#title Rethinking Anti-Militarism Today
#author Anarchist Federation (French Speaking — France, Belgium, Switzerland)
#LISTtitle Rethinking Anti-Militarism Today
#SORTauthors Fédération Anarchiste
#SORTtopics anti-militarism, anti-war, France, IAF
#date 2019
#source Retrieved on 2020-04-02 from [[http://www.i-f-a.org.gridhosted.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/IFA-international-of-anarchist-federations-journal-2019.pdf][www.i-f-a.org]]
#lang en
#pubdate 2020-04-03T11:46:37
If the USA and Europe have been generally at peace on their own soil since World War 2, it
is not the case of the rest of the world : Syria, Yemen and Democratic Republic of Congo to
name just a few. Yet the signs of war did not disappear from our lives, and France is facing
an important militarisation, allowed by the state of emergency,[1] that has been legitimised by
the attacks including among the population. But, even more than within our countries, it is
abroad that we export war: military equipments, military operations, in Libya, Mali, Irak,
neocolonialism to steal resources etc. We must not be blinded by our situation here in Europe:
if we live at peace it is not the case of humankind in general, and the continuous war that is
ongoing through the world often involve our governments. Although war is not taking place on
our homeland, the military spirit is developing.
Nowadays, militarisation is
riding high, soldier are patrolling,
news report are showering French
soldiers in foreign operation with
praise, advertising campaign are
everywhere. In 2016, 86% of the
French citizens still had a positive
opinion of the army, making the
2nd most appreciated institution
just behind the hospital. But do we
know this for sure? Data are hard
to find because of the forbidding
of ethnographic or qualitative
work, scandals are stifled internally
so we have to go with the official
point of view, the one that march
through the Champs-Élysée
every 14th of July.[2] It is difficult
in this conditions to have access
to information and develop
an accurate criticism of this
institution.
What is left of anti-militarism
then? Almost nothing. And yet it
is crucial to revive it.
*** What is Anti-Militarism?
The *Encyclopédie anarchiste*[3] define militarism
this way: “Militarism is a system
that consist in the possession
and maintenance of armies and
military staff. It’s essential and
stated goal is the preparation of
war. The creation of a permanent
army, the organisation of
officers for the army reserve, the
accumulation and maintenance
of an ever evolving armament, in
short the prerequisite organisation
for war. This colossal organisation,
available to governments, allow
them to pursue a double goal : to
be able to fight against foreign
governments in case of conflict
between them and secondly to
detain a formidable apparatus
of violent repression in case of a
popular uprising. Governments
have an absolute need of an army
both against foreign and domestic
enemies.’
Anti-militarism is the
opposition to militarism. The
army, warmongering, imperialist,
hierarchical and nationalist is of
course an aspect of militarism.
Let’s have a look at this terms. The
warmongering aspect correspond
to to the fact the army, answering
to a State, will systematically serve
the interest of the power in place,
for example leading colonials wars,
foreign wars or by maintaining
public order during protest. It
is not surprising that the army
is used in many countries as a
political weapon, what have been
sadly demonstrated during the
Arab revolutions. The imperialist
aspect is a strict consequence of
this last point: army as a governing
tool is the mean by which a State
is imposing it’s own power to the
population, and specifically to
those who do not have the tools
to make themselves heard. Recent
wars lead by the USA, like the
2nd Iraq war, are typical of an
imperialism that aims to defend
Americans interest abroad. France
is not doing any better in Libya
or Mali. On the inward side, is
the nationalist aspect of the army:
an army defend the national
territory and fight for the Nation,
the borders, and why not the
traditions or the spirit of a people.
Just as many elements anarchist
are opposed to. Finally, the
hierarchical organisation of the
army, with a commandment and
the subordinates, is reproducing
of the domination relationship
between humans.
However, it cannot be
said that anarchist are defending
peace at all cost: armed struggle
is necessary under certain
circumstances, in case of self-
defence for example. But the
libertarian conception of armed
conflict differ from actual
militarism : it is non-bellicist, anti-
imperialist, non-hierarchic and
anti-imperialist. We have a few
examples with the makhnovist
Ukraine and the Spain of 1936.
Anti-militarism is therefore
opposed to the offensive use
of the army as well as it’s spirit,
to war as well as militarism.
The anti-militarism is opposed
both to the offensive use of the
army and the spirit, both to war
and to militarism. Yet we must
distinguish the two : if war is
absent, militarism is thriving.
