U.S. Ambassador to Mali Mary Beth Leonard helped close a four-day program on Thursday which sought to improve understanding and cooperation between the civilian and military sectors of Malian society. The seminar on civil-military relations took place August 18-21, and was hosted by the Peacekeeping School of Bamako. More than three dozen participants completed the course, which focused on developing strategies applicable to Malian society and aiding in the national reconciliation process.
The course was conducted by representatives from the Center for Civil-Military Relations. Based at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in Monterey, California, the Center for Civil-Military Relations (CCMR) was originally established in 1994 to assist newly emerging democracies in addressing the civil-military challenges of the post-Cold War world. In the nearly two decades since its founding, CCMR has evolved to partner with a much broader range of regions and countries.
Civil-military relations education programs address all aspects of the relationship between elected civilians and security institutions in a democratic context by addressing a variety of potential challenges and avenues for success in institutionalizing effective and functioning civil-military relations.
