Austrian Security Policy Documents – a Walk on a Tightrope between Neutrality and International Solidarity

Zecha, Wolfgang (2015) Austrian Security Policy Documents – a Walk on a Tightrope between Neutrality and International Solidarity. ACADEMIC AND APPLIED RESEARCH IN MILITARY AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT SCIENCE, 14 (4). pp. 317-330. ISSN 2498-5392

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Abstract

After achieving the Vienna State Treaty, Austria had to develop its security policy missing fundamental documents. The first main document was the constitutional law on neutrality, which was passed by the Austrian parliament on 26th October, 1955. Even before that, the Austrian defence law was approved on 5th September, 1955. Although Austria promised in the Moscow Memorandum to pursue a neutrality policy like Switzerland, the Austrian policy left this line by becoming a member of the UN in 1955. So the Austrian security policy started to walk a tightrope between neutrality and international solidarity because of her UN membership and membership in other organisations like EU or NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP) later on. This essay emphasizes the steps of amendments, which were made in the Austrian constitution and her policy during almost 60 years with respect to international security policy and Austrian participation in international operations. The aim of this essay is to point out the new understanding of international solidarity of “neutral” Austrian policy.But it is necessary to stress the main points of neutrality and what that meant in international security policy from a legal point of view.

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