الواقع الامنی الاوروبی بعد الحرب الباردة

الواقع الامنی الاوروبی بعد الحرب الباردة

 

م. ولید محمود احمد

مرکز الدراسات الإقلیمیة /جامعة الموصل 

 [email protected]                        

 

 

 

لقد ظلت قضیة الأمن الدولی حبیسة إطارها الأوروبی عندما کانت القوى العظمى الأوروبیة تمسک بمقدرات الأمن العالمی وهی القوى العظمى انذاک، لکن مع حلول العقد الأول من القرن العشرین بدا وکأن أمن واستقرار أوروبا ما بعد الحروب النابلیونیة قد اخذ یتداعى مع بدء الحرب العالمیة الأولى التی عبرت بحیثیاتها ونتائجها عـن متـغیر واضـح ألمّ بالشؤون الأوروبیة تمثل بمـشارکة عسکریة لقوة عظمى غیر أوروبیة (الولایات المتحدة الأمریکیة) فی ترجیح کفة القتال لصالح الدیمقراطیات الرأسمالیة فی أوروبا مقابل قوى اخرى منافسة مثلت نقیضها. لذا فقد شرعت الـولایات المتحدة ومنذ نهایة الحرب العالمیة الثانیة فی بناء منظومة أمنیة اعتبرت فیها الأمن الأوروبی جزءً من الأمن القومی الأمریکی غیر ان ذلک الامر واجه ظهور قوة اخرى عالمیة للولایات المتحدة وهی الاتحاد السوفییتی بشکل مناقض فکریا للغرب مما انتج حربا باردة القت بظلالها على اوروبا بعد الحرب العالمیة الثانیة وحتى عام 1989.

 

معلومات البحث                                   مستخلص البحث

 

 

تاریخ الاستلام      تاریخ القبول

 

                              

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

		الکلمات المفتاحیة -   اوروبا -   الامن الاوروبی -   فکر سیاسی -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reality of the European Security After the Cold War

 

Waleed Mahmood Ahmed

 Regional Studies Center / University of Mosul  [email protected]

 

 

Article  info.                            Abstract                                     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction:

        The Issue of European security accounted an attention to European politicians, and for that, the efforts were made to ensure the balance of power in Europe because breach this balance could lead to the domination of one power versus of other powers.                                

     The Instability of European security   led  bug of international security system as that the center of global security was on the European continent when it was dominated by European powers which was control  the international events until the end of World War II in 1945.

       After that year, the  center of global powers moved to superpowers from out of  Europe ( the United States)  leader of   the Western  capitalism and (Soviet Union ) which was commander  other peoples towards an international socialism than showed deep Western fears that could made Europe  a hostage for Soviet communists, then Russia domination on global security.

     Americans supposed that the two world wars (1914-1918), (1939-1945) boosted more global instability and threatened the Western democracies weakened by wars so that allowed for  emergence  big  influence for Soviet Union , thus had required the  intervention of  U.S. strongly to re-impose security in Europe, so the United States started since the end of World War II in adopting a new security system , that mean the concept of European security has become part of the American national security to prevent sliding Europe into chaos and instability.                The issue of ensuring European security raised concerns of American  politicians , debates focused  about the nature and extent of the contribution of the U.S. efforts to impose stability on the continent , and on the  European contribution to military expenditure to face the potential threaten European security , and discussions  appeared about the ability of Europeans to ensure security in the face of the emerging challenges like of the return of Russia to adopt the concepts of  dominance in international relations, or whether  Europe able  to prevent problems that threaten stability in its the ethnically disturbed  areas . The research reviewed the concept of European security in terms of its origin and development, and then viewed the changes of responsibility transition of Europe security to forces from outside the continent, and the European visions about that.                                                                 

The Concept of European Security   

    The concept of security can be defined as: “a group of countries that their security is interrelated to the extent that their national security problems cannot be solved in a separate way ([i]).                                 

