The Future of Cooperation

The current situation in the Mediterranean area is characterized by a significant number of different challenges. The events which took and are still taking place on the southern shores of the Mediterranean sea are not determining yet a clear future for the countries and populations involved: there is no doubt that the northern Mediterranean countries are called to cooperate in a stronger way, given that the instability raising in the southern side is having an impact also on the northern one.

What does it really take to let this Arab spring be a beginning of a new democratic and pacific era? The answer is not easy, but we can be sure that facing such a challenge will bring new opportunities for the whole Mediterranean area. Thanks to social media, the younger generations of Tunisia and Egypt are expressing their thoughts and confronting themselves with their equals. They are discovering the opportunities and a more equal redistribution of wealth characterizing the Western world. This is the Facebook and Twitter generation, and the policymaker should never forget it.

The uprisings that have been spreading in the streets by this generation have not been led by political elites, but chances are high that the old political forces could be in charge again. Transition has not been completed yet.

We believe that a key issue for the improvement of the situation in the region is education. The current situation is partly caused by endemic lack of alphabetization.

Several initiatives have been carried out until today. None of them has managed to substantially tackle this issue. Anyhow, there is still hope for the future.

So, in the long term, a successful stabilization policy has to be focused on the promotion of education and academic cooperation.

For example, the Mediterranean University Union (UNIMED) is pushing for the implementation of new programs in the area.

The most significant proposal that has come out from the organizers is the expansion of the Erasmus program. This program will be called Erasmus Mundus, aimed at fostering cultural and know-how exchange.

Anyway, a short-term international assistance in the region is also needed. The main and most urgent goal to pursue is the pacification of the region. Peace should not be meant in a negative way, as the simple absence of conflicts. A real long lasting peace is necessarily based on coexistence among peoples and countries, and the possibility for a concrete betterment of their living conditions. Long lasting peaceful coexistence can indeed only be reached through cooperation of all the actors in the area.

Moreover, what could be the solution of the biggest plagues of the area?

Poverty and unemployment are still oppressing the people of North Africa. Assisting them is not just an ethic priority, but real investment. In the future, all this area should be considered as an unicum.

Nevertheless, a “Marshall Plan” for the Middle East and the Mediterranean area is just a slogan. An old slogan. Times have changed since the end of World War II. Europe had a different historical background and completely different needs. We should also bear in mind that nowadays the economic system is far more complex than in the past, and that it has been proven that public aid randomly distributed doest not boost the real economy.

Concretely, what could be done for the economic stabilization of the area?

A new strategy is clearly needed. There is one sure way to achieve a rapid economic growth: foreign direct investments. These kind of investments could be encouraged and protected by the stipulation of ad hoc bilateral and multilateral agreements. Also, an increase in regional trade could bring appreciable benefits, possibly augmented by the creation of a free market area for the southern Mediterranean region.

Which place should belong to NATO in this ever-changing scenario?

NATO should surely play a key role in the stabilization of the area. Let us not forget that article 2 of the North Atlantic Treaty says that “the Parties will seek to eliminate conflict in their international economic policies and that they will encourage economic collaboration between any or all of them”. Such an engagement should be emphasized more, so that NATO could serve as a solid security framework in which economic and financial cooperation can be fostered.

The outstanding capacity of NATO to modify its typical approach on a case-by-case basis should be an example also for other International Organizations currently operating in the field of international security.

Such a capacity to react might also be an opportunity for NATO to enhance cooperation and partnership with the European Union and the United Nations, which are sometimes much slower in their decision-making processes.