There are a number of areas today where development policy needs to address the wider issue of Security Sector Reform (SSR). This article, written for the Berghof Handbook Dialogue Series, considers the concept of SSR and how best it can be used to further development goals. It argues that support for civilian governments, elected parliaments, competent civil servants and monitors will generally advance SSR in a more sustainable manner than military or police assistance. Furthermore, by involving civil society, SSR will be better able to create an open, democratic security culture.
The objective of SSR is to create a professional security sector which is appropriately sized, based on an appropriate use of resources, with a precise mandate and subject to democratic control. A security sector thus structured can contribute towards the development of a country, whereas an unreformed security sector can become a burden.
SSR must go beyond the traditional concept of equipment aid and military and police assistance, advancing to a more comprehensive strategy that also includes civil society. Integrating security issues in development strategies does not mean that donors must automatically cooperate closely with security sector actors.
While the development policy debate should involve SSR, development remains the key goal security sector reform encompasses four dimensions, with the first three more relevant to development and the fourth given lower priority:
- The political dimension involves strengthening of civil society, planning and budgetary control, and professionalisation of NGOs and the press;
- The economic dimension involves measures to implement disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of armed forces, and the civil utilisation of resources formerly used for military purposes;
- The social dimension involves strengthening public security and control of arms transfers; and
- The institutional dimension involves the professionalisation and institutional separation of security sector actors.
In the long term support for civilian governments, democratically elected parliaments, competent civil servants and monitors within civil society will advance SSR in a more sustainable manner than military or police assistance that is often of questionable nature. Yet the following dilemmas should be borne in mind:
- Certain partners in the security sector of a particular country may be discredited on account of their past and should not be cooperated with;
- Donor countries’ foreign, security, economic and development policies often conflict; and
- SSR should not necessarily be given priority over other development-policy objectives when funding decisions are made.
The following recommendations are made:
- Due to the limited experience of SSR to date, activities should commence in a small number of promising countries. Priorities should be gradually shifted from physical infrastructure reconstruction to institutional reform. SSR must involve civil society so as to create an open, democratic security culture.
- Effective reform must strengthen and professionalise government, parliament, the civil service, NGOs and the press, giving them the expertise and capacity to control the security forces.
- Direct cooperation with the immediate actors of the security sector should be avoided where actors are unwilling to reform.In cases of doubt, cooperation for reform should take place with civil society instead.
- To professionalise the military and police, assistance must not provide expensive modern equipment but rather training in human rights protection and respect for international norms.
- Programmes of SSR and disarmament can be mutually complimentary. Development work should be linked with demilitarisation wherever possible.
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The lead article by H. Wulf is introduced by C. McCartney, M. Fischer and O. Wils and commented by L. Nathan, M.N. Azca, N. Ball, M. Caparini, V. A. Farr with a rejoinder by H. Wulf.
Wulf’s article is an extended and updated version of an earlier publication: Wulf, H., 2000, ‘Security-Sector Reform in Developing Countries: An Analysis of the International Debate and Potentials for Implementing Reforms with Recommendations for Technical Cooperation’, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), GmbH.
