NATO's Southern Allies

Internal and External Challenges

This book analyses the internal sources of foreign policy within those NATO states whose primary security concerns lie in the southern area of the Alliance. It takes a careful look at foreign and defence policy formulation and assesses the special perspective of each of these countries inturn and the military threats that they face. Attention is paid to the role of the military in society, especially in the geographically peripheral states, as the Alliance seeks to adapt to a possible shift southward of some of its security concerns. A full understanding of the politics in each of these states is essential to determine the relative importance of national and Alliance priorities in each country as the tensions between external policies and internal necessities increase. The book offers an assessment of evolving security requirements in the southern region and of the capacity of NATO Mediterranean states to deal individually and collectively with the changing situation.