The 2nd week of this Study Period, addressing the present and future of NATO, ran from Tuesday 09th to Friday 16th November. The Senior Course was joined in the Auditorium by participants in the NATO Regional Cooperation Course (NRCC). The academic programme comprised lectures dealing with the Comprehensive Approach, NATO’s partnership initiatives and the future development of NATO, based on the new Strategic Concept.
The first day started with a panel lecture on Comprehensive Approach by Dr Tine FLOCKHART (DNK) and Col Andrew BUDD. Dr FLOCKHART is researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies and she approached the topic in a theoretical way, highlighting the background to the Concept, the actors involved, the problems possible solutions of the Comprehensive Approach and possible solutions to them, while Col BUDD, Chief of the Strategic Policy and Concepts Branch in NATO HQ, discussed the NATO approach to and action plan for the Comprehensive Approach at a more operational level.
On Wednesday 10th November, a panel lecture was given on the Mediterranean Dialogue and the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative. Dr Alberto BIN, Director of the Partnerships and Cooperation section in the Political affairs and Security Policy Division at NATO HQ explained the NATO approach to these partnership initiatives and Prof. KHADER, Director of the Arab Study and Research Center at the Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium) stressed the characteristics and problems of the region and their relations with Europe, the USA and NATO. The keynote address on this day by HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan was very relevant to the subject of the regular lectures.
Dr Karl-Heinz. KAMP, Director of the Research Division of the NADEFCOL, addressed the audience on Thursday 11th November. He lectured on the future development of NATO, based on the possible content of the New Strategic Concept. This lecture brought together many of the topics and themes covered in the Study Period, and was a fitting way to summarize most of the aspects of the academic programme for this Study Period.
On the last day of the Study Period, Dr Carlo MASALA of the International Relations University of the German Armed Forces examined in more detail the current state of the Partnership for Peace initiative and the prospects for future development of these partnerships. This lecture concluded a very successful Study Period.
NDC Public Affairs Office
NATO Defense College