| CODE | EST5440 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Contemporary Security Issues in Europe and Responses | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | Not Applicable | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 6 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | European Studies | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The aim of this study-unit is to give students an understanding of the major security issues which currently threaten European security. By building on our knowledge of traditional and non-traditional security threats, we will analyse the principal issues considered to be the main challenge to the security of the European continent in the 21st century. Issues analysed in detail will include traditional regional threats, rouge states, the proliferation of WMD and the threat of mega terrorism. We will also analyse how Europe and its principal security institutions have reacted to this challenge. We will not cover CFSP, which is dealt with in a separate study-unit. Readings: A detailed bibliography is provided below for each seminar. Many of the texts cited are taken from books and periodicals that are available in the library or on the internet. In the event that a student is unable to find a text, you are free to make a copy from my own books but should arrange with me before hand, via e-mail. For each seminar, students are obliged to read the core text stipulated. Students may find the following books of use and some will form part of the readings stipulated for each seminar. - Andrew Cottey, Security in the New Europe, Palgrave, UK, 2007; - Carl C. Hodge (ed.), Redefining European Security, Garland Publishing Inc. 1999; - W. Park and W. Rees (eds.), Rethinking Security in Post-Cold War Europe, Longman Publishing. 1998; - Dieter Mahncke, Wyn Rees, Wayne Thompson, Redefining Transatlantic Security Relations, Manchester University Press. 2004; - Barry Buzan, People, States and Fear: An Agenda for International Security Studies in Post-Cold War Era, Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1991; - Victor-Yves Ghebali and Brigitte Sauerwein, European security in the 1990s : challenges and perspectives, UN, 1995; - Adrian G.V. Hyde-Price, European security beyond the Cold War : four scenarios for the year 2010, SAGE Publishers, 1991; - Przemyslaw Grudzinski and Peter van Ham, A Critical Approach to European Security: Identity and Institutions, Continuum International Publishing Group, 1999; - G. Flynn, J. Joffe, Y. Laulan, L. Martin, S. Silvestri (eds.), The Internal fabric of Western Security, The Atlantic Institute for International Affairs, UK. 1981; - L. Gann and P. Duignan, Contemporary Europe and the Atlantic Alliance, Blackwell, 1998; - Stanley Hoffmann, The European Sisyphus, Westview Press, USA. 1995; Seminar 1: Introduction to the Study-unit The introduction will give an outline of the study-unit and an introduction to many of the basic concepts which will be utilised during our seminars. Seminar 2: Traditional Security Approaches: This seminar will centre on a discussion of our concepts of security, traditional, Cold War security theories as well as looking at the underlying security precepts of the global/European security environment from 1945-1990. Core Text: Chapter 12. ‘International and Global Security in the post-Cold War Era’ in John Baylis and Steve Smith. ‘The Globalization of World Politics’. 2nd. Edition, Oxford University Press, 2001. Readings: - Park and Rees. Chapter 1 ‘Rethinking European Security’ - Gerhard Wettig. ‘Crucial Problems of Security in Europe’ (in Carl Hodge, ‘Redefining European Security’) - John Baylis. ‘European Security Between the ‘Logic of Anarchy and the Logic of Community’ (in Carl Hodge, ‘Redefining European Security’) - Jessica Tuchman Mathews, "Redefining Security," Foreign Affairs, Vol.68, No.2 (Spring 1989) - G. Flynn. ‘The Security Challenge: the external and internal agendas of alliances’ in ‘The Internal Fabric of Western Security’. - Stanley Hoffmann. ‘Uneven Allies: an overview’ in ‘The European Sisyphus’ Seminar 3: Non-traditional Security Concepts and the Challenges Posed to a Post-Cold War European Security Environment The seminar will discuss the challenge posed to security concepts by the demise of the Cold War. By looking at the current debates surrounding security, the emergence of many different and disparate concepts of how to define and tackle European security we will try and arrive at an understanding the parameters of the security debate in contemporary Europe and highlight the issues which will be subsequent topics for discussion. Core Text: Chapter 12. ‘International and Global Security in the post-Cold War Era’ in John Baylis and Steve Smith. ‘The Globalization of World Politics’. 2nd. Edition, Oxford University Press, 2001. Readings: - Cottey, A. ‘Security in the New Europe’, Chapter 1 - Park and Rees. Chapter 1 ‘Rethinking European Security’ - Lawrence D. Freedman. ‘Order and Disorder in the New World’. Foreign Affairs. Vol. 71. No. 1. 