       The idea of the ​​collective security of the  E.U  started  with the Treaty of Westphalia * , which was held in 1648,  the rules of  the Treaty, contributed to achieve security and stability in Europe, and has adopted the concept of state sovereignty in international relations and was considered the first beginning in the history of what is known as the international system ([ii]) after it exceeded the religious wars among European nations , and then organize the international relations of the European continent , formed on a new directions towards the principles and mechanisms of cooperation and participation rather than the concepts of control and subjugation .                                                                    

       The growing strength of some European countries, such as France, and threating the situation on the continent, the European forces joined in a war against it, ended by the Treaty of "Utrecht" ** in 1713, which stressed the principles of the treaty "Westphalia". Then came the French Revolution " 1789 "([iii]) that led to a breach in the international situation as a result of the Napoleonic wars, and fears greater than before after the announcement of the revolutionary council of the French Revolution intention to support the wishes of the European nations aimed to achieve freedom, willingness of France to intervene in favor of nations that want it, and issued this declaration in November 19, 1792 ([iv]).                     

       There was a strong  European desire to  preserve the gains of the peace achieved by Westphalia , which was based primarily on solutions to conflicts through the use of political channels rather than imposing external solutions by force ([v]), but the countries of Europe returned to face the expansion of the empire of Napoleon Bonaparte  (1769-1821 ), and were able to defeat him in the battle of "Waterloo" *** in 1815 , then held the Congress of Vienna in the same year for the reorganization of the European continent ([vi]).                                                                        

      The Congress of Vienna was a basis for the formation of the  modern  European Community , which began to expand with the industrial revolution and independence of states and the emergence of nationalities , these countries dominated  to international politics and imposed its point of view on the eastern half of the world , Under the name of the international system that oversaw the world through the (European Conference )" ([vii]) , who stated by holding conferences to resolve the problems faced by the world during the nineteenth century until the First World War and was able to establish treaties and laws that still don until now, like  Geneva agreements of 1864.                                                 

      In the beginning of the twentieth century, appear  in international relations concept ( collective security ), to refer to European security , it has tended major European countries at that time , especially " Britain, France and Germany " to protect its interests outside the European continent after a quiet period in Europe at late nineteenth century because of the balance of powers and could not few of the incidents such as the war between the Ottomans and the Greeks (1821-1829) , to disquiet  this calm ([viii]) , so that the period of twenty or thirty years of the nineteenth century is known in British foreign policy  as(the  wonderful isolation period) ([ix]) , so the great European powers entered what is known as the era of global politics ([x]).                                                                      

     The first applications of  the idea of ​​collective security in international relations through the experience of the League of Nations , it was the idea underlying the American President ( Democrat ) Woodrow Wilson (1913 - 1924) in his vision of a world peace , and organized its relations through the League of Nations , the arrangements for collective security were in line with the nature of the international system at the time, when the war was legitimate as one of the ways of managing international relations. Thus, the era of the League even if did not provide for the prohibition of war, (Legitimate +) and does not make conflicts impossible, but limit their scope ([xi]).                                                                                           After the end of World War II (1939 - 1945) , there was changing in the system of European security , the European powers is no longer as they were great powers, and the European continent no longer a major center for responsible for the international Security Requirements ,  the center of effect  in the collective security moved into powers  from outside Europe , namely, the United States ,  and the Soviet Union and so the European Nations lost what  ability of influence in the equation of security and international stability for the benefit of the two mentioned , and thus the international arrangement leadership of collective security turned  to non-European powers .                                                        

  The formulation of collective security system  started within the framework of the United Nations after World War II  saw  great hopefulness about the nature of the role that could be played by the international organization and  Security Council as the body responsible for co-management to the system of collective security as well as the means and possibilities and institutional frameworks to ensure the management of military operations on the field so as to ensure achievement of the desired results , and it was the most important thing guaranteed by the Charter  is the commitment of all member States that  put at the disposal of the Security Council, on its call and in accordance with the special agreements ,( the  facilities necessary for the maintenance of peace and international security), as mandated  in the Charter , in other words there have been attempts to avoid  the mistakes in the previous experience of the League of Nations ([xii]).                                               

      The conditions of the Cold War witnessed transmission the allied victors in World War II into competitors during Cold War led to prevention of the United Nations in many cases for access to its goal of achieving collective security, especially with the transformation of the international Security Council to one of the tools of conflict between the poles of the Cold War as well as use of its enduring members the right of veto ([xiii]).                                                                                                 

