Relevance of Collective Security Approaches
Confidence Building Measure is an effective approach to
collective security. CBMs are agreements between parties regarding
information exchange and verification, often involving military forces and
armaments. They aim to build trust and limit escalation, reducing the
likelihood of violent confrontations. A series of CBMs can increase security
and understanding of a country's security needs.
They also provide assurance that the other party is not preparing for surprise
military action or pursuing policies related to such actions. These measures
can be initiated by governments, non-state actors, or third parties like the
U.N. They are useful in both interstate and intrastate conflicts, and are most
effective during the early stages of a conflict.
Confidence-building measures can be military, diplomatic, cultural, or
political that can help to reduce conflicts.
Military and Diplomatic CBMs
Military and diplomatic measures are the most commonly used in building
confidence among parties involved in longish conflict. CBMs aim to alter
the parties' inaccurate perceptions of each other's motives and to avoid
misunderstandings about military actions and policies that might otherwise
provoke violent conflict.
CBMs can pave the way for more stable political and diplomatic relations,
transform the parties' ideas about their need for security, and even
encourage moves to identify shared security needs.
Some CBMs create points of contact and interaction between parties,
allowing for greater "openness" with regard to their military capabilities and
activities. These information-exchange mechanisms increase transparency,
which in turn reduces the risk of violence caused by miscalculation or
miscommunication.
If parties have extensive knowledge about the activities of the other side,
they are unlikely to go to war unnecessarily.
These military and diplomatic CBMs include the systematic exchange of
information about military missions and arms buildup, as well as
prenotification requirements for military movements, troop exercises, or
missile tests.
Example
For example, the Helsinki Final Act inaugurated a series of East-West
confidence- and security-building measures from 1975 to 1990. These
included notification and access agreements for reducing the risk of
surprise attacks, increased restraints on military maneuvers, and regulation
of dangerous nuclear activities.
Hotlines and Crisis Control
States might build confidence through the use of direct telephone lines
between military commanders. Hot lines can help to improve
communication between the adversaries and prevent crises. Such
communication allows for openness and transparency.
Example
For example, in 1991, North and South Korea adopted hot lines and made
agreements for prior notification of military maneuvers. In that same year,
India and Pakistan reratified an agreement for a communications hot line
between military troop commanders.
William Ury has advocated a joint crisis-control center where
trained staff from each nation would communicate by telephone, computer,
or face-to-face, and would work together to forestall or monitor crises.
A joint crisis-control center would facilitate information exchange between
diplomatic and military officers, allowing them to question data authenticity,
clarify suspicious events, and engage in dialogue.
Gradual Reduction in Tension (GRIT)
Confidence building measures can also aid in de-escalation. Gradual
Reduction in Tension (GRIT), a term coined by Charles Osgood, refers to
those strategies whereby mutual tension and fear can be interrupted and
the de-escalation process begun through conciliatory moves.
One of the parties announces and initiates a series of small cooperative moves, and
invites the other side to respond. These moves are continued whether or not there is
immediate response.
Example
Anwar Sadat's trip to Jerusalem in 1977 is an example of confidence
building through GRIT. Before his trip, hostility and suspicion between
Egypt and Israel was very high, and several wars had already occurred.
Sadat announced that he wanted to visit Jerusalem to increase trust and to
diminish tensions between the two nations.
Cultural and Political CBMs
Cultural and political CBMs can help to promote stability and inspire
confidence in the established government. This is especially important in
the context of intrastate conflict or civil war.
Such measures might include stop repressive laws on language or religion,
allowing traditional authorities some role in local affairs, and demonstrating
respect for local practices.
Political CBMs build confidence in the political system through such
measures as power sharing, electoral reform, and power decentralization.
Such democratization methods foster political gains and allow for political
exchange and learning among parties in conflict.
