This article analyses the prospects for establishing a solidarity mechanism within the EU, as basis for a consolidated European response to latent or emerging terrorist threats, as well as to natural/man-made disasters. Rather than providing unequivocal answers to the solidarity and mutual assistance (often interpreted as mutual defence) conundrum, the article endeavours to produce ‘food for thought’ by reiterating the dilemmas and lacunae inherent to the establishment of a European equivalent to NATO’s Article 5.

This article examines the EU’s public diplomacy policy and instruments in CSDP, showcases these efforts in the case of EUTM Somalia and looks at recommendations for how the EU can make the most of the opportunities presented by the Lisbon Treaty and the establishment of the European External Action Service.

Welcome to the fourteenth edition of NATO Watch’s bi-monthly Observatory which has been developed as part of Nato Watch’s independent monitoring service. The focus is on NATO policy-making and operational activities and the clips are drawn from a wide range of subscriptions, feeds and alerts covering a substantial part of the major English language newspapers and other periodicals worldwide.

 

Perceived threats to NATO’s security have shifted considerably since the Cold War. While some Eastern NATO members still view collective territorial defence as NATO’s fundamental role, it is clear from Alliance activities over the last decade that motivations other than territorial defence are exerting considerable influence on NATO’s direction. This brief examines the emerging security challenges facing NATO and the establishment of a new division within its headquarters to tackle them. 

The brief analyses features of the strategic environment in which NATO operates, proposing a critical reading of the Alliance’s internal and external sensitivities and its credibility in being a global player to address increasingly asymmetric challenges. Shaping NATO’s future role and identity requires a comprehensive harmonisation of the dual nature of security - global (common to all nations) and national (“property” of the state).

Welcome to the thirteenth edition of NATO Watch’s bi-monthly Observatory which has been developed as part of Nato Watch’s independent monitoring service. The focus is on NATO policy-making and operational activities and the clips are drawn from a wide range of subscriptions, feeds and alerts covering a substantial part of the major English language newspapers and other periodicals worldwide.

Welcome to the twelfth edition of NATO Watch’s bi-monthly Observatory which has been developed as part of Nato Watch’s independent monitoring service. The focus is on NATO policy-making and operational activities and the clips are drawn from a wide range of subscriptions, feeds and alerts covering a substantial part of the major English language newspapers and other periodicals worldwide.

Final Thematic and Case-Study Report of Multipart Work Package 4b on Multi-stakeholder Partnerships for Socio-Economic Development

Final Thematic and Case-Study Report of Multipart Work Package 4c on Multi-stakeholder Partnerships in the Field of Good Governance, Democracy and the Ruel of Law

Final Thematic and Case-Study Report of Multipart Work Package 4d on Multi-stakeholder Partnerships active in the field of Reconciliation, Confidence-Building and Inter-Communal Bridge-Building

On 13 April 2010, ISIS Europe and DCAF, together with MEP Jacek Saryusz-Wolski (EPP) and MEP Ioan Mircea Paºcu (S&D), organised a European Security Contact Group meeting for Members of the European Parliament and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly with the aim of discussing new avenues and facets for partnership between NATO and the EU in the area of capability development.

Much ado about the changes from the Lisbon Treaty. This short editorial investigates the positive potential of Ashton and the EEAS and restructuring as demonstrated by a new response process in Haiti at the beginning of 2010.

After four months, the efforts by the Spanish Government on Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) provide enough material to make a brief review of the first rotating Presidency under the Lisbon umbrella, the so-called ‘transition Presidency’.

This article assesses the current state of affairs of EU-NATO cooperation in the field of capability development. While improvements can be made to both formal and informal cooperation mechanisms in this field, real progress will not be possible until underlying strategic differences over the future of European security are resolved. In the meantime, real work on avoiding duplication and fostering strategic coherence is best coordinated through capitals

NATO Watch comments on a briefing co-written by Franklin Miller, George Robertson and Kori Schake that criticizes recent German government efforts to remove the remaining US nuclear weapons from its and European soil.

This article will analyse the decisions taken insofar by the Council on the setting up of the EEAS and the remaining grey areas.  In particular it will be questioned as to whether the new aspects that will (or most likely) feature the new diplomatic service (the design is still nebulous in some parts) will efficiently support the new High Representative/Vice President Ashton to fulfil her mandate and consequently enhance the coherency of EU foreign policy.

Brussels is a flurry of events from all corners on the significance and confusion over implementing the Lisbon Treaty and introducing the Spanish EU Presidency. But what is really happening behind the scenes and rhetoric of speakers on panels? This quick overview gives some questions and directs readers to in-depth articles on related themes in this edition of European Security Review.

 ISIS Europe's proposed organigramme for the EEAS. See the complementary explanatory commentary in the article "The Setting Up of the European External Action Service (EEAS): Laying the Basis for a More Coherent EU Foreign Policy?" ESR no.47 By Filippo Mauri with Giji Gya ESR no. 47, December 2009.

As the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union is coming to an end, it is now time to assess Stockholm’s work in the field of European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP). Overall the results are positive and the Swedes pro-activity is what will one remembered when thinking of this Presidency.