*** Forms of the Modern Militarism
Once again, we want to
make clear that being a military
means being at the service of the
State first. We have to get rid of
the propaganda done by media
and governments that present the
army as a personal development
activity, presented as a way to
achieve personal fulfilment,
brotherhood and the protection
of civilians. Beside trivial missions,
like the fact to defend the country
against a foreign attack, which is
not the case in western countries
for years, the role of the army is
irremediably the same, maintain
order and manage populations.
Once again, we want to make
clear that advertising campaigns
we see from bus stops to schools,
army is not a benign life choice
like any other. It is by military
actions that States establish their
imperialism and their power on
territories. If war is not part of
our immediate environment,
militarism is feeding on the
“necessity” for the State to defend
itself against foreign threats,
like ISIS for example, but also
inside threats: terrorists, and
more broadly any class of the
population suspected of treason
against their homeland. (zadistes,[4]
some radical environmentalists,
the Muslims for some people, the
Jews for others, and in the end
everyone that does not go along
with the nationalist narrative,
for the most extreme). The army
is a tool of domination physical
as well as ideological, leading to
the constitution of a common
identity against deviant behaviours
identified as harmful.
More than a murderous
war – which can happen again
though! — (there are less causalities
every year among the French army
than in the construction sector) it
is militarisation of society here and
now that is problematic. We have to
update anti-militarism to not only
target the imperialist function of war
like in the 19th and 20th centuries,
but also targeting the social function
of the army via the militarisation of
our societies and ideas.
What is army for? Besides
border control and managing
population movements, it also
has a gathering role. To get
people together using a shared
narrative, a universalistic national
identity supposedly inclusive
and based on merit. The school
system, tottering, cannot stop
the social reproduction of
inequalities, the army benefit
of an image of an institution
based on merit and equality,
within which social mobility
is possible. Even more, it is a
privileged social institution in
times where globalisation is
eroding national solidarities:
it is becoming the place of
nationalist. Inward-looking. It
is no surprise then if the fascists
are idolising the army as the
ideal realisation of their dreamed
society: order, leadership,
organisation, subordination
and the fright of differences are
the rule. It is easily illustrated
with example of homophobic
or sexist humiliation. It is
then difficult not to consider
this as a sign of the drift of
societies toward right-wing
politics. Militarisation is
visible everywhere — patrols,
surveillance, placing everybody
on files – using always more
elaborated tools. As a matter
of fact, capitalism understood
this very well: more and more
armies are private, composed
of mercenaries, fighting for the
highest bidder.
Although can we really
say that the army follow a
universalistic model? Let’s take
a look at armies sociology. Who
volunteer as a simple soldier,
sent to die in meaningless
mission, who pay the price of
governments decisions ? Is it the
bosses, the politics, the heads of
industries? No, most of the time
it is young men and women,
coming from the working class
and/or the immigration. The
military cannon fodder, because
it is more about this than a
formation or learning skills
like they present it in the TV
commercials, is composed of
the poor, the helpless, that sees
the army as a beneficial way
to escape a broken educative
system. The young people that
got a degree, that had access
to higher education, that are
coming from wealthier families,
are not soldiers but officers.
Sadly, the class analysis is finding
here it’s very realisation: far
from levelling class differences,
the army is perpetuating and
amplifying class domination
at the service of the interest of
the State. In reality what we see
is the crushing of individuals
by a big machine: it swallows
them up fresh and spit them
out after use. This institution
is not interested in its soldiers
once they are out: what support
for the trauma, the wounds, the
return to normal life?
*** Updating Criticisms
It is important to renew
and state again the anarchist
idea of anti-militarism. We have
not to forget that the military
spirit is coinciding with the one
of nationalism, discipline, the
domination of human by human,
and that it is, in its core, an ally
of all type of conservatism and
fascism (without forgetting the
industry that benefit broadly
of military operations). We do
not support any army, may it be
the soviet one or the standing
army. On the contrary it seems
to us important to underline the
militarisation of the minds, the
self-control; harmful because
army ideology is restrain any
freedom of thought, it is only
submission; dire because we
think that nothing good can
came out of this principles.
In this, it is time to take into
account the militarisation of
society and minds, there is no
sane army. War to all wars, but
above all death to Armies.
[1] Laws of exceptions that applied for
from 2015 to 2017 in France, giving
extended power to the police and army.
[2] Each Bastille Day a parade marchs
through Paris every year on 14th of July.
[3] Encyclopedia of anarchism initiated by
Sébastien Faure, published in 1934
[4] Name given to participants of a Zone
A Défendre in France. Briefly it is a
name for activist trying to block large
project causing threat to the environment.