The EU rapid reaction force is not a military alliance – which NATO is – nor a latent army. It is effectively the same as the standby force available to the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan. This force is being peddled as some sort of war mongering army, seeking conflict when the opposite is the case. It will help prevent Balkan-type conflict and human suffering, economic chaos and the displacement of peoples that results. It will help secure the conditions of peace and stability so that people can make a living and develop their economies where they want – in their homelands, rooted in their own history and culture.