• Global security

Global security

Under the backdrop of the Bucharest summit initially dubbed as the “enlargement summit”, this paper looks at the opportunities and implications on NATO expansion. It particularly focuses on the uncertainties about the organisation's role and strategic choices.

Key points highlighted by the authors include:

• NATO enlargement has implications for the future of new potential member states - implications that do not please all NATO members. Initiatives that could actually strengthen NATO meet with opposition from members who are trying to avoid undesirable political consequences
  
• critics cited serious reservations about the stability of the candidate countries and concerns about relations with Russia. As a bi-lateral retaliation, Moscow could charge higher energy prices or apply trade restrictions against Georgia and the Ukraine, thus impeding reforms and development
  
• NATO has used regional partnership programmes as a vehicle to win over partner states to collaborate on missions - cooperation with countries in strategic neighbouring regions has fallen short of expectations
  
• a global NATO, born by established democracies always convinced they are in the right, could be tempted to use military means without a valid mandate under international law
• states such as China and Russia that are declared non-democratic are likely to respond to the creation of a global democratic alliance by establishing counter alliances.
  

The authors conclude by looking at the possibilities of regional organisations as new partners. It highlights that in the area of global crisis management, NATO must find ways to ensure its influence without committing substantial numbers of troops. In this regard, NATO must not overlook the strategy of expanding relations with regional security organisations such as the African Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council. However, there are problems attached to this, such as the fact that security organisations that have the necessary political coherence and are able to develop the military planning skills essential for involvement in crisis management do not always exist.

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