sex workers go up.

UN Resolution 1325 was to promote interests and well being of women in conflict situations.  Implementation started in 2010. Resolution 1325 was passed to insure participation of women at the peace negotiations, to prevent violence against women. The aftereffects of passing this UN Resolution was various unintended consequences, since it was implemented by a patriarchal system. 


Alternatives would be the development of a culture of peace, including gender justice. 

The German member of parliament said that integration of females in the US military has increased acceptance of the military in US society.  She sees sports (like the Winter Olympics) as a public campaign for the armed forces.  In Germany, 20% of females in the military are victims of sexual assault.  In the USA, 33% of females in the military are victims of sexual assault.  Military service is not the route to female empowerment.

UN Resolution 1325 was used to incorporate women into a sick system, rather than alter a sick system to accomodate and empower women.  More information at www.nobelwomensinitiative.org.