The Middle East crisis should lead to a global shutdown…- TheConclaveNg

African peacebuilding organisation, the Foundation for Peace Professionals (PeacePro), has called for a global reassessment of foreign military deployments, urging the United Nations and the wider international community to consider a phased closure of foreign military bases around the world in light of the growing crisis in the Middle East.

In a statement released Tuesday by Executive Director, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, PeacePro argued that the current crisis in the Middle East between the United States, Israel and Iran, as well as among the Gulf states, demonstrates the dangers of forward military posture and alliance-based security architecture.

“Militarization breeds escalation,” Hamzat said.

PeacePro said the presence of foreign military bases often turns regional disputes into international clashes.

“The continued expansion of foreign military bases into sovereign territories has increased the likelihood of global involvement in regional conflicts,” Hamzat said. “The crisis in the Middle East reminds us that militarized deterrence often produces escalation rather than peace.”

PeacePro highlighted that foreign bases can make host nations potential targets during geopolitical disputes, increasing the vulnerability of civilians and destabilizing entire regions.

PeacePro urged major global powers, including the United States, China and Russia, to begin negotiations for a multilateral agreement aimed at reducing the permanent deployment of foreign troops outside their home territories.

According to Hamzat, a gradual demilitarization framework could be envisaged
Phased withdrawal of foreign fighting forces,
Converting some military facilities into joint humanitarian or peacekeeping centers, strengthening regional security mechanisms independent of great power rivalry, and expanding diplomatic and conflict resolution structures.

PeacePro framed the issue as one of global sovereignty and equity.

“No region should become a chessboard for competition between great powers. True security must be built on cooperation, not encirclement,” Hamzat said.

Hamzat argued that long-term peace depends less on military deterrence and more on economic cooperation, inclusive diplomacy and respect for sovereign decision-making.

While acknowledging that the proposal may face resistance, PeacePro insisted that current tensions in the Middle East represent a critical opportunity to rethink global security architecture in the 21st century.

PeacePro called on the United Nations and major regional blocs to convene a global summit focused specifically on the future of foreign military base agreements.

“The world must decide,” PeacePro concluded, “whether security will continue to rely on confrontation or whether humanity is willing to move towards cooperative coexistence.”

PeacePro has consistently led efforts to advocate for the demilitarization of Africa and the total closure of all foreign military bases on the continent.

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