  In fact, European security in the Cold War era was dominated by two superpowers at that time,  so the control of  collective security system   arrangement  moved from the continental (Europe) to global (the United States, and the Soviet Union), which is considered an indication  for losing  the Europe powers ability to maintaining international security and stability([xiv]).                                                                                   

The European Security after the Cold War     

       European security Situations has a long history, wars, did not stop in European history in the second half of the twentieth century, not because of human values in Europeans mind, but because development and economic conditions have changed the basics of European relations that emerged after the two world wars and created a new era of economic relations interlocking and helped to accumulate wealth and widened international trade and then the money itself has become a form of   power ([xv]).                                                                                            

        The term competition  appeared  instead of  conflict, and resolve expansion through the global market economy and the extension of political influence replaced empires and regional expansion ([xvi]) , turning the axis of the contest for influence between the components of the international system in the world of the north to the contest  for hegemony in the world of the South ([xvii]).

  The new economic formula  after the collapse of Europe economically in the war II  gave  United States  the site of the financial, political , and economic leadership , and while the U.S. has developed manufacture and technologies military , based on the piling up of knowledge ,Europe  intentioned on the development of the industrial economy of traditional only  thus  U S  has depended on its military superiority and economic to impose its decisions on Europe([xviii]) , which continued throughout the Cold War era , and perhaps this explains for example the failure  the first European attempt for  security  independence  from U S  when founding of the Organization of the Western European Union (1948),  and the start of  the  emergence of  European Common Market (1957),  which emerged by the European Union , but he explains at the same time look Europeans after their emission  economic and after getting rid of the constraints of the Cold War, but they do not find themselves anywhere side by side  the NATO  dominance , and this has become the new target of  European security  , but  according to the American vision the strengthening  cooperation with U.S. would deter aggressors by showing strength European- American harmony to inform  the parties that hostilities   will face a wide alliance ([xix]), but the Americans still didn’t understand that Europeans will still needs to feel safe the risks from East of continent , which form they constantly feeling  mix of fear and uncertainty ([xx]).                                                                                   

  In contrast ,did not have a European conception of the variables that got in the equation of international balance after the Second World War, in fact, there were variables in international politics and involved a great deal of competition beyond their borders with a view to "hegemony " ([xxi]), and it based on strategic dominance on the assumption that countries gain their security not only through the balance of power , but through the creation of an imbalance in the balance of power in their favor ,  , and in geographically consider the United States look the issue of security from a global perspective and any weaken comes to the Europe continent can lead to an imbalance in the system of international security , so it is Americans realize that Europe's security in their  responsibility  ([xxii]). There was a failure  encountered  the formation of the German-French army corps as a nucleus of European military power ([xxiii]) .the  U.S. efforts include  immediate  steps to prevent that  such as talking about  reappearances a threats  like "An internal setback in Russia is creating chaos in Europe " ([xxiv]), and agreement  with  Russia  to reduce nuclear arms long-term without including arms intermediate-  Range Nuclear of Russian  , which pose a threat to Europe and not the United States , Washington's has also supported efforts of  the  Russian to restore its influence central Asia , in the same time  spread up  the concerns in eastern and western Europe from the possibility of renewed Russian  aspiration to dominate European  ([xxv]).                                               

   Then broke out the Balkan war (1991 - 1995) , and lasted four years   before  the intervention of  NATO where , the Americans Contributed  in the transfer of decision- political and security on the Balkans to the international arena, by  so-called the Contact Group which  include United States, France , Germany, Britain , Italy and Russia , than made the Balkans as a loophole for Moscow  through  to come back for participate in  Europeans  security  decision making ([xxvi]) .                  

         These developments, drew attention about the of possible risk of future facing Europe from the East, including not allowing the Europeans to a way of America and Atlantic, so European efforts faltered for security Independence   despite installed from years ago in the Maastricht Treaty ([xxvii]), which was signed in the seventh February 1992 and entered into force on the first of November 1993, and established the European Union security policy.

      The America  security  policy  saw developing a decisive shift by European  from reject the NATO expansion  eastward  to the a  accept to it  , causing feedback  Russian  automatically  contributed to strengthening the European concerns , and    Russian - European dispute  began  mounts until it  with the outbreak of the war led by NATO against Serbia named as the Kosovo war ([xxviii]).    

