Towards a security community for the Mediterranean

Desorder is a fundamental component of life, national and internation communities (descriptive part of the assumption). The problem is how to impose order (prescriptive part of the assumption).

World is dominated by the constant possibility of change. Change can take the form of war (polemos).

Nothing exists in the international realm to prevent war.Therefore, the best way to cope with this instability is to prepare for war (internal realm) and to master this desorder through stable equilibria (at the international level) - balance of power, hegemonic empire etc).

Desorder is a fundamental component of life, national and international communities (descriptive part of the assumption). The problem is how to master this desorder (prescriptive part of the assumption).

This desorder is dominated by the constant possibility of change.

Change can take the form of war. But it can also take other forms (collaboration). The best way to cope with this instability is to increase the effectivness of cooperation, make it work and make the war unthinkable – multilateralism, regionalism

The integrity of the state territories, of physical border and values expressed by the communities that live within this borders.

The integrity of the human being, of his/her « borders » of dignity and respect.

Individuals are functions of statuality’s needs. Menaces to the security of state (and its citizens intended as an organic body), therefore come mainly from the international realm.

Statuality is a function of citizens’ needs. Menaces to the security of citizens, therefore, come from every level of territoriality/sovereignity (local, national and international)

In the internal realm, absolute sovereignity increases the possibility to wage an efficient use of force and, therefore, increases the chances of survival of its community into the international arena (Hobbes)

In the internal realm, the de-absolutization of sovereignity is the best guarantee for the security of the citizen - juridification, divisions of power, spacial articulation (federalism), democratization [Kant, Locke]

The use of force in the international arena.The creation of rules of the game (Ius in bello, ius ad bellum).

The juridification of international space.The creation of international institutions to guarantee universal human rights.

Each discourse on security is deeply rooted in the geographical realities of a country, which are given facts, not subject to change.

Globalisation (mondialisation ) condams some areas to be forgotten forever ( l'oublie eternel ).

Each discourse on security is built on regionalization, and the policies of regionalization change through time and space. Countries which were considered neighbours at the time of Philip II are now distant entities and the reverse

The discourses on war (the culture of war)

The discourse on peace (the culture of peace and internationalism)

God as the source of legitimation for the use of force

Legality and rationality as the source of legitimation for the use of force. However, war is considered to be unthinkable within a security system recognized as legitimate by its members.

National interests, as defined by the leaderships and the strongest interest groups within a given state.

National interests, as defined by others, a paradigm (whether colonial or cold war) built up elsewhere.