In order to meet the plethora of new and emerging security challenges, NATO must increasingly work in partnership with other international and non-governmental organizations.
Key Questions:
- What is the nature of current relationship between NATO and the UN – the one of a competition or the one of a cooperation?
- How can NATO find a balance in the future division of roles between international organizations?
- How will NATO mobilise civil society and the public of its member and partner countries, in their efforts to secure peace and security?
- How will NATO shift the focus from collective defence to the concept of human security and collective security?
- How can NATO, as a part of a network of security actors, better contribute to global civil and military crisis management?
Background
In order to enhance its efficiency, effectiveness and capabilities, NATO’s new strategic concept will have to incorporate the notion of a „comprehensive approach“, with the aim of providing a broad spectrm of instruments to contend with particular security threats. It is generally acknowledged that today’s security challenges cannot be resolved by NATO alone, nor by any other individual institution or a state. It is therefore crucial that NATO strengthens and broadens its existing partnership with the UN (see the Joint Declaration on UN/NATO Secretariat Cooperation of 23rd September 2008), as well as with other international actors, most notably, the European Union. It is not only the large number of member-states that NATO and the EU have in common, but the fact that both organisations stand for the same values and principles, and both strive towards ensuring a safe and stable security environment.
Since new security threats and risks increasingly challenge NATO’s capabilities and operability, a new strategic concept will have to define how the requisite civilian and military means can be applied in a comprehensive, consistent and compatible manner in order to enhance the overall effort of all security actors. NATO’s current partners (i.e. members of the Partnership for Peace Programme, Mediterranean Dialogue and Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, respectively), as well other parters around the globe (such as OSCE, the African Union, etc.), will have an important role in further development of a comprehensive approach not only through the military, but also by encouraging interaction with civilian populations and by increasing humanitarian aid.
Further Reading:
- Security Through Partnership – publication examining NATO cooperation with Partner countries through the Partnership for Peace and the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council – Pdf | Html | Tekst na srpskom jeziku (pdf)
- Partnerships: How Are They Changing?
- NATO-EU: A Strategic Partnership
- NATO and the EU: What a Difference a Decade Makes
- 2010 NATO Strategic Concept – Will Europe Become a More Reliable and Capable Ally?
- NATO-Russia Relations
- NATO’s New Strategic Concept and Prospects for Relations with Russia
- Toward a New Start : Approaches to a Strategic Partnership between NATO and Russia
- NATO’s Relations with the OSCE
- Enhancing Security and Extending Stability through NATO Enlargement (pdf) – This brochure describes the process of NATO enlargement that culminated in the accession of seven new members to the North Atlantic Treaty in March 2004. It includes analysis of the 1995 Study on NATO Enlargement and the Membership Action Plan as well as a short history of all five rounds of NATO enlargement – Pdf | (html)
- The Guide to the Partnership for Peace – 2nd Edition (pdf) – Text in Serbian
- Civil Support for Military Operations and Emergency Responses (pdf) – NATO has been developing this capability, known as interoperability, since the Alliance was founded in 1949. The ability of NATO militaries to work together has become even more important since the Alliance has begun mounting out-of-area expeditionary operations.
If you are interested in participating in this project, please contact TransConflict Serbia at the following e-mail address – office@transconflict.com
The ‘Facilitating Serbia’s Contribution to NATO’s New Strategic Concept’ project has been made possible thanks to the generous support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.
