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2010 - The Challenges to Global Security: Lord ROBERTSON of PORT ELLEN
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NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL
Soon we will enter
a new century and indeed a new millennium. As with any moments of high
symbolic value, some approach this date with high expectations, others
with scepticism. One hundred years ago, when the 19th century ended, there
was a widespread expectation among most Europeans that the approaching
new century would be one of unprecedented peace and prosperity. Their
optimism was, unfortunately, not to be realised.
But history does not repeat itself. Security in the 21st century is what
we make of it. Security can be shaped - we are not condemned to be victims
of events that are beyond our control. We have the means and the instruments
to push things in the right direction.
If security can be shaped, then the transatlantic community is our key
to shaping it. The Atlantic community can generate a powerful political
momentum, even in the most difficult of circumstances - as long as we
remain united and determined. We have seen as much in Kosovo. NATO showed
its solidarity, and decency prevailed.
In Kosovo - as before in Bosnia - we demonstrated that the Atlantic community
is able to make progress where others cannot. We ended an humanitarian
tragedy of enormous proportions. We helped create the secure conditions
for one million refugees to return home in safety. And now, together with
other organisations, we are trying to give all of southeastern Europe
a fair chance to catch up and come back into the European mainstream.
We are shaping the strategic environment for the better. We can do it
because the allies share not only common interests, but also common values.
These lessons must continue to guide our policies as we move into the
next century. The 21st century will offer no shortage of challenges. Globalisation,
for example, will make our societies more creative and prosperous, but
also more vulnerable. The spread of weapons of mass destruction may turn
from a concern into a serious threat. And regional conflicts will again
and again confront us with a cruel choice between costly engagement and
costly indifference.
We may not yet have all the answers. But one thing is clear: only in a
transatlantic framework can we cope with these challenges. That is why
we have been working hard to make NATO better prepared to face these challenges.
Over the course of the 1990s the alliance has been reformed and adapted
to project stability in a radically new security environment. With new
members, new partners, new missions, and with a stronger European personality,
the Atlantic alliance will continue to play its unique role as a source
of security in a complex world.
Transatlantic solidarity remains the precondition for managing security
in the 21st century. But there is yet another ingredient that will become
ever more important in the age of globalisation: solid and reliable information.
Information is not a value in itself. It must be analysed, evaluated and,
above all, made comprehensible. Jane's has been a foremost source of reliable
- and readable - information for one full century. In the 21st century,
which will be the century of information, Jane's will remain at the forefront
of giving decision-makers around the world the kind of information on
defence and security they need to cope with the challenges ahead.
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Lord ROBERTSON
of PORT ELLEN Click to enlarge picture |