Assessing Adler and Barnett's three tier framework of a security community : SADC 2011-2015 emerging as a security community?

Abstract

The study assesses Adler and Barnett's (1998) three tier framework with a specific focus on the mature phase of their framework that emphasises mutual trust and collective identity as necessary conditions for establishing a security community. Adler and Barnett's (1998) three tier framework is applied to SADC's efforts of establishing a security community in the Southern African region. The study explores the reasoning behind SADC's creation with a specific focus on regional integration and how it defines its security architecture and political rationale. By focusing on regional integration and defining SADC's security architecture and political rationale the study outlines how the organisation is making efforts of establishing a security community. This is indicated by describing how SADC has attained the nascent and ascendant phase through its various initiatives and programmes such as the RISDP, SIPO I and II and MDP which provide evidence that there is a sense of cooperation and coordination among SADC member states. The study argues that SADC has reached the nascent and ascendant phase although the regional organisation has not yet progressed to the mature phase of establishing itself as a security community. The study critiques Adler and Barnett's (1998) third phase, which stresses the importance of two necessary conditions of mutual trust and collective identity. Mutual trust and collective identity are evaluated and analysed in respect of whether or not they are relatable and recognised within SADC as a possible emerging security community. The main finding of the study is that mutual trust and collective identity are not recognised in SADC in the manner in which Adler and Barnett (1998) describe them in their three tier framework. However SADC does make efforts to strengthen mutual trust, coordinate strategies and policies to develop collective identity, rather its efforts are not sufficient to make it a security community in the manner Adler and Barnett (1998) understand it. SADC continues to uphold a strict adherence to sovereignty, and is also characterised by domestic instability, lack of common norms and interests among member states and these are major problems for the organisation to create a security community.