A JOINT MOCK CONFERENCE OF ARMY CHIEFS FROM DEVELOPED AND DEVELOPING NATIONS ON CHALLENGES OF MILITARY TRANSFORMATION IN THE TWENTY – FIRST CENTURY

BAYERO UNIVERSITY, KANO

FACULTY OF SOCIAL AND MANAGEMENT SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

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POL. 4301 – MILITARY AND POLITICS: A SIMULATION PROGRAMME – 2009/2010

 

 

 

 

A JOINT MOCK CONFERENCE OF ARMY CHIEFS FROM DEVELOPED AND DEVELOPING NATIONS ON CHALLENGES OF MILITARY TRANSFORMATION IN THE TWENTY – FIRST CENTURY

 

 

 

 

JULY 2, 2010

 

 

INTRODUCTION

It is evident that globalization has changed everything to the extent that social theorists see these changes as global transformation. Yes! As the society changes the armed forces of both developed and developing countries, one of the few things they can be certain of is change.

 

Of course, the causes and consequences of change are not the same for all armed forces but, there are common factors in global trend of development which as we reflect over them will also mount pressures on the armed forces of various nations for change.

 

From social theory perspectives one of these factors is a development of a new international environment. This is occupied by new state power relations of regionalism involving trade, security, political governance, etc. embedded in the international system. It is fortified by global information and economic integration with common security policy, partnership for peace and hence similar military formation.

 

The second factor is the national domestic context, in which socio-economic, political and cultural changes provide challenges for the military and can influence force structure. The domestic economic changes, for example, the case of financial squeeze made it necessary to reconsider the heavy expenses on armed forces. Again, the political and economic changes going on produce new dimensions of insecurity which raised questions on the legitimacy of modern armed forces. All these and other domestic changes point to a need for new military and military organization.

 

The third is the "weight of history". This is not a common development in every country because is based on country's past, especially in terms of experience of crisis, war and military affairs. For example, pressures for reform are more certain in those countries with long tradition of military actions.

As a result of these, countries notably USA and UK took it as a mandate to confront this development with a reform of the military organization of their countries to meet the challenges of the new society.

 

The reform has already produced a social theory – a paradigm of military transformation even for developing counties. This paradigm – the Charles C. Moscos model has become both a basis of reform and of a comparative analysis of the reform in different national/context.

 

This exercise is intended to discuss and form ideas about military transformation in industrial democracies and in new democracies of the developing countries. Specifically to show:-

• Why the reform is uneven in the European community;
  
• Is the reform common in the developing world?
  
• If is not common why?
  
• Why Moscos paradigm? Is it applicable in new democracies?
  

You are at liberty to follow the paradigm of Moscos, but you can go beyond it by making a critique and building alternative paradigm.

 

I hope this will give to students opportunity to build capacity in developing ideas and of development of theory-based lectures to practices across the globe.

 

The procedure is that, first is a working – group discussion then to be followed by submission of the reports of the discussion to the whole class for further discussion. Therefore:-

• Each Seminar Leader is a General and Army Chief of Staff of a country;
  
• Each Army Staff will discuss with his formation and comes to report to other Army Chiefs;
  
• Discussion will be for fifteen minutes. Then another ten minutes to compile not less than two pages report;
  
• Then each to be presented to the whole class;
  
• To be followed by questions and comments.
  

 

M. M. Yusif

July, 2010