Antonio Marquina

From Cooperative Security to Security Partnership in the Mediterranean

This chapter presents ideas for the development of asecurity partnership in the Mediterranean. First, it explains the concept cooperative security (15.2) as distinct from other concepts such as mutual security, common security or non-offensive defence (NOD). Mutual and common security describe the interdependent nature of security, emphasising that there are global dangers, in particular nuclear weapons, which constitute a clear risk to the security of all states that require cooperative approaches (15.3). Several conceptual explorations were made during the 1980’s and the beginning of the 1990’s (Palme 1982; Smoke 1991; Vayrynen 1985) that include descriptive and prescriptive elements. They may be distinguished from unilateral approaches defended by realism, although they do not abandon all realist principles and policies due to the importance they give to military means in the security domain. Common security accepts the concept of deterrence but adds the concept of reassurance to the relations among states. Regarding non-offensive defence the proponents maintain that NOD: would provide the solution to the problems of war prevention and disarmament in a post nuclear setting by minimizing the capabilities, as well as the incentives, for waging wars of aggression without any need for a nuclear Damocles sword; and, by virtue thereof, by increasing the margin of unilateral arms builddown, facilitating arms control and disarmament (Moller 1992: xii).

Spanish foreign and security policy in the Mediterranean

The Mediterranean has long been a priority of Spanish foreign policy. Since achieving membership in the European Community Spain has tried to attract the Communitys attention to the Mediterranean and in particular to the importance of stability in the Maghreb. With the end of the cold war Spain and Italy launched an initiative for a conference on security and cooperation in the Mediterranean without success. Spain, in collaboration with France and Italy, drew the attention of the EC to the Maghreb, and negotiations of free‐trade agreements were undertaken in Morocco and Tunisia, culminating in the Euro‐Mediterranean Conference of Barcelona in 1995. At the same time, Spain supported dialogue and confidence building between the Western European Union and the Maghreb states and made an effort to interest NATO in the south.