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Security

This book examines the governance of security and insecurity in developing and former communist countries that are becoming more democratic. The book asserts that to ensure the military is governed in a democratic manner, it requires that democratic institutions be in place, and a basic acceptance of democratic politics by the political leadership, civil servants and security personnel. However, it underscores that state control or civilian control of military and security structure is not necessarily equivalent to democratic control.

The book demonstrates the following findings:

• There can be no 'one size fits all' solution to governing security in transitions, and careful attention has to be paid to national variations.
• In terms of security reform, re-professionalising the military, including re-defining its mission and role is recommended. 
• Some countries are genuinely consolidating democratic governance, or are in varying stages of transition towards it, while others may be seen as stalled democratic experiments.
• In several states, conflict is, or has been, endemic; consequently many of these are failed or collapsed states, thus democratic transition has failed or even been reversed.

In such cases, security structures have fractured or disintegrated, and have been replaced by informal militias or external forces. Under these conditions, national reconstruction of the entire public authority framework is needed. Furthermore, in many cases of insecurity, the political and security predicaments are related to wider challenges, within what may be termed 'regional security complexes'. This makes carrying out a profound security reform difficult.

The book also notes some reasons for success in South Africa's transition:

• 'elite pacting', where the rules of the game were agreed between the outgoing and incoming elites
• the construction of national consensus on the process and end state.
  
  
  
  
  

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