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Addressing remarks “Atlantic and Arab world – getting together” PDF Print E-mail
Monday, 26 December 2011 10:24

GAAEC 20th International Symposium, 2nd December 2011, Athens

Lazar Elenovski, President of the Euro-Atlantic Council of Macedonia, Vice-President of the Atlantic Treaty Association

 

Thank you for the invitation to be here in Athens. I would like to extend sincere congratulations to GAAEC for the 20 years anniversary. I want above all to commend the work of Mr. Theo Georgiou and the big contribution that our Atlantic family has been received by his leadership in the past 20 years.

Let me expand the topic from South-Eastern Europe and discuss on the Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean and even to touch the wider picture and discuss on the Atlantic world and the Arab world.
Having in mind the limits of the time for the speech I will try to make few general remarks regarding the relations in the Eastern European changes and the Arab historic changes that we are witnessing this year.

First – SIMILARITY

20 years ago Europe and the world faced new big democratic project in Eastern Europe. Today we are facing similar process in the Arab world. There were many observations on the nature of the process that have started last December. Many institutions and experts argue how to call this process in the Arab world and allow me to say my personal position on this. I strongly believe that it is a historic democratic process in many Arab countries or the Arab democratic revolution.

20 years ago Eastern Europeans changed the non-democratic communist regime they had with a democratic one. Today, in 2011, the Arab world, which was within decades a frozen region, has shown that people, and especially young people have had it enough of having no perspectives, no education, no employment and many missed dreams. Today with a global media and internet they can see what is happening in the world and they don’t want to continue to live in autocracy or dictatorship. They reacted and produced democratic revolution which like a domino effected one by one Arab country.

Second – DIFFERENCE

Besides there being a clear consensus that they don’t want to continue lives like they had in the decades of autocracy, Arabs appear in lack of a clear vision for the way forward. They don’t have the paradigm as Eastern Europeans had 20 years ago. It was a dream for united Europe and the euro-atlantic integration of the Eastern European countries. It was integration magnet that gave strength to the domestic reforms in the new democratic countries and pushed strongly for the regional cooperation and integration.

Arab world is much wider. It spreads on two continents from the coast of the Atlantic ocean to Iran and is populated almost by 400 million people. The countries in this huge region are very different although they are Arab. It is very dynamic region with huge political, economical and security challenges.

Looking on results on two decades time, Eastern Europe is a success story but still there are many areas that need improvement. Having that in mind, we can expect that it will be much harder for the Arabs in getting their countries and the region on the right track.

Third – THREATS

In the western media we hear daily the doubts for the Arab spring and especially the concerns of the radical Islam becoming a power in different countries. I strongly believe that radical Islam as state policy or any kind of institutional form cannot be a bigger security threat and danger for the international security and peace of two major reasons.

First, because we have on the ground two so-called radical Islamic movements, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Palestine, and by fact we see they are not as radical as being in power several years. Second, from the military point, by far there is not such a power who can militarily oppose United States and NATO allies. To make just a simple comparison. The annual 2011 defense budget of the United States is $ 700 billion and general NATO budget is around $ 1.1 trillion. On the other side the most problematic country in the region, Syria has annual military budget of 2.5 billion dollars. Even Iran with its $ 10 billion annual defense budget as a conventional military power is not a threat. What makes Iran threat is its nuclear program, which is an issue of highest consideration for the immediate action of the allies.

Coming back on the third point let me conclude that there is no direct military threat of establishing Islamic movements in Arab countries on power.

Fourth – RECOMMENDATIONS

Considering the broader global picture and trends with actual Arab democratic process I will underline as main recommendation - the responsibility. But not for the Arab people, they have just made the most important first step; they have decided to start a journey. What I want to put attention on is the responsibility of the Atlantic world for its immediate neighborhood. It is our responsibility but also and a vision to recognize this historic moment and contribute for the international peace and security which also means for our own security.

Our goal should be to have the Arab world partner the Atlantic. Looking in that direction, I strongly believe if the Atlantic world would get involved in right time which is now, in right capacity and right policy, in the next decades we will witness a big rapprochement between an Atlantic and an Arab world.

Recommendation follows the need to avoid the biggest mistake that we have done many times already, and that is to export the so called “Western type of democracy”. Arab people, like many others in the world, because of the contested perceptions wouldn’t like to make that consideration. We should have much softer approach in highlighting the social stability and deep reforms in the society.

One tangible core issue of future cooperation in the security field is a security sector reform- SSR. This should be smooth process and form for supporting of establishing strong institutions and procedures that in time will go with democratic standards.

Considering the upcoming Chicago Summit, NATO should move towards building stronger institutional links and networks with the Arab world. Mediterranean Dialogue and Istanbul Cooperation Initiative have done their job in the past and NATO should move forward for establishing forms of closer cooperation.

In that direction speaking on soft policies, civil society organizations can have huge impact and contribution to the process.

Thank you.

Elenovski on an International Symposium in Athens

 

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