The Environment, the Us Military, and Southern Africa

Summary

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Henk explores the increasing global concern related to environmental issues and the alleged disinterest of the United States in such matters. His analysis of military-to-military environmental partnerships between the United States and the countries of southern Africa reveals tremendous possibilities, if only there were some way to ensure a more concerted effort. He advocates a revitalization of relationships and a more active role by US and local militaries.

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Extract

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The Environment, the Us Military, and Southern Africa

Since the 1960s, the environment has become a consistent theme in international political discourse, no longer solely the concern of small groups of activists but a mainstream issue. As environmental concerns have gone increasingly global, countries like Norway and Finland have garnered international acclaim for their strong commitment to environmental causes. The government of the United States, in contrast, has been widely and vehemently criticized for its alleged disinterest. The bad press is ironic because the United States is engaged with other countries on a wide range of environmental issues. Asignificant amount of that involvement occurs in regions of the world where America's policymakers are hard pressed to find any vital interest. Perhaps more surprisingly, the US Department of Defense is an actor in these activities, a situation doubly ironic because America's military leaders have never engaged in serious, protracted debate to define environmentally-related military roles and responsibilities.

This article briefly examines US engagement on environmental issues with the countries of Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa, locating military involvement in the wider context of overall US environmental partnerships. It argues that all these efforts could achieve better results if they were more coherently focused and integrated. While not advocating a lead role for the military, it concludes that a more concerted engagement on environmental issues could make a contribution both to regional stability and to better military-to-military relations with regional partners.

The "Environmental Security" Debate

One interesting new direction that emerged in the late 20th century was the notion of "environmental security," part of a larger debate on the definition of security itself. The debate reflected a growing consensus that security should be defined broadly, and that threats to security include any conditions of life-even those emanating from the natural environment-th...

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