Si nolis bellum para pacem

The rule of law and NATO's Mediterranean Initiative

Resumo

With the end of the Cold War, the Mediterranean region became more important for NATO as a whole and not just for the Southern countries. The main reasons are obvious: risks and challenges moved south; the Balkan crisis erupted; the EU became increasingly more involved through the Barcelona process; the proliferation of WMD threatens the region; several Southern Mediterranean countries face difficult political transitions: the Greek-Turkish dispute over the Aegean and Cyprus and the Israeli-Palestine confrontation; threats of terrorismo  loom over the region, adding to the sense of uncertainty fostered by history. A resolute security policy needs a common political ground and an easily identifiable flag to fight for: defence and security policies are devised to foster confidence, to build prospects of peace, and to achieve security through cooperation; war is the outcome of the failure of such policies. How to strengthen confidence-building measures (CBM’s) within the Mediterranean environment? As NATO embarques upon a dialogue with other Mediterranean countries, the nature and content of this policy should be inspired by the original Treaty’s guidelines. To reiterate “the principles of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law” as preconditions to security is the best guarantee that adequate policies will be implemented.