About the Network . with Google Pages

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.

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.