STABILITY PACT FOR SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE: A NEW PERSPECTIVE FOR THE REGION by BODO HOMBACH

South-eastern Europe has been in a troubled state for the last decade. The region has had its problems in the past but recent years have been marked by the destructive influence of an extreme form of nationalism, perpetrated by a bankrupt regime in Belgrade. That does not mean that all others are innocent. But, in many cases, we have seen countries that had their own serious defects turn to a moderate, constructive and pro-European path. The Belgrade regime has shown no sign of that. Indeed, in the run up to the Kosovo conflict it demonstrated all too clearly its reckless disregard for human life and dignity. 

THE AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE ON ESDI/ESDP by ALEXANDER VERSHBOW

The final months of 2000 will be a critical time in Brussels. From now until the end of the year, we will be working to validate the proposition that, working together, NATO and the European Union can enhance European security and, at the same time, strengthen the transatlantic link. This is the premise on which the United States' support for the European Security and Defence Identity (ESDI) has long been founded. It was the basis for Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott's unequivocal statement at the North Atlantic Council last December:

THE EUROPEAN UNION IN THE BALKANS: ANOTHER STEP TOWARDS EUROPEAN INTEGRATION by HEINZ KRAMER

Since the establishment of the Stability Pact for South-eastern Europe of 10 June 1999,1 the European Union has become the linchpin for short-term peacekeeping and long-term stability in the Balkans. The Union has assumed a new political role in the region for which it was, and still is to a large extent, unprepared. Actual EU policy towards the Balkans is not only an undertaking in correcting past failures2 and stabilising a precarious present but also an attempt to develop a framework for a better future for Europe's most crisis-ridden and violence-prone region.

THE EUROPEAN SECURITY AND DEFENCE POLICY: THREAT TO NATO by BILL CASH

At the Helsinki Summit last year, a 65,000-strong European defence corps was created: a European army that is to be "autonomous", subject to majority voting and which will have an international and not merely a European ambit. Speaking well before Helsinki, in March 1998, Tony Blair issued an unequivocal pledge on which he has now reneged. "Britain", said the Prime Minister, "will never put at risk NATO, the foundation of our security. Britain, France and many others insist that there is no European Commission role in military matters. No country will ever yield up control of their own armed forces."

THE SOUTH-EAST EUROPE CO-OPERATION PROCESS: AN UNSPECTACULAR, INDIGENOUS REGIONAL CO-OPERATION SCHEME by ALi HiKMET ALP

With the ending of the Cold War, regions situated on the fault lines of the old blocks witnessed a proliferation of regional co-operation initiatives. To name a few in or close to the region: the Black Sea Economic Co-operation Organisation, the Central European Initiative, SECI (South-east Europe Co-operation Initiative), and last but not the least, the Stability Pact for Southeast Europe. Trilateral or quadrilateral ad hoc arrangements, formed according to political convenience can be added to this list. The Balkan region (nowadays somewhat euphemistically called South-east Europe) could not stay behind this development and indeed, it is chronologically the first.

EUROPEAN SECURITY AND DEFENCE IDENTITY - COMMON EUROPEAN SECURITY AND DEFENCE POLICY: A TURKISH PERSPECTIVE by ÖMÜR ORHUN

Throughout history, security has always been a major concern for all states, while alliances were born out of the necessity to preserve the security of their members.
As far as alliances go, the twentieth century was noteworthy. The post-Second World War establishment of NATO, in addition to its mission of providing security for its members, was also the expression of the resolve of free peoples and sovereign nations to unite in their efforts for collective defence, the maintenance of security, peace and stability, and the safeguarding of common values. 

TURKS OF KOSOVO: WHAT TO EXPECT?* by SULE KUT

The ethnic Turks in the post-communist Balkans were faced with one of two diametrically opposed experiences in the 1990s. They were either caught between the nationalism of the majority and that of the major minority, as in Kosovo and Macedonia, or they were relieved of ethnic tension and benefited from the overall democratisation of the country as in Bulgaria and Romania. In both situations, however, they were able to form ethnic parties and participate in political processes.

SECURITY AND CO-OPERATION IN THE MEDITERRANEAN by M. FATIH TAYFUR

The security environment and co-operation mechanisms in the Mediterranean have been changing since the end of the Cold War and, in parallel with these changes, the importance of the region has increased for the Western alliance. First, the number of security issues in the Mediterranean has increased. Second, the US, EU and NATO have redefined their Mediterranean policies and established new co-operation mechanisms in response to the changing security environment.

THE KOSOVO LIBERATION ARMY by TIM JUDAH

The Kosovo Liberation Army must rank as one of the most successful guerrilla movements in modern history. In the nineteen months following its first public appearance, the KLA (or UCK in its Albanian acronym) had all but fulfilled its aims - having managed to subcontract the world's most powerful military alliance to do most of its fighting for it. After all, it hardly matters how the Serbs were ejected from Kosovo, what matters is that they have been - and if it had not been for the existence of the KLA they would still be there.

TURKISH MIGRANTS IN EUROPE by SALAHI R. SONYEL

After the collapse of the Ottoman state and before the 1950s there were very few Turkish migrations. Most of those who came to Europe before the latter date were not migrants. Since the end of the sixteenth and the early seventeenth centuries, Ottoman ambassadors, their staff and servants, some Ottoman merchants, travellers, and others, came to Europe mainly on official business and for trade. Probably some of them did settle in Europe, particularly in Britain.

GREECE'S ECONOMIC DIPLOMACY TOWARDS THE BALKAN COUNTRIES by CHARALAMBOS TSARDANIDIS & EVANGELOS KARAFOTAKIS

The post-Cold War developments in South-eastern Europe have made a great impact on Greece, contributing to the re-establishment of the country's historical economic and trade relationships with all the countries of the area. On the other hand, Athens, after almost forty years of relative stability on its northern borders, had to refocus its attention on crises very close to home. The Cold War and the repressive regimes across its northern borders had maintained a relative peace. In the 1990s, the collapse of the old communist order in the Balkans presented Greece with both opportunities and risks, ranging from the opening of an economic hinterland to the explosion of old ethnic rivalries.

TURKEY AND PAKISTAN: BRIDGING THE GROWING DIVERGENCE by ISHTIAQ AHMAD

For over half century, Turkey and Pakistan remained close friends. Their multi-dimensional relationship showed the same spirit of brotherhood as prevailed during centuries-old ties between Indian Muslims and the Ottoman Empire/Republic of Turkey until 1947. Ideologically, they were poles apart - Turkey pursuing secularism while Pakistan was following Islamism. But the difference of ideology, with its reflection on respective external outlook, never hampered the course of friendly ties. Not anymore. In the last few years, the perceptions and interests of Turkey and Pakistan have started to diverge on a number of important issues.

ENERGY DECISION-MAKING: THE TURKISH CASE by HAKAN AKBULUT

The common denominator of most decision-making analyses is the notion that decision-making is the act of choosing between competing alternatives. The alternatives are usually different strategies for solving a problem. The fundamental concept is that decision-making is a process of selection according to some criterion adopted by the decision-maker.