POMED Notes: “The New Security Dynamic in the Mediterranean”

On Wednesday General James L. Jones, former National Security Advisor gave a speech entitled “The New Security Dynamic in the Mediterranean” at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Global Security Forum 2011.  Admiral Guido Venturoni, former Chairman of the NATO Military Committee introduced General Jones.  Craig Cohen, Vice President for Research and Programs at CSIS moderated the event.  The two discussants were Dr. Stephen Flanagan, Senior Vice President and Henry A. Kissinger Chair and Dr. Jon Alterman, Director and Senior Fellow for the Middle East Program, both at CSIS.

Notes on the event are located below the break, or can be accessed in PDF form here.

On Wednesday General James L. Jones, former National Security Advisor gave a speech entitled “The New Security Dynamic in the Mediterranean” at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Global Security Forum 2011.  Admiral Guido Venturoni, former Chairman of the NATO Military Committee introduced General Jones.  Craig Cohen, Vice President for Research and Programs at CSIS moderated the event.  The two discussants were Dr. Stephen Flanagan, Senior Vice President and Henry A. Kissinger Chair and Dr. Jon Alterman, Director and Senior Fellow for the Middle East Program, both at CSIS.

General Jones began his speech describing events in North Africa as being derived from increased awareness of the world and a greater desire for government transparency.  The general believes the United States and her allies must deal with the uprisings from a “whole of government” approach, focusing on three pillars: security, economic development, and governance and rule of law.

He discussed the risks of “narco-terrorism” and the need for continued NATO dialogue with the Mediterranean countries.  He believes a plan similar to the Marshall Plan for Europe would benefit the democratic transition by providing economic assistance to the new governments.

General Jones stressed the need to support Libya because it is a neighbor of Egypt.  He said that it is in the strategic interest of the U.S. to maintain support for Egypt.  However, he does not want the United States to be the sole international provider of support for the transition process in Egypt and Tunisia, but would like the U.S. to be the “catalyst” for encouraging others to make progress.

He questioned the “alarm bells” that have been ringing in Congress in relation to the rise of Islamist parties, especially the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, saying that the Muslim Brotherhood is a middle class movement and that “there are some things that we are not going to control.” He compared Egypt’s potential to Turkey and said we “should be happy if Egypt turns out like Turkey” because of our close political and military relationship.

General Jones called on the BRIC countries to help support Turkey and the European Union as models for change in the region.

In discussing the U.S./Saudi Arabian relationship he characterized it as “solid” and as one that has allowed access to valuable information about Iran’s nuclear program.  He said that we “should not let anything derail” our relationship with Saudi Arabia.

The general is concerned that factions within the Iraqi government are becoming too close and comfortable with Iran.  To counter this, he believes the U.S. and others need to provide more assistance and training.

In the audience Q&A session he discussed the role of NATO after Afghanistan and Libya praising the new strategic concept of the organization.  However, he is not in favor of continued NATO expansion, instead favoring the development of the current Mediterranean Dialogue.  He would not rule out continued engagement with Israel and the Gulf States, especially under the auspices of a potential NATO wide missile defense system.

General Jones believes the U.S. strategy of “leading from behind” in NATO’s Libya campaign was the right method for the moment, but this might not remain so in the future. He likes that other countries are currently leading the campaign because they now know the costs of such operations.  He believes this experience will make NATO stronger.

Finally, on Syria, he said that President Bashar al-Assad’s influence will never be the same, after the violent crackdowns in recent weeks.  Jones continued noting that al-Assad has finally been exposed for who he really is and that his standing in the court of global opinion is irreparable.