Around the world, governments appear to be preparing for war. US president Donald Trump has boosted US army’s budget, while France’s Emmanuel Macron has pitched his visions of an EU army.
Most recently, defense ministers of France and Germany called for increase in military expenses and better coordination among EU countries on foreign policy. Their justification, according to the German defense minister, is that “Europe has to up its pace in the face of global challenges from terrorism, poverty and climate change“. It is hard to see the logic — and it is harder not to see the irony of making this pitch on the 15th anniversary of the great marches against the Iraq War.
At DiEM25, we believe that it is our responsibility to resist the shift toward militarism. To fight climate change, poverty and terrorism we do not need to increase our defenses, we do not need to make more bullets, we do not need to arm school teachers with guns.
Our response should not be more military interventions. Our response should be restoration of democracy and the generous empowerment of fair social services, not only in Europe but worldwide. To achieve this, join us here and let’s collectively develop and implement a progressive agenda for Europe.
Aris is a member and volunteer of the DiEM25 movement.
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