II. INtErNAtIoNAL rELAtIoNS
4. Conclusions
The document was created as a result of a manifold and most thorough preparatory work, in which even those countries that did not delegate members into the Group of Experts – like Hungary – participated.
NAto proved in 2010 that it is the world’s most powerful political and military alliance as well as the most effective collective defensive organization of the European and North American states. During the past decade, it has been able to adapt to the changes of the security environment and to the threats which significantly differ from the previous ones. today, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism are on the first place, but threats in the cyber space and challenges of sustainable development are also highly significant. In some cases such as terrorism, energy safety, electronic warfare and the security effects of climate change, security questions are so complex
36 on 17th March 2003.
Tamás Sorosy
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that it is extremely hard to draw a line between military and non-military tasks.
The 5th article was really important in strengthening the main task of NAto, collective defence, but it also needs to be stressed that by today the Alliance has become a regional organization with global responsibility and security interests.
The strategy declared a whole range of new elements (cooperative security, world without nuclear weapons, stabilize post-conflict situations, civilian crisis management capability), which confirm that based upon its current and future capabilities it meets the requirements.
In order to retain its authenticity and significance in the future and to continue maintaining an effective force, it is necessary to continuously renew the Alliance in a modern and cost-effective way by building upon its previous operational, mission-related and partnership experience. This modernization process needs to be carried out in a way to cover the whole spectrum of the capabilities of the Alliance from the deterring strength of its nuclear weapons through the traditional forces to ballistic missile defence.
It is important that the military force of each member state be able to meet all the requirements of the organisation. It is necessary to develop the capabilities in a harmonious way both in the NAto and the EU by avoiding simultaneous decisions. The development of civilian capabilities is strongly emphasized; therefore, the intensification of the connections with the UN and the EU is specifically justified.
It is still important that NAto be open and receptive. States in the Western-Balkans are important partners (Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Kosovo, Serbia), and they are developing their cooperation with the Alliance.
It is necessary to leave the perspective of the membership open for them. The new strategic concept has justified NAto’s ”open-door” policy providing a real chance for all European countries which are able to meet the accession requirements.
The Alliance cannot operate in isolation; therefore, it is necessary to build further partnerships with countries playing an important role in the security environment such as India and China and the regional actors of the African Union. Strengthening the cooperation with russia is of extreme significance in a system of mutual trust, cooperation, consultation and dialogue.
However, it remains an important question whether there will be a common political will and enough resources for a true renewal of NAto. The Chicago summit indicates that the first steps are promising into this direction.
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tHE EUroPEAN UNIoN AND tHE SAHEL rEGIoN – FoCUS oN tHE CrISIS IN
MALI AND tHE EUtM MALI
The Sahel Belt is running from west to east, from Mauritania and Senegal in the east to western Sudan. From an institutional point of view, nine states belong to the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel: Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Chad. However, one has to note that human and geographical realties of the region do not correspond to the political borders.1
The Sahel region2
1 More details: DG Policy Department: The involvement of Salafism/Wahhabism is the support and supply of arms to rebel groups around the world, 23. http://www.europarl.
europa.eu/delegations/lt/studiesdownload.html?languageDocument=EN&file=94079 (Downloaded: on 18th october 2013.)
2 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21150066 (Downloaded: on 3rdSeptember 2013.)
Éva Remek
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Mali is a landlocked west-African country – one of the poorest3 in the world – experienced rapid economic growth after the 1990 years, coupled with a flourishing democracy and relative social stability.4 It is one of Africa’s major cotton producers, and has lobbied against subsidies to cotton farmers in richer countries, particularly the United States. Item Mali is Africa’s third biggest gold producer.5 A chronic foreign trade deficit makes it nonetheless heavily dependent on foreign aid. Mali is one of the most aid-dependent states in Africa,6 it is true, not a unique case in this region.
Despite the desert’s inhabitants are poor, there are rich natural resources to be found under the sands. It (see above the map) can be seen Algeria has oil and gas, Niger has one of the world’s largest uranium reserves, which power France’s nuclear plants. Such when the attack on an Algerian gas plant was in January, 2013 and the UK Prime Minister David Cameron said that
„the Sahara desert has turned into a haven for militant Islamists who are waging a jihad against the West”.7
It is not surprising that the questions are raised … what really happened in the region, in Mali? Why Mali is every day in the headlines?