ESLaPorte
2003-08-27 14:56:52 UTC
NATO's Cold War habits have become bad ones?
by Erin LaPorte
Mon, Aug 25 2003
http://www.pronato.com/commentary/index.htm
To transform NATO we must also revamp the "old habits" that the Alliance
acquired during the Cold War. To remove NATO from the Cold War - and truly
adapt it for the new threat from terrorism - the old habits must also be
traded for new ones.
You may know how this Author has harped about many of the Alliance's "old
habits," ones that have now become bad habits in this age of new, fluid
threats. You may well know about how this Author has harped on the old habit
of consensus. You may know of how this Author has gone through pains to
explain that neither the consensus decision-making habit, nor the "right of
veto" in NATO, have no basis in the North Atlantic Treaty. The "old
habits" - like that of consensus - of choosing a new Secretary General are
becoming bad, cumbersome habits.
Well, now the Alliance is having trouble using the old habits of selecting a
new Secretary General when Lord Robertson steps down in October. First, the
North Atlantic Treaty gives us no method of choosing a new SG. Second, the
old habit is that the new NATO Secretary General must be a European and a
defense minister, but not French, as France does not participate in NATO's
integrated military command. No Americans can be NATO SG, and this was a
compromise, as the Allied Commanders are Americans, so the SG was to be a
European. Lastly, the new SG must, absolutely, without exception, be a male!
Now, SOMEBODY must be SG for the next four years starting this October.
There are suggestions that a Canadian ( Deputy Prime Minister, John Manley)
and a woman (Norway's Kristin Krohn Devold ) are being concidered for NATO
SG. Also under consideration are Antonio Martino, the Italian Defense
Minister and the Dutch Foreign Minister, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. But,
non-defense ministers, non-Europeans - and females (how sexist!) are not
being considered.
But why does the new NATO SG have to be a defense minister, a Western
European and a man?! Why could not Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, who served as
Netherlands's NATO Ambassador, but not a defense minister, be a NATO
Secretary General? As a former Permanent Representative to the North
Atlantic Council, he would be shoe in as Secretary General and the head of
NAC meetings. And why does the NATO SG have to be a Western European, and
not Polish, Hungarian, or Czech?! If we insist that the next NATO SG be a
defense minister, then there must be a current or former defense minister of
an Eastern European country (such as Polish President Aleksander
Kwasniewski, who wants to serve out his term) or a defense minister
assistant to be NATO SG?!
Why does the new NATO SG have to fit the only molds of the Cold War NATO?
Why not a counterterrorism expert or Eastern European diplomat and not just
a defense minister for NATO SG? Why not an Eastern European or Canadian,
rather than Western European? Diplomacy and counterterrorism, not Cold War
defensive and a military alliance paradigm, are the Alliance's future. Like
consensus, the old Cold War habits and customs of the Western European,
defense minister - male only - NATO Secretary General need to be
realistically revamped!
This Author really needs to write this before ending this entry! Why a man?!
To rap up this entry, this Author (who is a woman) needs to mention the
sexist appearance of the NATO Alliance! This Author suspects, as do other
observers, that the Lady, Kristin Krohn Devold, will not be the next NATO
SG. . . Marc Grossman, Bruce Jackson, Ron Amius, Lawrence Kaplin, Robert
Hunter, but as far as the eyes can see no women are associated with, nor
involved in NATO, including as scholars of the NATO Alliance. This Author
has contacts with other "females" who are scholars of the Atlantic Alliance.
This Author intends to someday join the above mentioned "men's only" club of
"men's only" NATO scholars, and it's a "men's only" door this Author intends
to either quietly pry open or kick down in a "lady-like" manner! One of the
old, bad habits the NATO Alliance has is sexism!
LOL ;-}
by Erin LaPorte
Mon, Aug 25 2003
http://www.pronato.com/commentary/index.htm
To transform NATO we must also revamp the "old habits" that the Alliance
acquired during the Cold War. To remove NATO from the Cold War - and truly
adapt it for the new threat from terrorism - the old habits must also be
traded for new ones.
You may know how this Author has harped about many of the Alliance's "old
habits," ones that have now become bad habits in this age of new, fluid
threats. You may well know about how this Author has harped on the old habit
of consensus. You may know of how this Author has gone through pains to
explain that neither the consensus decision-making habit, nor the "right of
veto" in NATO, have no basis in the North Atlantic Treaty. The "old
habits" - like that of consensus - of choosing a new Secretary General are
becoming bad, cumbersome habits.
Well, now the Alliance is having trouble using the old habits of selecting a
new Secretary General when Lord Robertson steps down in October. First, the
North Atlantic Treaty gives us no method of choosing a new SG. Second, the
old habit is that the new NATO Secretary General must be a European and a
defense minister, but not French, as France does not participate in NATO's
integrated military command. No Americans can be NATO SG, and this was a
compromise, as the Allied Commanders are Americans, so the SG was to be a
European. Lastly, the new SG must, absolutely, without exception, be a male!
Now, SOMEBODY must be SG for the next four years starting this October.
There are suggestions that a Canadian ( Deputy Prime Minister, John Manley)
and a woman (Norway's Kristin Krohn Devold ) are being concidered for NATO
SG. Also under consideration are Antonio Martino, the Italian Defense
Minister and the Dutch Foreign Minister, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. But,
non-defense ministers, non-Europeans - and females (how sexist!) are not
being considered.
But why does the new NATO SG have to be a defense minister, a Western
European and a man?! Why could not Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, who served as
Netherlands's NATO Ambassador, but not a defense minister, be a NATO
Secretary General? As a former Permanent Representative to the North
Atlantic Council, he would be shoe in as Secretary General and the head of
NAC meetings. And why does the NATO SG have to be a Western European, and
not Polish, Hungarian, or Czech?! If we insist that the next NATO SG be a
defense minister, then there must be a current or former defense minister of
an Eastern European country (such as Polish President Aleksander
Kwasniewski, who wants to serve out his term) or a defense minister
assistant to be NATO SG?!
Why does the new NATO SG have to fit the only molds of the Cold War NATO?
Why not a counterterrorism expert or Eastern European diplomat and not just
a defense minister for NATO SG? Why not an Eastern European or Canadian,
rather than Western European? Diplomacy and counterterrorism, not Cold War
defensive and a military alliance paradigm, are the Alliance's future. Like
consensus, the old Cold War habits and customs of the Western European,
defense minister - male only - NATO Secretary General need to be
realistically revamped!
This Author really needs to write this before ending this entry! Why a man?!
To rap up this entry, this Author (who is a woman) needs to mention the
sexist appearance of the NATO Alliance! This Author suspects, as do other
observers, that the Lady, Kristin Krohn Devold, will not be the next NATO
SG. . . Marc Grossman, Bruce Jackson, Ron Amius, Lawrence Kaplin, Robert
Hunter, but as far as the eyes can see no women are associated with, nor
involved in NATO, including as scholars of the NATO Alliance. This Author
has contacts with other "females" who are scholars of the Atlantic Alliance.
This Author intends to someday join the above mentioned "men's only" club of
"men's only" NATO scholars, and it's a "men's only" door this Author intends
to either quietly pry open or kick down in a "lady-like" manner! One of the
old, bad habits the NATO Alliance has is sexism!
LOL ;-}
--
Erin LaPorte
The NATO Citizen - www.pronato.com
P.O. Box 371162
Milwaukee, Wisconsin - USA
53237-2062
"Long live the entangling Alliance!"
Erin LaPorte
The NATO Citizen - www.pronato.com
P.O. Box 371162
Milwaukee, Wisconsin - USA
53237-2062
"Long live the entangling Alliance!"