NATO Romania

TERRORISM AND REGIONAL CONFLICTS

Terrorism - as a general phenomenon and international terrorism, structured in cross-border networks, in particular - poses the most serious threat to human life and freedom, to democracy, civilization, way of life and other fundamental basic values that make the foundations of the Euro-Atlantic community. The open nature of modern democratic societies, as well as the complex and conflicting way in which various aspects of globalization manifest themselves, make each and every state, as well as international community as a whole, vulnerable to international terrorism.

Nuclear, chemical, biological and radiological weapons proliferation represents another very serious threat in terms of their destructive capacity. The guarantees of a responsible behavior by the authorities that come into their possession, particularly in case of the regimes driven by extremist political or religious ideologies, are decreasing. There is an increasing risk of collapse or turning into anarchies of some states possessing nuclear weapons, a decreasing authority exerted by some governments over the military structures, and a proliferation of the regions that evade the state control.

With regard to regional conflicts, despite the positive developments taking place after the communist system collapse, which made Europe a safer and more prosperous place, the Romania’s strategic area is still one of the most favorable ground for local conflicts, impacting heavily on regional and continental peace and security. The violent dissolution of some multinational states in the area had as result a lot of inter-ethnic and/or religious conflicts. Some of them came already into an end or were contained, due to the impressive efforts made by international com¬munity. The others are still actively, and pose a serious threat to regional security. By their number, these conflicts - alongside other tensions, disputes, separatist trends, territorial differences, and crises in the proximity of Romania - generate uncertainty, waste re¬sources, and perpetuate poverty. They also feed other forms of violence and criminality and favor terrorism.

Cross-border organized crime is a developing global threat that can influence state policies and the activity of the democratic institutions. It is both an expression of the proliferation of negative phenomena that are growing up as a by-product of globalization, and a direct consequence of the mismanagement of the profound political, economic, and social changes that occurred in central, eastern and south-eastern Europe during the dissolution of the communist regimes.

An important role in providing stability and security of the new democracies in this region is played by the ability of these states and societies to promote an effective management of the public affairs and to guarantee the responsible and effective exercise of power, in full compliance with the principles of democracy and human rights. The public expression of these exigencies is good governance, a field in which important achievements has been made in this region - since the fall of the communist regimes.

However, the new democracies in this region are still being faced with a host of negative phenomena that impact on the quality of governance. In this context, bad governance undermines the citizens’ confidence in public insti¬tutions and can pose a major threat to the security of the states. (…)

Our country simultaneously pays close attention and earmark adequate resources for the effective protection of its borders, starting from the idea that it is, on the one hand, a major responsibility of national security and, on the other hand, the fulfillment of an important obligation towards the NATO and the EU. As a bordering state of the European Union and a NATO member, Romania is highly interested in neighboring stable, democratic and prosperous states, because only these countries can preserve peace and good relations among them, build pluralist regional communities and have a predictable behavior in the security field. Building a climate of security and prosperity in the Black Sea area is a distinct direction of action of this strategy.