1991/92. Topics for Discussion: 1. Outline the prevalent concept of security utilised during the Cold War as well as the main security threats that faced Europe during this bipolar stand-off. Relative to the post-September 11th world, do you believe it was a period of stability, both at a regional as well as a global level? 2. How has our concept of security changed since 1990? Is this a reflection of new threats or just the emergence of old threats, which were subsumed by the pressing threat posed by the Soviet Union? Seminar 4: Traditional Security Issues in a Non-Traditional World: Assessing the Real Threat Posed by Conventional Forces, WMD Proliferation and Rouge States The seminar will begin by discussing the Cold War security fears as represented by the direct threat of the Soviet Union. The seminar will attempt to discuss and evaluate the direct threat posed to Europe by the conventional forces of other states, the challenge posed by the proliferation of WMD, especially after the demise of the USSR, as well as looking at and assessing the potential threat posed by rouge states to Europe and global security. Core text: - Francois Heisbourg, “Europe and the Transformation of the World Order”, Foreign Affairs, January/February 2002. - Cottey, A. ‘Security in the New Europe’, Chapter 2 Readings: - ‘Effective Non-Proliferation: the EU and the 2005 NPT Review Conference’, Chaillot Paper, No. 77, April 2005. - Gilles Andréani, Christoph Bertram, Charles Grant, ‘Europe´s Military Revolution’, Centre for European Reform, London, 2001. (www.cer.org.uk). - ‘Facing China’s Rise; Guidelines for an EU Strategy’, Chaillot Paper, No. 94, December 2006 (section 3 of said paper, ‘Is China’s Military Modernisation a concern for Europe?’) - Fred Halliday, “A New Global Configuration”, in Mark Leonard (ed) Re-Ordering the World: The Long-Term Implications of 11 September, The Foreign Policy Centre, London, 2002. - Thérèse Delpech, Shen Dingli, Lawrence Freedman, Camille Grand, Robert A. Manning, - Harald Müller, Brad Roberts and Dmitri Trenin. ‘Nuclear weapons: a new Great Debate’. Chaillot on-line papers. July 2001. Topics for discussion: 1. Looking at Europe’s neighbours, is the possibility of a conventional attack on Europe likely? Why is non-proliferation such a key concern for many EU states and how can it impact upon Europe’s security? 2. Rogue states figure high on Bush’s ‘axis-of-evil’ list. But how real is the potential threat of these states to Europe? Why is the threat not only about direct threats to Europe but also the potential to destabilise key regions? Seminar 5: Classical and Mega Terrorism The fifth seminar will take a look at one of the most pressing and debated topics in contemporary security discourse: the threat posed by the new wave in religious based terrorism. We will start by building an understanding of Europe’s traditional experience of terrorists as exemplified by ‘classical’ terrorism before moving on to a look at the new breed of terrorism. Discussing the nature, scope and grievances of mega terrorists, we will try and evaluate why Europe constitutes a target and how best to deal with this new threat. Core Text: - Paul Wilkinson, ‘International Terrorism: the Changing Threat and the EU’s Response’. Chaillot Paper No. 84, October 2005. Readings: - Mark Harwood. ‘The EU’s Fight Against Terrorism: Disappointment Thus far? Prospects for the Future?’. Jean Monnet Seminar Series, 2004. - Harald Muller. ‘Terrorism, proliferation: a European threat assessment’. Chaillot on-line papers. March 2003. - Michael Howard, “What’s in Name?: How to Fight Terrorism”, Foreign Affairs, January/February 2002. - Therese Delpeche. ‘International terrorism and Europe’. Chaillot on-line papers. December 2002. - David Rapoport. ‘The Four Waves of Rebel Terror and September 11’. Anthropoetics 8 (UCLA), No. 1, 2002. - Simon and Daniel Benjamin. ‘The Terror’. Survival. Vol. 43. No. 4. Winter 2001. Topics for discussion: 1. What is ‘classical terrorism’ and why has Europe’s experience of its own indigenous, classical groups made it slow to react to international terrorism? 2. Why do international terrorists pose such a threat to the west and why have they targeted Europe also? Is it overly optimistic to assume that this threat can be dealt with effectively by the EU? Seminar 6: Non-Traditional Security Threats: the challenge of the new and the issues raised by economic, environmental and migration ‘threats’ As our concepts of security become more diversified, potential threats to the integrity of many European states can now come from many different quarters. Some of the newest security issues being tackled by governments include threats to economic security, to national integrity by migrants or the challenge posed by trans-national issues such as the environment. Core Text: - ‘Disasters, Diseases, Disruptions: a New D-Drive for the EU’, Chaillot Paper, No. 83, September 2005 - ‘Energy Security’, House of Commons Research Paper, No. 42, 2007: http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/rp2007/rp07-042.pdf Readings: - Phil Williams and Paul Woessner. ‘Trans-national Threats and European Security’ (in Carl Hodge, ‘Redefining European Security’) - Richard Sinnott. ‘European public opinion and security policy’. Chaillot on-line paper, July 1997. - ‘Third Country Nationals and Welfare Systems in the European Union’. JMWP No. 12.97, September 1997 Topics for discussion: 1. Uncontrolled migration is believed to pose a pressing challenge to European security but how and why? Are then security implications the same for each EU member state? 