Senior Course 119 – Study Period B – International Organizations

Following on from Module A of the academic curriculum which reviewed the fundamental processes and conceptual issues underlying the security environment in the 21st Century and discussed specific trends in the evolution of the security environment and their significance for NATO, Module B considered the international security framework within which NATO operates, through a discussion of the key international organizations and non-state actors.

Study Period B on International Organizations, run during the week of 19th – 23rd September 2011, covered the actors who play key roles both in the Euro-Atlantic Security Architecture and globally. Meeting today’s security challenges requires a wide spectrum of civil and military instruments, and close cooperation and coordination amongst a variety of actors and also requires a comprehensive approach by the international community. For that reason the Study Period focused not only on the two key international organizations for the Euro-Atlantic security community, the United Nations and the European Union (with the emphasis on the European Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP)), but also on non-state actors such as Civil Society, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Multinational Corporations (MNCs) and Private Security Contractors (PSCs). There are some important questions to be answered in the quest for effective cooperation in order to deal with threats to our security.

It was only natural that the academic week should start with a lecture on the United Nations, which is the embodiment of cooperation among States to safeguard peace, it is the stronghold of shared values and commitments to security, freedom and prosperity for all, and its aim is to prevent war among states and provide for order and justice – the list goes on. This lecture, the first in the Study Period, was delivered by Dr Mats Berdal, Professor of Security and Development at King’s College, London and Mr. Marc Garlasco, who is currently running the Office for the Protection of Civilians in the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan . Among other topics, the lecturer focused on the issue of UN reform, the pros and cons of its existence, and its future prospects. Despite its flaws and the frequent criticisms levelled at it, the UN is still the most important and most comprehensive International Organization and is clearly indispensable. Although a strange amalgam of idealism and realism, it would surely have to be invented if it did not already exist.

Today’s European Union (EU), a supranational organization of 27 sovereign states across the European continent, stands out as an unprecedented phenomenon in the annals of history. It is true that a zone of peace, in the Kantian sense, has been achieved among EU members since its establishment by the Treaty of Rome in 1957, but even as the EU grows in size and prosperity, there appears to be a limit to how closely Europeans want to embrace centralized European integration. Dr Peter Van Ham, Director of the Global Governance Research Program at the Clingendael Institute, explored the different aspects of the European Union – its past, its priorities and its prospects, as well as the contemporary challenges to the ability of its member states and institutions to build a strong community that can manage Europe’s interaction with the global economy.

The separate lecture on the European Union’s Defence and Security Policy (CSDP), as a major element of the Common Foreign and Security Policy pillar of the European Union, was delivered by Prof. Dr Julian Lindley-French, Eisenhower Professor of Defence Strategy at the Netherlands Defence Academy, Professor of Strategic Studies at Leiden University and Head, Commander’s Initiative Group (CIG), Allied Rapid Reaction Corps. He focused on the development of a Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) to deal with current realities and future challenges, the EU’s role in crisis management and the military component, and EU-NATO cooperation in the framework of a Comprehensive Approach. Dr. Lindley-French succeeded in generating a very thought-provoking academic day at the NATO Defense College.

The Study Period continued with a lecture on Civil Society and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). Civil society and NGOs are playing an important part in the world, tackling issues that individual states alone are either not able to address or choose to ignore. The increased role of civil society, civic groups and grassroots movements in drumming up support for alternative paradigms that are people-friendly and supportive of home-grown initiatives is reflected in the protests in the Middle East and North Africa. To introduce us to Civil Society and NGOs, we welcomed a panel with Dr Rama Mani, a Senior Research Associate at the University of Oxford’s Centre for International Studies, Dr Alain Deletroz, Vice-President (Europe) of the International Crisis Group, Mr. Zarvan Raniero OWSIA, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Delegate to the Armed Forces for the Maghreb, Nigeria & Mali and Mr. Andrea Pontirolli, the Medicins Sans Frontier Representative to the European Union. Additionally, Mr Aleardo Ferretti, Senior Delegate of the ICRC to NATO and the European Armed Forces and Mr. Konstantinos Moschochoritis, General Director of Medicins Sans Frontier in Rome, joined the Committees discussions in the afternoon session. This proved to be academically one of the very demanding but rewarding days at the NATO Defense College.

Given the great importance of economic globalization and the role of Multinational Corporations (MNCs) and Private Security Contractors (PSCs) in it, it is crucial to evaluate their influence on security and stability and to discuss the significant ways in which these actors shape zones of conflict. To discuss this topic, our speakers were Ms Diana Klein, a Project Manager, Peace Building Issues Programme, International Alert, London, and Mr Rem Korteweg, Policy Analyst at The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies. During the Question and Answer session various aspects of the subject were discussed, ranging from the implications of enhanced international trade for the promotion of peace, to the implications of MNC and PSC involvement in conflict zones and their cooperation with other actors especially with NATO troops in theatre.

The key International Organizations were born in the aftermath of the Second World War and were all designed, in one way or another, to ensure that no global conflagration of this kind occurred again. During the past decade, the Euro-Atlantic security community has been adapting in order to cope with the challenges of the post-Cold War era. During this time, and particularly after September 11, it became increasingly necessary to confront issues that had both regional and global implications. As we are now facing sometimes inter-related complex threats, common efforts and common action against them are essential. The need for adaptation through reform is constant, a theme which Senior Course 119 discussed with great interest and developed successfully.

NDC Public Affairs Office
(Prepared by Mrs. Daria Daniels Skodnik, NDC Visiting Scholar)