The Communication of Mutual Security: Frameworks for European-Mediterranean Intelligence Sharing

This paper examines the issue of intelligence cooperation between NATO and Mediterranean non-member countries (Med). The paper is divided into four parts: The first part examines the development of intelligence cooperation frameworks in Europe and the Mediterranean region; The second part analyses major problems and issues relating to NATO-Med intelligence cooperation; The third part examines NATO's intelligence requirements in the Mediterranean, at four distinct phases in NATO-Med cooperation; The forth part explores policy options aimed at enhancing frameworks for NATO-Med intelligence cooperation. The paper argues that NATO policy in the Mediterranean region requires the development of institutionalised frameworks for intelligence cooperation with its Mediterranean neighbours. NATO experience over the past decade, including the events in Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia, present the Mediterranean as a potential area of extensive NATO operations in the future. NATO intelligence structures, however, suffer from an ‘intelligence deficit' over the Mediterranean. Over four decades of Cold War, NATO intelligence structures concentrated on Eastern Europe, while the Mediterranean region was allocated only secondary importance in the collection and processing of information. As a result, NATO often lacked intelligence information required for successful operations in the Mediterranean area. This lack of information could be reduced by more effective cooperation with local intelligence services of non-member Mediterranean countries, including Israel, Egypt, Morocco, Cyprus and Malta. This paper analyses the difficulties hindering NATO external intelligence cooperation and examines the alliance's intelligence requirements in the 1 Mediterranean. It also explores policy options for the creation of intelligence cooperation frameworks aimed at enhancing NATO operations in the region. The paper concludes that, despite some progress being made following the Kosovo campaign, NATO still has a long way to go in creating and maintaining regular and effective frameworks for intelligence cooperation with Mediterranean countries. Such frameworks could enhance NATO operations and European Union policy in this volatile region. They could also serve to stabilise regional security and encourage security cooperation among Mediterranean countries facing similar security threats.