It is the 1 December 2009 and the Lisbon Treaty enters into force. A warm welcome to High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/VP of the Commission, Baroness Ashton, a female first in the top EU echelon. here you will find a brief of previous analyses by ISIS Europe on ESDP, which is now Common Foreign and Security Policy (CDSP).

Twenty years after the velvet revolution it is time to remove US nuclear weapons from 
Europe and liberate NATO from a Cold War posture to concentrate on today’s challenges.

The German Constitutional Court has made a decision! The political tenor of the unanimous ruling will have long-term repercussions. Critics like Alfred Grosser consider the new ruling as a “black day” in the history of European integration. Having reached its national goals the Federal Republic would run the risk of becoming the brakesman of the process of European integration. However, it remains to be seen whether this is really the end of the European integration process so dear to European federalists. It is safe to say though, that its effects on the future development of a common foreign and security policy and its defence related aspects are immense.

Heads of State issued “A Declaration on Alliance Security” at the NATO Strasbourg / Kehl Summit in April.  The Summit also initiated the process that will lead to a new NATO Strategic Concept – its core mission statement – an exercise that the Alliance expects to complete by its next Summit in late 2010.  While NATO claims to be committed to a widespread political debate in framing a new Strategic Concept, the review is likely to be entrusted to a group of eminent persons (effectively a retread of the Harmel model from the late 1960s).

This report is our opening contribution to the “battle of narratives” currently underway in the Alliance.  It contains some of the presentations and key debates from over 100 participants at an inaugural Shadow NATO Summit to coincide with the 60th anniversary NATO Summit.  The Executive Summary of the report includes a Citizens Declaration of Alliance Security, which outlines some of the basic principles for equipping the Alliance to meet the different and diverse challenges of this 21st century. 

Following the end of the Czech Republic Presidency of the Council of the European Union, it is now time to assess Prague’s work during the past six months in the area of European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP). The results were neither positive nor negative. More pro-activity from the Czechs could have changed perception significantly more.

 

In this article Ian Davis argues that it is not longer possible to ignore the democratic deficit at the heart of NATO – the cornerstone of UKdefence policy.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jul/12/nato-transparency-strategic-concept

This briefing summarises the Shadow NATO Summit: Options for NATO - Pressing the Re-Set Button on the Strategic Concept, which took place on 31 March and 1 April 2009. The conference was co-organised by BASIC, the Bertelsmann Stiftung, ISIS Europe and NATO Watch, with the support of the Marmot Charitable Trust and an evening reception with Jamie Shea hosted by the NATO Public Diplomacy Division.

In this article, Dr. Ian Davis, founder and Director of NATO Watch, discusses the sixteen principles for reforming NATO, as set out in the Citizens Declaration of Alliance Security. The article is a response to “Ten Theses on NATO in a Changed World” by Karsten Voigt

This briefing is linked to our series of European Security Contact Group meetings investigating new engagements for ESDP.  This briefing summarises our examination of civilian capabilities of ESDP and commitments to improvement.

The long awaited report on the implementation on the European Security Strategy (ESS)  finally emerged at the December Council Ministerial under the French EU Presidency. Rather than a "replacement", it is a "reinforcement" of the 2003 ESS and attempts to examine the five threats outlined in the ESS - five years on. ISIS Europe gives a brief overview of the report.

In this article, Jan Gaspers highlights France's rapprochement with NATO as providing a potentially significant impetus to debates about the creation of an EU caucus within NATO and argues that considerable external and internal obstacles to the creation of such a caucus still persist. For the foreseeable future, these obstacles render a greater coordination among EU member states within NATO rather unlikely, having significant implications for the EU's future as a decisive security and defence actor in international affairs.

This article navigates the reader through the development of the White Paper to its implications for military reform in France and its goals for the country's strategic orientation over the next fifteen years. The article also focuses on three issues mentioned in the report that are particularly pertinent for the rest of the European Union ESDP: peacebuilding, NATO, nuclear weapons and space.

In a follow-up to our article on the Lisbon Treaty in ESR no. 37, this summary from EU-27 Watch of the EU-CONSENT project discusses surveyed opinions of EU member states on ratification of the Treaty, as well as the status of Kosovo and security challenges from European Neighbourhood (ENP) regions. It concludes with a snapshot of current debates in the member states over the future of Europe and national EU strategies.

This article looks over the horizon to explore some of the key security threats and challenges that are likely to confront European policy makers over the next dozen years. It provides a sweeping overview of the main actors, regions and issues involved, as well as highlighting the systemic problems we face in our efforts to respond. Concerted multilateral approaches are essential, backed by sustained political willpower over the long term. Unfortunately, even if we are able to achieve this, we could still end up acting too little too late when trying to address the wrong problem in the wrong way.

The Lisbon Treaty is an attempt to overcome the impasse caused by the failure of the Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe. It aims to create an enhanced institutional architecture and to offer better opportunities for strengthened collective action. Among the various new provisions it contains, many do not challenge the essential inter-governmental nature of foreign and security policy decision making. Nevertheless, this article concludes that it does introduce a number of important institutional changes that require further discussion and elaboration before the Treaty enters into force.

Looking at: Sudan and Chad; Kosovo; Budget; WMD and small arms; Cluster Bombs.