Javier Nart

Javier Nart Peñalver ( pronunciación en español: [xaˈβjeɾ ˈnaɾt] ; nacido el 19 de agosto de 1947) es un periodista y político español que es miembro del Parlamento Europeo desde 2014, y actualmente forma parte del grupo Renew Europe . De 2012 a 2019, fue miembro de Ciudadanos (Cs). ^{[ 1 ]}

Nart nació el 19 de agosto de 1947 en Laredo , en la comunidad autónoma de Cantabria . Su padre era el Primer Notario de Bilbao .

Nart asistió a una escuela del Opus Dei y se preparaba para ingresar en la Compañía de Jesús , algo que no le convenía por ser ateo. A pesar de su falta de fe, afirma tener un «enorme respeto» por los jesuitas, especialmente por aquellos a quienes conocería más tarde en sus viajes por Nicaragua. Nart estudió Derecho en la Universidad de Barcelona , ​​pero también se dedicó al periodismo porque quería mudarse a Barcelona sin su padre. Bromea diciendo que era un «poco abogado» entre semana, pero un activista ciudadano los fines de semana. ^{[ 2 ]}

En sus inicios profesionales, Nart trabajó como corresponsal de guerra en numerosos países, entre ellos Líbano, Chad, Myanmar y Yemen. Entrevistó y conoció a personas que participaron en la mayoría de los conflictos mundiales más importantes entre 1977 y 1992. También cubrió la Revolución Nicaragüense que culminó con el derrocamiento del dictador Anastasio Somoza en 1979 por el Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional . ^{[ 3 ]} Como él mismo explica, fue de guerra en guerra y tomó fotografías que contribuyeron a la comprensión internacional de estos conflictos. Desarrolló una relación particularmente estrecha con los palestinos y las fuerzas de resistencia de Fatah. Según Nart, merecen una vida mejor que la que tienen actualmente bajo la ocupación israelí, aunque no duda en criticar a algunos líderes de Fatah. ^{[ 2 ]}

As a photographer, some of Nart's photographs appeared in major newspapers like Newsweek. One photograph he took, as he explains in an interview with Pablo Iglesias, was of a dead boy with his mother holding 10 dollars to purchase some supplies. He regrets publishing this photograph. He speaks of the barbarity of war, that when images are shown to the public, it can cause them to lose support for a war they had previously liked, like the Vietnam War. He is very concerned with remote-controlled drones making serious casualties seem like a video game. It dehumanizes the very real sufferings of war.^[2]

Nart's first book, Viaje al otro Brasil: del Mato Grosso a la Amazonia y al nordeste Atlántico was published in 2002. Unlike most of his work, it does not have war as its subject matter, and instead is a tour guide to see parts of Brazil many tourists who stick to hotspots like São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro do not visit. ¡Sálvese quien pueda! Mis historias e historias de guerra (Every man for himself: My stories and the stories of war) came out in 2003. It was written so that his children would know about his war experiences. The wars he reported from showed how barbaric humans can be, but also the converse, how heroic they can be as well. The scenes he witnessed were so horrific that Nart could not talk to his family for days after his return to Spain.^[2]

Nart published three books in 2007. Guerrilleros. El pueblo español en armas contra Napoleón, 1808–1814 (Warriors: The Spanish people in arms against Napoleon) is a history of the resistance to Napoleon and his brother Joseph installed as king of Spain. He also put out two more Viajes, Viaje al Mekong. Cabalgando el dragón por Tailandia, Laos, Camboya y Vietnam (Trip to the Mekong: Riding the dragon through Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam) and Viaje al desierto: de Kano a El Cairo (Trip in the Desert: from Kano to Cairo).^[4]

Nart published his most recent book, Nunca la nada fue tanto (Never was nothing so much) in the summer of 2016, that seeks to explain why he participated in so many conflicts. Nart's reply was "that it is a material duty, not only moral, to subtract a part of injustice, of pain, of misery. That life without freedom and without justice, or without striving for them, becomes useless movement." It is his commitment to justice that is one of the defining facts of his life. In this book he frequently criticized the guerrillas he lived amongst, who were often neutral to his presence. Nonetheless, Nart did recognize the necessity of armed struggle against the Somoza oligarchy in Nicaragua.^[5]

In 2002 Nart was one of the adherents to the Manifiesto contra la Muerte del Espíritu y de la Tierra ("Manifesto against the Death of the Spirit and the Earth"),^[6][7] one of the attempts to thrust the ideas of the so-called Spanish Nouvelle Droite.^[6]

On 22 February 2014 Nart was elected in primaries to head the candidacy of Citizens for the European elections of that year. He was subsequently elected to the European Parliament.^[8] In the Parliament, he served as vice chair of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group. He has also been serving on the Committee on Foreign Affairs and its Subcommittee on Security and Defence. In addition to his committee assignments, he has been part of the Parliament's delegations to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (2014–2019) and the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (since 2019).^[9]

Nart renovated his seat the European Parliament at the 2019 European election, running 5th in the Cs list. On 24 June 2019, Nart renounced to his role as member of the Cs' national committee, after a voting in which the later re-affirmed in its veto to negotiate with the PSOE.^[10][11]

Months later, in September 2019, Nart communicated the party the cancellation of his membership, although he would remain as MEP, defending the platform the party ran vis-à-vis the 2019 election.^[12] He explained he left the party because of the "absolute disagreement with establishing a single subjective alliance (with the PP) and objective one (with Vox)".^[13]

Nart led the European Union's monitoring mission during the 2020 Ghanaian general election.^[14]

Nart is very supportive of a united Europe and considers the European Union a necessity. Like other Ciudadanos parliamentarians, he likes the idea of moving towards a United States of Europe. European integration also involves foreign and defense policy that is aligned with NATO. Nart believes that a European project that guarantees the member states peace, democracy, and social welfare is too important to allow Euroskeptics to have their way.^[15]

In a joint letter with 15 other MEPs from various political groups, Nart urged the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security PolicyJosep Borrell in early 2021 to replace the European Union’s ambassador to Cuba for allegedly siding with the country’s Communist leadership.^[16]