    In view of the above formula can identify the elements of the current European security in the following points:

1-   Europe is still linking to NATO in it is security policy     

2 -It is not expected there is positiveness for European security to take a political decision to in the future away from U.S. In the same time the Europeans desired some kind of rapprochement with Moscow and this is appeared in the quality of policy that European followed towards the issue   of Chechnya. But the Americans responded by saying that the Europeans they must take full it responsibility task in Afghanistan through NATO ([xxix]). 

3- The security policy of the European do not show homogeneous yet, but, remain for some countries concerns security, such as France in the African region and Arabic, and Britain’s aspirations but European weakness   of its position make it which does not want its relations with Washington to reach the point of crisis, and there is Germany, which want to   install itself in the international politics, especially towards Eastern Europe, having regained its sovereignty ([xxx]).                                    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Future of Security in Europe by European Perceptions

      Europeans was convinced of political independence from the NATO, when Europe realized that there was no a direct security risks threatened it after the breakup of the Soviet Union. Moreover, the European countries have the Possibilities that allow it to defend itself against any external threats and also confrontation any security threats from within the region, and has become more convinced that it must adapt with changes of the  international system   governed by the new concepts as economic and competitive  and the emergence of the  mutual cooperation and  economic groups, and in order to prove itself to other international powers to as competitive   especially after the signing of the Maastricht Treaty , which demanded that European countries are members of the Union to reduce military expenditures for conventional weapons , and the work on the introduction of advanced technologies into the system European military to be better able to maneuver to meet the challenges from within the European region  if NATO did not move rapidly ([xxxi]), from here the European opposition came (especially the French) to about  American ideas which NATO s is the best available  to address international crises ([xxxii]).                                                                      

  Accordingly, there are perceptions about European security can be summarized as following:       

   (Vision of British emphasizes the  idea  of Europe with a broad economy , and based on the need to allow free trade by eliminating barriers of customs and facilitating the movement of people, goods and capital, but Britain skeptical of the idea of( Europe as  one unit  politically )  if it meaning requires abandoning sovereignty in favor of collective security.                                                                                     

      The German vision differ radically different from  British, and see Europe as federal, based on the concept of citizenship, in order to keep security, stability.                                                                                                  

      France and to some extent Spain, consider  that Europe could become a union of nation states, and on the basis of the principle of federalism, provided they do not lead to the disappearance of States, this vision also  see , Europe need for an economic protected from the threats of Foreign  globalization  , and at the same time be an organization able to increase political solidarity among Member States, and keep particularity  for foreign and defense policy to ensure its own security and enable them  an important role  in the international relations ([xxxiii])                                    

     In spite of the presence of military institution subsidiary of the Union " Western Europe Union " , which was established  in 1948 after the Treaty of Brussels  to coordinate  among  the allies of World War II like  Britain, France, Belgium, Netherlands , Luxembourg , and Germany , Italy, Spain , but that the role of this institution was limited to coordination , so they want a parallel defense system of NATO and this confirms the establishment of a( European force for rapid intervention) +** a complement role NATO but not for competition([xxxiv]).                                       But the policy of security and defense which Europe seeks to embody, will confront security policy American which have the ability of high- containment and maneuver, and this is what worries the entity the European, and although U.S wanted a global role for NATO in the post- Cold War period  but the Europeans and especially the French tried to limit this role and transform it to a more active European role in international affairs ([xxxv]).

       Although  that Europe may be on its way to adoption security policy independent of NATO  , but the reality  indicates that Europe still has a long time to reach this goal  , it was agreed to form European power military independent of NATO, but  the European Union would not except in cases where the United States do not want it  and when the vital interests of the European require  but  this strategic did not address details of how to bring about the required balance with the United States, especially aspects of the development of defense capabilities, thus this strategy will not help significantly to the achievement of the European political desires ([xxxvi])                                                                               

 Europe is still in close of NATO and the crises like Bosnia and Kosovo within the European continent could not be dealt with without direct American intervention ([xxxvii]).                                                                    

