CIAO DATE: 04/05

Reform of the Czech Security Sector (Including a Brief Assessment of the Slovak Security Sector Reform)

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to provide an overall account of the Czech security sector reform that followed the fall of the communist regime in 1989. Especially the period starting in 1997 will be emphasized, since only that year, in connection with the on-coming accession to NATO, a really profound reform of country's security system and security sector began.

The main attention will be paid to the implementation of standard democratic procedures of security sector's management and oversight. If democratic control and civilian oversight of security sector are to be sound and functioning, they requires much more than an appropriate constitutional and legislative framework. Therefore, the related issues will also be discussed - e.g. the attitudes of the political elites, the public and the media towards the security-related problems, and capabilities of civilians in charge of security sector's management and oversight. It is obvious that due to its size, this paper can hardly offer more than a basic introduction to the reform of the Czech security sector.

Full Text (PDF, 34 pages, 209 KB)