PUBLIC AWARENESS NATO & DEFENCE ISSUES

NOT ABOUT… Process Procedures Technical elements Communication and campaign „tricks”

ABOUT CHALLENGES! Substantive issues! Definition issues –What is NATO? –What is security? –What is a national interest? –What is the role and function of the military? „Philosophical” issues –Public nature of security and defence policy –Populism –Subjective vs. objective

WHAT IS NATO? Image vs. Reality –Transforming identity –Cold War identity vs. Stability provider –Collective defence vs. Protection of interests Interests? Values? –Framework for US interests? –Values! – return to values –Whose values? - perceived values of Hungary Elite club –How do we define elite? – Everything we always wanted to be but couldn’t…

WHAT IS NATO? NATO image vs. EU image –CEE approach to integration institutions – boxes Council of Europe – democracy OECD – market economy NATO security (defence, military) EU – well being – positive image!! –Everybody wants to be European, nobody wants to be a hawk

WHAT IS SECURITY? Outdated concepts –WW2 – WW3 –Territorial defence –National framework Reality –No direct military threat (YU crisis!) –Multidimensional security challenges –Not territorial –Security & challenges – international framework How to change notion of security?

NATIONAL INTEREST? Integration vs. Sovereignty –Are we less or more sovereign through integration? Involvement in other nations’ conflicts –Is any conflict too distant? –Are there any geographical limits of interests? –Are we becoming a global player? If yes, how do we sell it? International framework vs. „none of our business…” –How to make the notion of national interests multidimensional?

ROLE & FUNCTION OF MILITARY? Protection of… –Independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity No one intends to hurt… –National interests Whose national interests? What national interests? No direct link between military involvement & foreign investment, tourism, well being, etc. Costs of military membership Effectiveness vs. Price Can we afford? Do we wish to afford? Do you support Hungary’s NATO membership if…?

PUBLIC NATURE OF SECURITY POLICY Public policy vs. Elite policy –Becoming more and more public –Security threats directly concern public safety Terrorism, illegal migration, illegal trade, organised crime, etc. Post-modern society – information society –The public will have information What kind? How to influence? Is any information „objective”? Is manipulation allowed? Does it ever backfire? –CNN-effect Uncontrollable effects on any public campaign Gov’t funding for different opinion groups?

POPULISM Communication strategy without populism? –Tools? „Defence is an issue for the whole nation!” –What does this mean? No populism, extremism, party interests, short term gov’t interests are allowed! BUT!! –It is just a natural field for such intrusions. Not in Hungary, but almost everywhere else… DANGER!! PITFALL!!

SUBJECTIVE vs. OBJECTIVE Transatlantic integration –PRO – rational (objective) arguments –CON – subjectiove (emotional) arguments Neutrality – AT, YU, 1956 Foreign troops, great powers – USSR, USA How to make rational arguments „catchy”? –Do we need to? –Use subjective arguments in the PRO campaign Values, elite club, security Even if these arguments are sometimes debatable Do not overcomplicate!

REFERENDUM? Last resort –Legitimacy –Political, legal, moral –Headache Long term investment –Catalyst of transformation –Notion of security –Double edged!

CONCLUSIONS? Any at all? NATO should not be a single issue What is the nature of our security? What are the best long term measures to protect national interests? Transformation of the notion of security – society, political elite Old NATO? New NATO? Mixed and competing images Find the right media Teachers, journalists, local governments Must be a positive story