NATO's experience of supporting security sector reform in the Western Balkans (1995-2015)

This thesis has considered the theoretical and practical underpinning of SSR and NATO's role in its application within two countries of the Western Balkans. It began by reviewing the extant literature on SSR and then analysed NATO's evolution and how it developed its role in assisting countries with reform of their security sectors in the aftermath of the Cold War. Unlike organisations such as the UN and EU, NATO does not have a formal policy and conceptual framework for Security Sector Reform (SSR) but uses a range of interlocking programmes that have evolved over time. The thesis examined critically NATO's interventions in both Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo and how that role transformed from being a security provider to one of advising and mentoring on reform of the security sectors. A comparative analysis was then conducted of the cross-case data presented in the two case studies. The research has reinforced the reality that different actors with different agendas will inevitably complicate an already challenging situation in postconflict and post-authoritarian countries. It became evident that national agendas within the North Atlantic Council also influenced the Alliance's ability to support SSR in the two countries studied. Through a combination of both primary and secondary research the study has established that NATO still managed to add considerable value to these reform processes and has the potential for doing so in the future in other countries. There were limitations to its approach and these have been highlighted. At times NATO's contextual understanding of the situation on the ground was weak and its use of political soft power to encourage the reforms in the countries studied was eclectic but, ultimately, it has had a measure of success in its endeavours. The research has generated a framework of factors for NATO to use when considering current and potential SSR engagements. As NATO becomes more deeply involved in projecting stability through SSR support after a decade of war fighting, this list of factors could have international significance.