From Cooperative Security to Security Partnership in the Mediterranean

Abstract

This chapter presents ideas for the development of asecurity partnership in the Mediterranean. First, it explains the concept cooperative security (15.2) as distinct from other concepts such as mutual security, common security or non-offensive defence (NOD). Mutual and common security describe the interdependent nature of security, emphasising that there are global dangers, in particular nuclear weapons, which constitute a clear risk to the security of all states that require cooperative approaches (15.3). Several conceptual explorations were made during the 1980’s and the beginning of the 1990’s (Palme 1982; Smoke 1991; Väyrynen 1985) that include descriptive and prescriptive elements. They may be distinguished from unilateral approaches defended by realism, although they do not abandon all realist principles and policies due to the importance they give to military means in the security domain. Common security accepts the concept of deterrence but adds the concept of reassurance to the relations among states. Regarding non-offensive defence the proponents maintain that NOD:

would provide the solution to the problems of war prevention and disarmament in a post nuclear setting by minimizing the capabilities, as well as the incentives, for waging wars of aggression without any need for a nuclear Damocles sword; and, by virtue thereof, by increasing the margin of unilateral arms builddown, facilitating arms control and disarmament (Møller 1992: xii).