Nonkilling Security in the Baltic States

Following the publication of CGNK’s book Nonkilling Security and the State, and in the face of expanding militarisation, CGNK Director was invited by Rîga Stradiòš University (Latvia), to participate in a series of events in Riga. On October 28 an open event gathered at RSU senior defence specialists, veterans from the nonviolent national liberation struggle and scholars on a round table to discuss with the title “Is War an Option? Military vs Civilian-based Defence” and convened by Professor Klāvs Sedlenieks. Joám argued that traditional forms of military organization are increasingly failing to meet their objectives, whether they are defensive or offensive, yet States continue to stake everything on one card: traditional military organizations, ignoring the potentialities and historical successes of civilian-based alternatives. After the round table, CGNK Director offered a Seminar on Nonkilling Civilian-based Alternatives to Military Defence aimed at young students and activists.

On October 29, the Latvian Association of Anthropologists hosted CGNK Director at Latvia’s National Library for a lecture on “Challenging the Mythology of Innate Violence: How Views on Human Nature Shape our World” (Apšaubot iedzimtās vardarbības mitoloģiju: kā uzskati par cilvēka dabu veido mūsu pasauli). Joám discussed how, beyond the stereotypical Hobbes-Rousseau debate on human nature, entrenched views on innate violence significantly shape today’s societies, influencing aspects ranging from our defence and security policies and criminal justice systems, to early childhood parenting practices and educational institutions.