  In addition, there American opposition to any European efforts to independence in the defense aspects, although the British Economist magazine had compared between the defense capabilities of the United States and the European defense capabilities, and showed the modest European capabilities compared With the American counterpart, as follows: that the budgets of the defense of the countries of the European Union collectively amounting to $ 290 billion and represents less than half of the defense budget of the United States of America of $ ( 660 ) billion dollars (according to the 2011 budget ), and the EU's ability to transfer forces to the sites of crisis only 10 percent of the capacity of the United States, but the United States has expressed fears of a  risks facing Euro - Atlantic relations ([xxxviii]).                                                               

  The Europeans aware of that the main objective of the United States of America in Europe is to maintain the NATO, because it is for Washington , The place in which they have the role in it for institutional leadership   , and without the alliance will become the United States absent from Europe and European realizes  what is  American Intentions  which is  most Americans explain , that to maintain the dominance of Washington on international affairs, and adopting what it calls the new international system ([xxxix]). 

     This new international order, will not necessarily be less crises for than before, for this, the system of collective security It seems to us sad and indicates the political chaos and reminders us the status quo a periods precedent   of large clashes in the history of this world   when this world was leave out of the wars in the hope for stability ([xl]).                          

 

Conclusion:

   After   Westphalia conference  1648, there was needs to find consensus on the balance of European powers but didn’t allowed a particular change in European reality according the desires, and therefore, the issue of security and stability in Europe might be materialized as a necessity inherent to the European reality                                                           

        During the reign of Louis XIV and then Napoleon, the France breached   the principles of the balance of power, thus the European powers (Britain, Russia, Prussia, and Austria - Hungary) , had Faced  (adventure French), and re a security to the Europe.                              

     The issue of security in Europe was within its European domain   when the European powers was hold by  international security, but by the first decade of the twentieth century it seemed that the security and stability of Europe after the Napoleonic Wars was falling apart with the start of the First World War whose showed that there is a clear variable represented by the military participation of a non-European superpower such as the United States of America was able to  win the war for capitalist democracies in Europe.                                                          

      U.S confusion contributed in dealing with the Europeans after the end of the First World War, to the loss of the opportunity to Arrangement the situation in the continent then United State went out of European affairs than led to the reversion of non-stability.                                                   

  Rearmament  of  the Germany ,gave green light of the outbreak of the Second World War (1945) and re-arrange the conditions of the European continent by desires of  the Germans who breached the balance of European powers and reflected  a negative impact on the European security as a whole after it appeared that the fate of Europe has become hostage to Nazi Germany ( Contrary to capitalist democracies )   therefor, U.S   took  responsibility to defend ( the free world ) according by characterization west to eliminate  threat  security and stability.  however that the defeat of Nazism in the Europe Eastern Front  led to  fall the  Europe Eastern under communist domination  , and so responsibility for the security of Europe had shift out to  forces from outside Europe, therefor did not  European security refer to the international Security, but  became a part from it.                                                                               

   With the start of the Cold War (1947-1991) United States was the largest  responsible for the security  Europe , enormous military  has ensured  security in the center and west of the continent , at least in  face of expansion Communist  and spread a period of stability in Europe by consensus the two American and Soviet on ensure security on the continent.                                                                                                  

     After the end of the Cold War and the demise of the Soviet threat ,  Europe had  want security reinforcement  the and regardless of reasons put forward by the European for this purpose , the perceptions of Europeans  ability to perform the requirements of security away from the American , was not a realistic so the European position  surprising  through  the refusal of Europe to  the military force as a tool in international relations but system of security and stability enjoyed by Europe now  flourished only under the umbrella of American power which provided the Europeans an luxury, while the Europeans had suspect that force no longer as important as they were  .      The United States in its vision of European security on the reality   indicates that Europe is engulfed in to weakness and aversion to the exercise of military power, thus there is a huge gap in force between both sides of the Atlantic

       In this  state of weaknesses   Americans does not trust the ability of Europeans to facing threats emerging in the continent and this means more chaos, and  Russia returning for  language of domination and  threat  the security and stability Europe, as well as the inability of the Europeans to address the problems of  on their continent without the aid of Americans ( tensions in the Balkans ) and others, so the steps of America  was based on the idea that the  European security as a whole is an integral part of U.S. national security  and  independence  European security  out of  United  States will open the way for Russia's expansion , while Europeans will stands helpless in front of him and will resort to seek America help which  will be forced to intervene to confront the Russians, which may lead to the possibility of the resumption Cold War

 

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