Statement outlining my research interest:

The European Re-Construction between Security and

Necessity

The European security environment changed dramatically with the

end of the cold war. German unification took place, Czechoslovakia
split up, and on the ruins of the two totalitarian federations – the
former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia – 20 new states were formed or re-
emerged. The Warsaw Treaty Organization was dissolved, and new
institutions, such as North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC) and the
Partnership for Peace (PFP), were created.
Since the cold war, there has been a fundamental change in the
character of the threats to peace and stability in Europe. Instead of
emanating from conflicts between states, the most serious security
risks emerging in post-cold war Europe stem from conflicts within
states.
With this change in the substance of security, a broader
understanding of the concept of security is needed. The new issues
demanding attention include ethnic and religious conflicts as well as
environmental degradation, organized crime, terrorism and large-scale
population movements.
Given that the most serious security risks arise from intra-state
conflicts, the key task is to determine the mechanisms that can give
early warning of future conflict and confidence and security-building
measures (CSBMs) that can address emerging conflicts within states.
The basic institutional elements of the post-cold war security system
emerging in Europe – the Council of Europe, the European Union, NATO
and OSCE – were created under the framework of the old security
system and do not work well in the new environment. They have often
been conspicuously unequal to the urgent challenges of crisis
management, conflict prevention and conflict resolution.
Therefore, the geopolitical organization of Europe needs special
attention. Enlargement of NATO an the EU would overcome the
historical tendency for South-Eastern and Central Europe to be either a
region in which armed conflicts erupt and tend to radiate outward or
the point of collision between adversaries from East and West.
- Transformation of NATO: a key challenge is how to enlarge NATO
in a cooperative, non-confrontional way does not foment new
antagonisms and divisions. A compromise needs to be reached
with Russia that will reassure it that its interests are considered
and that it remains an important international actor.

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 - Transformation of the EU: Establishment of a new Europe free
from the influence of East-West rivalry. The fact that the Western
civilization is superior to the Eastern civilization means neither
that the way to follow is the dissolution of cultures nor that it is
unavoidable for the new order to be designed by all the European
and Euro-Atlantic nations together as a synthesis of their values
and historical experience. Some scholars pointed out the fact
that it should be offer to East European countries first a Marshall
Plan before the Maastricht Agreement. Marshall before
Maastricht means stability through development instead of
stability through integration, in that case the development
became the catalyser between cooperation and integration.
Most of the dangers that had to deal today Europe are similar with
those which determined, at the middle of twenty century, the setting
up of the Community of Coal and Steel from where emerged the
European Union. There was the fear of the conflict between West
Europe – at that time was democratic, now is prosperous – and East
Europe - at that time was communist, now is pauper. Related to these
ideas the evolution of Europe – more or less seen as a federal union –
must be accomplished through the light of its goals instead reported to
its means of action. Since 1941, Alan Millward was convinced that
Europe had to become a political union because the military defense of
European countries by themselves was impossible. The inexistence of a
political European project conducted to concurrence between powers:
it occurs a concept of security competition. European Re-Construction
between these two evolution lines of security – intra-state conflicts and
security competition – must focuses on issues related to regional
economic development and cooperation, abolition of customs and
border barriers, strengthening of political cooperation, fight against
illicit trafficking and organized crime, strengthening of security and
confidence measures, promotion of human rights and freedoms; with
other words, Europe must be re-invented.