1992 Green Platform
Disarmament
Green values emphasize the sanctity of life and the peaceful
resolution of conflicts. Disarmament isn't just a desirable end
result of these goals, but is also an important step in attaining
them.
Even before the Soviet Union's dissolution, our level of armament
grossly exceeded any reasonable estimate of what we needed for
national defense. These weapons' destructive capacity, if they
were used, would guarantee an unimaginably horrific toll in human
life and environmental damage that would affect many generations
to come. When the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was
born, our former superpower enemy died. When that occurred, the
rationalization justifying these weapons of mass destruction
became obsolete.
The diversion of economic resources to the defense industry is
largely responsible for our decline in international trade.
Defense spending has also been funded at the expense of many
badly needed social programs.
Exporting weapons and arranging foreign loans for weapons
purchases in effect means that we are encouraging armed conflicts
for our own profit. We are encouraging foreign countries to
develop militarized economics with the same bad effects that
we've experienced in the U.S.
The Green Party demands progress towards disarmament:
- We need to make a realistic assessment of our national defense
needs. We need to stop the research, development, testing and
deployment of offensive weapons, especially nuclear, chemical and
biological weapons. We need a halt to the international exchange
of nuclear technologies and materials.
- We need an immediate ban on international arms sales.
- We need to set up a multi-level international peace-keeping
force consisting of citizen groups as well as the U.N.
- We need a unilateral reduction in our current armaments
stockpiles. We need bilateral and multilateral agreements to
eliminate all offensive weapons. We need to initiate talks with
the CIS republics to account for and begin the elimination of
their weapons' inventory. In addition, we call on the world
community to work out a job program for CIS nuclear weapons
engineers.
- We need to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. We need to
enforce and strengthen the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
- We need readily available information about Department of
Defense (DOD) and Department of Energy (DOE) weapons spending
including accountability for the ultra-secretive "black budget."
- 9 We need to stop funding Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)
programs.
- Communities and states should have the right to establish
legally binding nuclear-free zones.