POLICY BRIEFS ON THE TRANSNATIONAL ASPECTS OF SECURITY AND STABILITY

POLICY BRIEFS ON THE TRANSNATIONAL ASPECTS OF SECURITY AND STABILITY

CHAPTER 1

THE TRANSNATIONAL POLICY BRIEF SERIES
NAYEF R.F. AL-RODHAN
Dr. Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan is Senior Scholar in Geostrategy and Director of the Program on the Geopolitical Implications of Globalization and Transnational Security at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Geneva, Switzerland

Introduction
The policy brief series at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) was created by the Program on the Geopolitical Implications of Globalization and Transnational Security in order to analyze the current trends in policy-making and agenda-setting processes within nation-states and to identify the implications for the international system. The program itself is based on thematic as well as policybased approaches to globalization and security, giving its publications and perspectives a unique position within the academic literature. The policy brief series provides the policy angle to the program’s publications. This edition, which focuses on transnational security and stability, looks at the problems that states are faced with, government responses, and the implications of these policies, and contributes precise and tangible policy recommendations for governments.
The authors include a number of academics and individuals whose perspectives represent a variety of backgrounds, and the range of topics they discuss is very diverse. It is important to note that the authors’ contributions represent their own viewpoints and not the opinions or policies of the GCSP or its globalization program. Rather, the authors were asked to contribute their own perspectives and expertise. This approach has resulted in a broad range of analysis and a great variety of topics.
Despite the diversity of topics, the briefs share the same basic structure. Each brief discusses one topical area in terms of policy challenges, current responses to the challenges, policy dilemmas created by these responses, implications, and future scenarios, and
NAYEF R.F. AL-RODHAN
concludes with policy recommendations that governments should follow in order to promote international security and stability. Within this framework, we found it necessary to add the views of the program to the briefs, and therefore created the editorial sub-series that analyzes the issues from the program’s perspective and from my own point of view. With this addition, the Program on the Geopolitical Implications of Globalization and Transnational Security has also contributed to the brief.
The structure of the editorials is simple and allows for further, more concise analysis. The circle provides the reader with an illustrative format to show the linkages between the various challenges and the related recommendations. In addition, the circle provides a visual aid for further discussion of the topic and demonstrates that the dilemmas and recommendations that are presented exert influence beyond their own immediate scope. Rather, each problem, and each related policy recommendation is impacted by parallel developments in other states, particularly when states develop their own national responses. Because of the reciprocal effects of policy challenges and policy recommendations, we have chosen the circle as an appropriate representation of the issues that arise.
Policy Briefs on the Transnational Aspects of Security and Stability
The briefs that make up this volume focus on the structures of the state and its functions and on the specific threats and challenges to these functions. Therefore, this volume discusses topics such as arms control, environmental policy, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and water and energy security. The transnational aspects of security and stability often include aspects of national security, and this publication focuses not on the human element of decision-making, but rather on those aspects that involve the functioning of the state.
Other topics addressed in this volume include treaties, international law, natural disasters, and regional security structures. The way that states are currently negotiating their role in the international system is a critical factor that will shape the future trends and trajectories in security issues. Globalization is often cited as the reason for the changing role of the state in new security and international structures, and these briefs look at that phenomenon from a number of different angles and using examples from within state structures. The topics discussed – such as states’ efforts to interdict
POLICY BRIEFS ON THE TRANSNATIONAL ASPECTS OF SECURITY AND STABILITY
proliferation of banned weapons to non-state actors, the reworking of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in light of recent events in Iran and North Korea, and the changing role of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) – all relate to the broad subject of reforming state structures.
By assessing the current operations of state structures and ways in which they are changing, we will be able to identify the best ways to improve decision-making and policy-making processes. The broad range of subjects discussed in this volume from the transnational perspective will provide a solid basis for an understanding of some current trends and future agenda setting within the globalization and security debate.