2. The environment has become an increasing trans-national issue but why does this sector challenge European security? Is the EU helping to solve this potential security threat or merely making it worse? Seminar 7: Responding to the Challenge: the institutional adaptation of NATO and the OSCE as well as the changing role of the United States and Russia in European security One of the main consequences of the demise of the Cold war has been a questioning of many of the institutions and alliances, which were created to meet the common threat posed by communism. Many have argued that the role of NATO or the CSCE, as well as the need to maintain a US presence in Europe, is questionable in a united European continent. However, both NATO and the CSCE/OSCE remain key players in European security. This seminar will discuss the adaptation of these institutions, seek to analyse their role in modern Europe as well as looking at the role of the US and Russia in a continent no longer divided on ideological lines. Core Text: - ‘The OSCE in Crisis’, Chaillot Paper No. 88, April 2006. - ‘EU-US Burden Sharing: Who Does What?’, Chaillot Paper No. 82, September 2005. Readings: - Adrian Hyde Price. ‘The OSCE and European Security’ (Chapter 2 from Park and Rees, ‘Rethinking European Security’) - Gary Geipel. ‘The Future of American Atlanticism’ (in Carl Hodge, ‘Redefining European Security’) - Paul Marantz. ‘Russia and European Security’ (in Carl Hodge, ‘Redefining European Security’) - Andrew Cottey. ‘NATO Transformed: the Atlantic Alliance in a new era’ (Chapter 3 from Park and Rees, ‘Rethinking European Security’) - William Park. ‘A new Russia in a new Europe: still back to the future?’ (Chapter 6 from Park and Rees, ‘Rethinking European Security’) - Alfredo Chapinal. ‘The Security and Defence of Europe in the 21st Century (NATO, WEU, OSCE). NATO Fellowship Paper. May 2000. - Luis Rodrigues Tome. ‘Russia and NATO’s Enlargement’. NATO Research Fellowship Programme. June 2000. - Roland Dannreuther, “Escaping the Enlargement Trap in NATO-Russian Relations”, Survival, Winter 1999-2000. - Pierre Hassner. ‘The United States: the empire of force or the force of empire?’. Chaillot on-line papers, September 2002. - Doy Lynch. ‘Russia faces Europe’. Chaillot on-line papers. May 2003. Topics for discussion: 1. How has NATO adapted to remain relevant for contemporary European security? Does it have a role to play post-September 11th and, more especially, post-Iraq? 2. Does the US and Russia still have a role to play in European security? Seminar 8: Mediterranean Security and its Relevance for European Security We will conclude this study-unit with an analysis of the security environment on our doorstep. Malta was at the forefront of developing the idea that a key to European security was the stability and security of the Mediterranean region. Just as the wider European security environment has changed since 1990, the Mediterranean faces new and pressing issues that undermine its stability. This seminar will look at those security threats considered to challenge this region and look at some of the more important attempts to tackle regional instability. Core Text: - Claire Spencer. ‘Rethinking or Re-orientating Europe’s Mediterranean Security Focus?’ (Chapter 8 in Park and Ress, ‘Rethinking European Security’) - NATO, ‘Security Cooperation with the Mediterranean Region and the Broader Middle East’, http://www.nato.int/docu/mediterranean/secopmed-e.pdf Readings: - Samuel P. Huntington, “The Clash of Civilizations?”. Foreign Affairs, Summer 1993, pp. 22-49. - Rosarita Cuccoli. ‘The Relations Between the United States and Southern European Countries in the Context of NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue’. NATO Research Fellowship 1998-2000 (June 2000) - Michael Pugh. ‘Europe's boat people: Maritime Cooperation in the Mediterranean’. Chaillot on-line paper, July 2000. - Roberto Aliboni. ‘European Security across the Mediterranean’. Chaillot on-line paper, March 1991. - ‘European Security Perceptions vis à vis the Mediterranean: Theoretical and empirical considerations from the 1990s’. JMWP No. 39.01, November 2001 Topics for discussion: 1. What have been the main regional initiatives to foster security in the Mediterranean sea? 2. What has been Malta’s role/interest in fostering security in the Mediterranean? |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Seminar | |||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Mark Harwood |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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