NATO vs. neutrality: Dedovic and Milacic presented their arguments

The director of the NGO Alfa Centar, Aleksandar Dedovic, who is recognised as one of the main advocates of NATO membership, presented both good and bad sides of the Alliance. He looked good sides through security, political, economic and scientific and technological factors.

Security – there is nothing to fear of

No NATO member state was at war. Current collective security system of NATO represents a guarantee that attacks against any member state are unlikely to happen, having in mind the strength of the Alliance. It is not only a matter of safety of wars, but also a matter of safety and assistance during natural disasters and humanitarian catastrophes. NATO member states share resources, equipment and people among themselves in order to act preventively, but also in order to timely eliminate all the consequences of potential disasters.

Cyber ​​security – modern age trouble

Cyber security is an important segment of NATO defence, because the data and information exchange between members of the Alliance is at a very high level. Therefore it is possible to detect and stop any terrorist activity against a state. Citizens can understand the importance of this issue in a best way if they compare it with the situation when they do not have access to Facebook for ten minutes or to the Internet for a day. This is a threat which we may not take seriously, but this is an important issue. Once we create a safe and peaceful atmosphere in the country, then we can be committed to building other details of a democratic society. 

Montenegro – equal with all other countries

The political aspect is very important because it is very important at the moment to be part of the Alliance within which significant decisions about the future of other countries are made. Montenegro will also have its position, the opportunity and the obligation to actively participate in making major policy decisions concerning the fate of the region and the world. Thus, no part of the sovereignty of our state is lost, but we will improve our international position, authority and influence, because, as a small country it will completely equally make all the decisions. 

Technology, medication…

When we become a NATO member state, we will have at our disposal all the scientific and technological achievements as other member states, but not only in the field of defence, but also in the fields of medicine, ecology, environment protection. That will certainly be important to us, because will have access to information on, for example, the latest drugs for the most vicious diseases.

Young people will be able to travel and find employment

Young people will get the opportunity to travel, but also to apply for jobs in NATO member states. This is particularly true for jobs in Brussels administration, where numerous experts of various disciplines are needed. I believe that there will be room for at least a hundred of our young people.

NATO brings investments

The economy will not be directly dependent on membership in NATO or any other organisation because it depends mainly on our country. But just by joining the Alliance, we send the message that we have developed mechanisms and laws, and that we are a safe country, so we can expect more interest and more investments. I am sure that one of the criteria of foreign investors is the security and order of a country.

Disadvantages of NATO: Image of world policeman

NATO administration is cumbersome and decision-making is too slow in some cases. There are clearly defined procedures within NATO, but sometimes it is needed to act a lot more quickly.

There are a large number of employees in NATO, although the Alliance seeks to reduce the number of administrative workers.

The image of NATO in the last two decades has been the image of a police officer on duty.

NATO has intervened in various parts of the world, such as the intervention in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1999, and was given the image of the world policemen. Yet, the task proves to be right sooner or later.

According to Milacic, there are no benefits of NATO

The Director of the Movement for Neutrality, Marko Milacic, has been recognised as the main advocate of Montenegro’s neutrality. He presented only bad sides of NATO, since, as he told the portal CdM, despite the good will, he has not been able to find positive sides.

The bombing, security, economy…

NATO is a militaristic alliance having geopolitical objectives, whereas foreign policy of Montenegro should be based on the grounds of pacifism.

NATO bombed our country, liquidating six civilians, three of them being minors. No one from the Alliance was prosecuted for that.

NATO, led by Washington, is a personification of rough power, which follows the soft banking and corporatist oligarchy.

NATO is a bad choice because siding with any block in the midst of a serious confrontation between them can only bring increased security risks for our country.

Being on one side is also bad from the economic point of view.

By joining NATO, there is a possibility of building military bases on the territory of the member state. There are several examples of that on the territory of NATO member states. That would be disastrous for Montenegro for many reasons – security, environmental…

NATO is a bad choice and this is the position of the majority of citizens of Montenegro, according to all opinion polls.

Throughout history, NATO has supported various autocrats and dictators for the sake of geopolitical reasons, thus giving them international legitimacy. It is also the case with Milo Djukanovic who has served seven times as Prime Minister. One hand washes the other.

Financially, NATO is a more costly option than neutrality. By comparing the current allocations for defence and those for 2020, calculated within the Strategic Defence Review, it is clear that NATO will be more expensive for Montenegro by tens of millions of Euros.

Positive sides of NATO do not exist. Something that is responsible for death of, just for example, even one human being cannot be good. And NATO is responsible for thousands and thousands, hundreds of thousands deaths.

The decision in December

The North Atlantic Alliance is one of the largest international institutions in the world. It is a political and military alliance that brings together 28 member states from Europe and North America.

Those countries cooperate in the fields of security and defence.

Therefore, NATO provides a unique link between the two continents with the goal of political and security cooperation.

Each member state has a permanent delegation in the political headquarters of NATO in Brussels.

All decisions within each of NATO’s committees are reached by consensus.

The decision on whether Montenegro will receive NATO invitation will be made at the Ministerial Forum in Brussels which is scheduled for December.