French Security Policy in Transition: Dynamics of Continuity and Change
Abstract : Since 1989, French defense and security policy has been undercut by changes in the external environment and domestic pressures to deal with the challenge of economic modernization. The Soviet revolution of 1989, the reunification of Germany, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the experience of coalition warfare during the Gulf War-all have challenged the assumptions and realities underlying the Gaullist synthesis. Above all, the French position on security independence has been put into question. The main hope has been for a European Alliance to supplant the American one over time in the face of a gradual process of change within Europe but change has not been gradual within Europe. The European Union is challenged by discontent within Western Europe. A new Central Europe has emerged that has yet to find its place in European or global politics. A new Russia is emergent in which nationalism is defining an assertive role for the Russians within Europe, but at the same time the economic weakness of Russia limits its ability to play such a role.
NATO's Future: Beyond Collective Defense
CONCLUSIONS: AN OUTLINE FOR A NEW TRANSATLANTIC BARGAIN Under the much different international circumstances of the mid-1980s, it was proposed that the NATO allies ensure NATO's future by striking "a new transatlantic bargain." The mare goal of the new bargain was to increase European responsibilities for alliance missions. Today, a new bargain may be required to clarify NATO's future role as well as to enhance the European role in the alliance. Striking a new bargain would require the United States and the allies to commit themselves anew to a collective approach to advancing their common security interests. The Governments of the United States, Canada, and the European members of NATO believe that continuation of the transatlantic alliance will serve their vital interests, but there is no consensus among or within NATO member states concerning the missions that the alliance should pursue in the period of history that follows the end of the Cold War. Consequently no consensus exists on how the North Atlantic Treaty Organization--the structure created to implement the Treaty's goals--should be reformed to serve their interests in the future. This report assesses the current state of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and suggests a package of political measures and institutional reforms that could be included in a "new transatlantic bargain" designed to revitalize the alliance and reform the organization. The report concludes that current members of the alliance would be well advised to strike a new transatlantic bargain among themselves before inviting additional countries to join the 'alliance. A reasonable goal might be to conclude the process of revitalizing NATO at a summit meeting of NATO leaders in the first half of 1997. To be relevant, any new bargain would have to: * Accommodate the eventual addition of new members * Keep the door open to a constructive relationship with Russia * Accommodate European aspirations to develop a European pillar in NATO * Involve France on a regularized basis * Keep the United States interested and involved. The new bargain could include several elements: * A new statement of European and North American purpose for and commitment to the alliance. Allied governments would declare that they are committed to cooperate politically and militarily to help ensure a more stable international environment for the post-Cold War world. Such a statement would emphasize that the governments of the alliance share the responsibilities and burdens for maintaining international peace even if not all allies will be involved in every peace support operation. * A restatement of NATO's mission. In the early post-Cold War era, it was frequently said that NATO would have to become "more political." Even though NATO has always been a political as well as a military alliance, it is clear that NATO's unique functional role is to promote and implement political/military cooperation among member and partner states. Collective defense remains at the core of U.S. and allied commitments to the alliance. But NATO's day-to-day functions are already shifting from collective defense activities to collective responsibility sharing across a broad range of security-support activities. Such activities are not artificially limited by any geographic boundaries, as they do not fall under NATO's Article 5 collective defense mandate. For non-Article 5 purposes, NATO's future mission seems likely to focus increasingly on: --Preserving habits of military cooperation. Even if NATO per se never formally ran a peace-support operation, the habits of cooperation developed through cooperation in NATO would remain absolutely essential to the ability of the United States and its European allies to conduct successful multilateral military operations in the future. --Promoting peace. Developing cooperative military relations with non-NATO countries can help promote international peace. …
An assessment of the Impact of Devolution on Women Empowerment in Nakuru County
-Women have been grossly marginalized in organs of decision-making and governance structures. The Constitution of Kenya has sought to bridge this gap by providing both women and men the right to equal treatment, including the right to equal opportunities in political, economic, cultural and social spheres. However, gender equality has not been achieved and women are still lagging in terms of decision making processes. The main objective of the study was to detemine the impact of devolution on women empowerment in Nakuru County. The study found that substantive women representation, development of programs and accessibility of services had a positive effect on the women empowerment in Nakuru County. The study also found out that increased accessibility of Services by women influenced women empowerment, this study also concludes that the introduction of development programs had the greatest impact on women empowerment in Nakuru County. The study recommends that more programs targeting women should be introduced as these have the greatest impact on women empowerment. The findings may be used to make conclusions and recommendations.