UN Support to National Security Policy-Making from an Institution-Building Perspective

Abstract

International support to what is meant to be a sensitive exercise of national policymaking is recognised to be extremely challenging. 4 It raises many questions. How to ensure national ownership in the face of national capacity gaps and tight international timelines? How to reconcile national values with international standards? Finally, what is the scope for international support in an area that touches upon 'national security', which has traditionally been seen as off limits to international efforts? 5 This paper posits that 'NSPmaking' should be perceived as a component of longerterm institutionbuilding in order to enhance positive synergies between external support and national processes. Consequently, it examines UN support to NSP development from the perspective of externally assisted institutionbuilding. It first frames NSP development within the context of institutionbuilding. It then looks at UN support to NSP development in theory and practice, drawing on case studies of the Central African Republic (CAR), Liberia and TimorLeste. 6 Finally, the paper evaluates some of the main tensions and opportunities presented by externally driven support to NSPmaking. In no way does it claim to cover all the challenges of support to NSPmaking; nor does it examine institutionbuilding in detail. Rather, with reference to concrete examples, it attempts to underline how an institutionbuilding perspective can broaden our understanding of UN support to NSPmaking processes.For the purpose of this paper, the term of NSP refers to all documents that are nationally developed as part of a policy making process to promote national security. This includes national security policies, national security strategies and 4 See, for instance, Edward Rees, 'Security Sector Reform (SSR) and Peace Operations: Improvisation and Confusion from the Field', external study for Peacekeeping Best Practices Section of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations