The Research Proposal-2002

Statement outlining my research interest:

The European Re-Construction between Security and Necessity The European security environment changed dramatically with the end of the cold war. German unification took place, Czechoslovakia split up, and on the ruins of the two totalitarian federations – the former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia – 20 new states were formed or reemerged. The Warsaw Treaty Organization was dissolved, and new institutions, such as North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC) and the Partnership for Peace (PFP), were created. Since the cold war, there has been a fundamental change in the character of the threats to peace and stability in Europe. Instead of emanating from conflicts between states, the most serious security risks emerging in post-cold war Europe stem from conflicts within states. With this change in the substance of security, a broader understanding of the concept of security is needed. The new issues demanding attention include ethnic and religious conflicts as well as environmental degradation, organized crime, terrorism and large-scale population movements. Given that the most serious security risks arise from intra-state conflicts, the key task is to determine the mechanisms that can give early warning of future conflict and confidence and security-building measures (CSBMs) that can address emerging conflicts within states. The basic institutional elements of the post-cold war security system emerging in Europe – the Council of Europe, the European Union, NATO and OSCE – were created under the framework of the old security system and do not work well in the new environment. They have often been conspicuously unequal to the urgent challenges of crisis management, conflict prevention and conflict resolution. Therefore, the geopolitical organization of Europe needs special attention. Enlargement of NATO an the EU would overcome the historical tendency for South-Eastern and Central Europe to be either a region in which armed conflicts erupt and tend to radiate outward or the point of collision between adversaries from East and West. - Transformation of NATO: a key challenge is how to enlarge NATO in a cooperative, non-confrontional way does not foment new antagonisms and divisions. A compromise needs to be reached with Russia that will reassure it that its interests are considered and that it remains an important international actor.

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Transformation of the EU: Establishment of a new Europe free from the influence of East-West rivalry. The fact that the Western civilization is superior to the Eastern civilization means neither that the way to follow is the dissolution of cultures nor that it is unavoidable for the new order to be designed by all the European and Euro-Atlantic nations together as a synthesis of their values and historical experience. Some scholars pointed out the fact that it should be offer to East European countries first a Marshall Plan before the Maastricht Agreement. Marshall before Maastricht means stability through development instead of stability through integration, in that case the development became the catalyser between cooperation and integration. Most of the dangers that had to deal today Europe are similar with those which determined, at the middle of twenty century, the setting up of the Community of Coal and Steel from where emerged the European Union. There was the fear of the conflict between West Europe – at that time was democratic, now is prosperous – and East Europe - at that time was communist, now is pauper. Related to these ideas the evolution of Europe – more or less seen as a federal union – must be accomplished through the light of its goals instead reported to its means of action. Since 1941, Alan Millward was convinced that Europe had to become a political union because the military defense of European countries by themselves was impossible. The inexistence of a political European project conducted to concurrence between powers: it occurs a concept of security competition. European Re-Construction between these two evolution lines of security – intra-state conflicts and security competition – must focuses on issues related to regional economic development and cooperation, abolition of customs and border barriers, strengthening of political cooperation, fight against illicit trafficking and organized crime, strengthening of security and confidence measures, promotion of human rights and freedoms; with other words, Europe must be re-invented. -

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