War and peace

[Thinking Man's Idiot]

War and peace

(Tuesday 18 November 2008)

JEREMY CORBYN



JEREMY CORBYN on paths to peace and the threat of more war.

ON A good day, you might find Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Foreign Office ministers waxing lyrical about the value of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty or backing a disarmament laboratory.


Last year, however, the government strongly promoted a new generation of Trident submarines in Parliament. And, while Parliament is yet to approve the multibillion-pound replacement of our nuclear weapons, a huge amount of cash has already been ploughed into the Atomic Weapons Establishment in Aldermaston, Berkshire.

According to government figures, it spent £171 million in 2005-6 on AWE, £302 million in 2006-7 and £500 million in 2007-08. Its planned expenditure for 2008-9 is currently £384 million.


The British government essentially tries to face both ways when it comes to the NPT.


It has strongly condemned Iran for its alleged nuclear weapons programme and supports a sanctions policy on the grounds of a supposed breach of the NPT. But Iran is not actually in breach of its commitments - it has withdrawn from the voluntary supplementary protocol on instant inspections, but not from the NPT regime itself.


A few hundred miles away is Israel, which has over 200 nuclear warheads but has never been a signatory to the NPT or even publicly acknowledged its nuclear arsenal yet has been rewarded with favourable EU trade agreements and massive US economic assistance.


Mordechai Vanunu, the heroic individual who blew the whistle on Israel's nuclear weapons programme, was kidnapped from Italy and served 18 years in prison for his trouble. Today, he continues to live under tight restrictions in a corner of Jerusalem.


India and Pakistan have both developed nuclear weapons and delivery systems and, while this attracted initial criticism from the international community, both have since received massive military support. In the case of India, the US Congress and Senate have endorsed President George Bush's plan to offer nuclear technology assistance to India.


In the case of all three of these countries, NPT signatories are actively assisting non-signatory nations to develop nuclear weapons while gearing up for a whole new generation of such weapons themselves.


This is not legal under the treaty or within the framework of international law.


Last week, International Court of Justice former vice-president Judge CG Weeramantry, who was involved in an important declaration of nuclear weapons' illegality, gave a remarkable speech in Parliament on the development of law and its political context.


In the conclusion of his small booklet, which he revealed that he carries with him everywhere, he says: "The NPT is thus far our principal step towards the end result of abolishing this threat to humanity.


"How long our luck will hold is anyone's guess. If all of humanity does not collectively act to abolish this weapon, this weapon can single-handedly destroy all of humanity."


The next five-yearly review of the nuclear NPT is in 2010, but the treaty alone cannot bring about nuclear disarmament. The answer lies in a more comprehensive approach.


Last Thursday, I was invited to participate in a seminar on developing a nuclear weapons convention at the Palais de National in Geneva.

It was hosted by the Costa Rican government, which is in a very good position to do so - it abolished its standing army in 1949 and spends the money on health and education instead. The results are plain for all to see.

Costa Rica boasts a higher standard of living than any other central American country and carries moral weight within international forums as it is no threat to anybody.


While the idea of a convention is not new, it has been given fresh impetus of late.


The Canberra Commission was established by an Australian Labour government in 1995. It made no progress during rightwinger John Howard's premiership but has been revived following Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's election.


The International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, meanwhile, has brought together a very interesting array of people from both nuclear and non-nuclear countries. It plans to put together a standing commission for nuclear disarmament well ahead of the 2010 NPT review.


The commission fully recognises the challenges that it faces - the emergence of India, Pakistan and Israel as nuclear powers, North Korea's purported withdrawal from the NPT, Iran's nuclear programme, the instability caused by the post-2001 "war on terror" and the rapid development of nuclear energy across the world.


Yet we stand today at a crossroads and one path could take us in the direction of peace.


The end of Bush's reign presents Barack Obama with an opportunity shared by few of his predecessors.


His opposition to the Iraq war and pledge to withdraw troops were important factors in his victory. Obama is also on record as someone who supports the concept of a nuclear-free world.


However, unless the president-elect adopts the same stance towards the war in Afghanistan as he has taken on Iraq, US militarism will still pose a massive threat to world peace.


Obama must also recognise that the US missile defence system will create massive pressure for rearmament in both Russia and the US. Russia will never accept US missiles on its doorstep.


UN Food and Agricultural Organisation figures show that 1 billion people worldwide face huge food shortages or starvation. In more blunt terms, one in six of the world's population is permanently hungry.


The failure of free-market economics provides a pressing case for disarmament and for redirecting the billions allocated for nuclear weapons towards an economic strategy to meet people's needs.


This is the time to turn away from the global war waged by Bush and to support instead a framework for peace and disarmament to sustain life on this planet.

Jeremy Corbyn is Labour MP for Islington North. He can be contacted at corbynj@parliament.uk





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