Security Sector Reform: Program Recap
PARTNERSHIP FOR DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE AND SECURITY (PDGS)
CONFERENCE MARCH 28, 2001: "The Importance of Civil-Military Relations in Democracy-Building"
Summary
On March 28, 2001, NDI's Civil-Military Relations Program hosted a conference entitled "The Importance of Civil-Military Relations in Democracy-Building" in which over 130 individuals belonging to federal agencies, universities, think tanks, and non-governmental organizations among other institutions were invited. This conference was part of an overall three-day conference in which the organizations belonging to the Partnership for Democratic Governance and Security (PDGS) met for their annual meeting. The partners of PDGS include the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (Washington, DC), the Center for Civil-Military Relations of the Naval Postgraduate School (CCMR) in Monterey, CA, SER en el 2000 (Buenos Aires, Argentina), and the Institute for Development and Security Studies (ISDS) in Manila, Philippines. For the March 28 conference, the partners gathered to discuss their work to date in civil-military relations before a broad Washington D.C. audience. CCMR highlighted its work on case studies, assessment frameworks, and organization of EIMETs designed to train new democrats in enforcing civilian oversight of the military. SER discussed its work on the PDGS website, a resource that provides solutions for new democrats interested in improving civil-military relations in their nations. ISDS described its experiences in doing civil-military work in Asia. As the only program in Washington, D.C. to focus exclusively on civil-military relations, NDI's Civil-Military Relations program has carved a niche for itself. Having held conferences, workshops, and seminars in addition to producing case studies, assessment frameworks, and other material in conjunction with PDGS, NDI has already made an ongoing, significant contribution in the field of civil-military relations. In an effort to promote the importance of civilian oversight of the military in democracy-building, the partners subsequently addressed questions and answers regarding this subject matter. The question-and-answer period was useful as it highlighted to the audience, PDGS's important work in integrating civilian oversight of the military into democracy-building. The inquirers were interested in NDI's in-country programs and work with both civilians and military officials in these countries.
Contact Information
For more information on this conference, please go to www.pdgs.org to obtain the videotape of this conference. For further information regarding PDGS, please contact Ms. Saadia Ghani by email at sghani@ndi.org.
Updated July 2001
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