Civil-Military Relations and Democratic Control of the Security Sector

The Security Threat Situation, the New Security Needs
responsibility; an open economic world system that meets the needs of all, especially the poorest,
so as to enable all to participate fully in decision-making; an international legal order which
should ensure the effective equality of all; global welfare as the global equivalent of national
human security systems, and, finally, a shared commitment to settle regional conflicts.
Chapter 3
From Collective Defense to Cooperative Security of States
Today, in Europe many institutions are playing vital roles in making the continent more united,
democratic, prosperous and secure. However, NATO has a unique position among them. Four
decades ago the visionary “Harmel Report” described NATO as “a dynamic and vigorous organization,
which is constantly adapting itself to changing conditions.” It defined NATO’s “ultimate
political purpose” as the achievement of a “just and lasting peaceful order in Europe accompanied
by appropriate security guarantees.”
This definition has not lost its meaning over the past years. It fairly captures the purpose of
the present day Alliance. Not only has the Alliance triumphed in the Cold War, the new NATO
has played a major role in overcoming the division of Europe, imposed at Yalta. Moreover, it has
emerged as the most effective instrument in bringing security and stability to the dramatically
changed European security environment. Never has the North-Atlantic Alliance been closer to
realizing its “ultimate political purpose” than today, at the beginning of the new century.
Established as an organization for collective defense, NATO today has missions changed in
nature and scope, among which prevention of conflicts and settling crises, including far beyond
the traditional definition of the area of responsibility. Important for a successful membership
policy is to take into account the fact that both processes – of accepting new members and of
internal transformation - are motivated and realized by the political imperatives of creating a new
security environment, focused on democratization, economic relations, tolerance and integration.
The events of September 11, 2001 not only did not change that paradigm, but also added
further dynamics and strength to the processes. Since then one of the key areas in security
policy not only in the USA, but also in NATO and the member countries has been to redefine the
roles and tasks of the military and their transformation into an efficient tool of the war against
terror. The new set of missions and tasks of NATO (NATO Summit in Prague in November 2002
and the subsequent documents and declarations) reflects a decisive shift from (not only) collective
defense focus towards security guarantor and stability provider:
Preservation and enhancement of the transatlantic link;
Globalization of responsibilities and ability to respond to the threats and meet the challenges
to security, from wherever they may come;
Fight against terrorism;
Policy of “open doors” and further expansion of the Alliance, including application and development
of the Membership Action Plan mechanism;
Continuity of the Alliance’s responsibility for the Western Balkans;
Non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction;
Missile defense;
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