Human rights and Mediterranean security

Abstract

If we examine world events during the last years, we realise that it is not easy to draw a detailed and realistic picture of the factors which could determine the new world order and define, within this context, a precise structure of European security. The end of the bipolar world has led to a modification of the fundamental concepts of collective and regional security in Europe which were rooted in the old system. This transition is now rendering obsolete those concepts as well as cultural considerations which put the state at the centre of international law. If the exclusive agents in international affairs were the states, since they have come into existence, and in recent decades international organisations, today new entities and factors are playing an extremely significant role in the dynamics of international relations. There are entities which do not identify themselves either with states or traditional international organisations. These entities, without using means considered in international law, wield significant de facto powers and condition the political decisions of the international community without using classic coercive methods. [excerpt]