Ifda dossier 47, May/June 1985

ifda dossier 47 . may/june 1985 global space
THE SOUTH: A PART OF OUR SECURITY
by Thorvald Stoltenberg*
Mogens Thorsensgate 1
Oslo
Norway
The United States is the only country which has the political,
economic and military capacity to have a global strategy,
in the sense of a strategy which can be pursued
globally, in practice. The Soviet Union is building up the
military power to enable her to be present in all the
world's waters. From an economic view point, she does not
have a possibility of pursuing a global strategy.
Europe, naturally enough, has even less possibility of pursuing
a global strategy - presuming Europe had one.
The political co-operation which has developed in the EEC
becomes an increasing challenge to the European countries
which are not members of the EEC. This is especially the
case as the politics gradually appear to include also
policies of security. The day the United States and the EEC
meet under the auspices of NATO with clear, finalized viewpoints,
the non-EEC countries' influence in such a vital
area as policies of security will be very limited.
After having mentioned these problematic sides of political
cooperation which are developing in the European Community,
it should be made quite clear that all Western European countries,
including non-EEC countries, feel a growing need to
coordinate their foreign policies, so that they can increase
their influence on world development more than is the case
today. Europe has not been able, to any degree, to present a
reasonably homogeneous policy. The result is that Western
Europe has limited itself to deplore or critisize USSR's and
the United States' policies without presenting any alternatives.
There is a great need for a European policy. In practice
this means, first and foremost, an EEC policy, where we who
are not members can influence the decision process via the
channels and possibilities open to us. These are numerous,
but any one who has participated in the forming of policies
- */ Thorvald Stoltenberg, currently leader of the opposition (Labow
Party) in the Oslo City Council, uas, among other things, Secretary of
State for Foreign Affairs, International Secretary of the Labour Party
and Minister of Defence. He is a member of the IFDA Council, and was
its co-chairman in 1983 and 1984.