Seminar Programme (draft): War Profiteering and Peace Movement Responses / Barcelona / 29 Sept - 02 Oct 2011

Theme groups

• New developments in war profiteering: (Coordinator: Wendela de Vries, Campagne tege Wapenhandel, the Netherlands)
  How do we respond to new developments such as Privatisation of war, (the growing use of commercial companies instead of national armed forces.) the use of Drones (you don’t go to war, you just take your joystick) and homeland security as a new profitable branch, used for crowd control, catching refugees and spying on opposition. How do we develop arguments, can we make new strategic connections with other campaigns?
  Resource people: Chris Cole (DroneWars, UK),Global Network Against the Militarisation of Space, Pere Ortega (Peace Study Centre Delas), Jimmy Johnson (Neged Neshek project)
• Exposing the bad guys: (Coordinator: Ann Feltham, Campaign Against Arms Trade, UK)
  By challenging the links between governments and the arms industry, we can use the fact that people –even if they are not against arms trade per se – do not like the subsidies and support the latter receive. By exposing the role of the banks, pension providers, etc. in supporting the war profiteers we use the fact that these financers also have a individual consumer connection .By targeting specific companies we can expose the actual transfers and use of specific systems. Can these strategies be improved? What can we learn from each other?
  Resource people: Jungming Choi (Weapon Zero, South Korea), Rob Thomson (Ceasefire Campaign, South Africa), Frida Berrigan (War Resisters League, USA), Inez Louwagie (Vredesactie, Belgium)
• War and the exploitation of natural resources: (Coordinator: Javier Gárate, War Resisters' International, Chile/UK)
  Exploiting natural resources is a central economic motive for war and a central feature of war “reconstruction”, such as we see in Iraq. It is an explicit part of strategies of alliances such as NATO or EU. It is also a major factor in the violent displacement of poor and indigenous communities in many parts of the world. How can we connect anti arms trade strategies and strategies against environmental destruction?
  Resource people: Rosa Moiwend (West Papua), Lexys Rendón (El Libertario, Venezuela)

Country/Region Focus

• Israel: Although a small country of less than 7 million inhabitants, Israel is one of the world’s largest recipient and suppliers of conventional weapons. As its arms industry is very sophisticated and its arms are ‘combat proven’ Israeli weapons and military know-how are in demand by armies all over the world. Israel is major exporter of drones and homeland security equipment. In July 2011 Palestinian NGO’s called for a military embargo on Israel.
  Resource people: Jimmy Johnson, Sergeiy Sandler, Wendela de Vries, Inez Louwagie
• Saudi Arabia: The Saudi kingdom does not even pretend to be a democracy and is a severe human rights violator. Although since the Arab spring much arms exports to the Middle East are kept on hold, military exports to Saudi Arabia continue. In the UK scandal arose about corruption in a big arms deal with the Saudi’s, causing the Prime Minister to intervene and stop the investigation. In Germany the long-time ban on arms exports to Saudi Arabia was broken by an intended export of Leopard tanks, leaked to the German press and causing much protest.
  Resource person: Ann Feltham
• Latin America: According to SIPRI, Latin America was the region with the biggest increase in military spending in the past year. This session will look at the general trend in Latin America of increasing military spending, its consequences to the region, who are the main exporters to Latin America, what is the situation of its own war industry and possibilities for campaigning against military spending and war profiteering in the region.
  Resource people: Lexys Rendón, Javier Gárate
• Africa: This session will focus on the impact of small arms in Africa, who are the main players, what are the impacts to the region, past experiences of campaigning and potentials for more cooperation between different networks.
  Resource people: Rob Thomson, IANSA
• India: India has become one of the biggest importers of arms in the world, at the same time that it is working developing its own industry, with the aim to become a global military power. This session will look at the role India is playing in the war market at the same time as looking at the contradiction of a country wanting to become a global power, while having huge social injustices in its country.
  Resource person: N.N

Workshops

• Civil society work on military expenditure (Colin Archer, IPB)
• Drones (Chris Cole, DroneWars)
• Arms trade control mechanisms (Wendela de Vries)
• Mining and the arms trade (N.N)
• Researching the arms trade (N.N)
• Spring revolutions and opportunities for campaigning (Ann Feltham)
• Small arms ( IANSA)
• Mercenaries + The privatisation of war (Yasmin Khan, War on Want)
• How to use the new technologies in our campaigning (N.N)
• Linking the movement against war profiteering and the wider movement for social change (Javier Gárate)

Programme

Day 1 - 29 Sept
19.30 Opening Trobada (public event)

Day 2 – 30 Sept
10.00 – 11.00 Opening (seminar)
11.00 – 13.00 Theme Groups (focus: emerging trends)
13.00 – 15.00 LUNCH
15.00 – 16.15 Workshops
16.15 – 16.45 BREAK
16.45 – 18.00 Workshops
19.00 – 21.00 Trobada (public event)

Day 3 – 1 Oct
10.00 – 10.30 Day Introduction
10.30 – 13.00 Theme Groups (focus: campaigning tools)
13.00 – 15.00 LUNCH
15.00 – 16.15 Workshops
16.15 – 16.45 BREAK
16.45 – 18.00 Workshops
19.00 – 21.00 Trobada (public event)

Day 4 – 2 Oct
10.00 – 10.30 Day Introduction
10.30 – 12.45 Theme Groups (focus: internationalising the issue)
12.45 - 13.00 BREAK (snacks)
13.00 – 14.00 Closing