NATO Is the World’s #1 War Criminal
The Transnational Institute
(May 23, 2025) — David Swanson, peace activist from World BEYOND War, argues that NATO is not a defensive alliance but the most powerful war-making and weapons-dealing machine in history. Far from protecting democracy, NATO has backed colonial powers and dictatorships, waged illegal wars, and acted as a global promoter of militarism.
Swanson explains that NATO operates as a lobbying arm for arms manufacturers, shifting public funds from health and education into weapons and war. Its expansions and interventions are driven largely by U.S. interests, not collective democratic decisions. With partnerships that include oppressive regimes like Israel, NATO fosters endless war, propaganda, and global insecurity. Swanson calls for its abolition—not reform—and urges global resistance through diplomacy, nonviolence, and real investment in human needs.
A broad alliance of organisations and activists is organising a counter-summit and demonstration opposing NATO, taking place in The Hague on June 21 and 22. In the days leading up to the NATO summit, the coalition aims to amplify a critical, alternative voice. The event will culminate in a public demonstration against the NATO war summit, with a diverse range of participants expected from both the Netherlands and abroad.
Trump’s Fake War
With NATO Fooled Everyone
David Swanson / Transnational Institute
(May 19, 2025) — David Swanson argues that if military spending made us safer, the world would be at peace — but instead, we see record-breaking budgets fueling endless war. He criticises NATO as a bloated, unaccountable war machine that thrives on militarism for profit, promoting ever-increasing arms spending while gutting essential services like healthcare and education.
Swanson warns that U.S. media narratives, especially those painting Trump as anti-NATO, manipulate public opinion into blindly supporting NATO — even though Trump has actually pressured allies to spend more on weapons than ever before. This militarism, Swanson says, is not about defence but about corporate profit, escalation, and propaganda.
NATO undermines international law and peace, bypassing the UN, and normalises war as policy. Swanson calls for a mass movement not to reform NATO, but to shut it down and replace it with diplomacy, nonviolence, and international cooperation.
A broad alliance of organisations and activists is organising a counter-summit and demonstration opposing NATO, taking place in The Hague on June 21 and 22. In the days leading up to the NATO summit, the coalition aims to amplify a critical, alternative voice. The event will culminate in a public demonstration against the NATO war summit, with a diverse range of participants expected from both the Netherlands and abroad.
